Apple to open two retail stores in India next week

Nearly two decades after Apple entered India, the iPhone-maker is ready to open its first retail stores in the South Asian market.

Apple will open Apple BKC, its retail store in Mumbai, on April 18, and Apple Saket, its Delhi outlet, on April 20. “These new retail locations mark a significant expansion in India that will offer great new ways to browse, discover, and buy Apple products with exceptional service and experiences for customers,” the company said in a statement.

Apple has been aggressively hiring employees for its stores in India in recent months, according to recruitment posts. The company, which launched its online store in India in 2020, had initially planned to debut the first retail outlet in 2021 but delayed those plans after COVID struck.

India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market, currently contributes little to Apple’s topline, but the iPhone maker has said in the past that it’s bullish about its prospects in the country.

Apple’s contract manufacturing partners, Foxconn and Wistron, have ramped up local assembling for iPhone and other Apple gadgets in India in recent quarters. In a report last year, JP Morgan analysts estimated that Apple would expand its manufacturing capacity in India to produce 25% of all iPhones by 2025.

More to follow.