Apple has been considering expanding its business in the Indian market for quite some time. India is one of the world’s largest markets for mobile devices, and it could be a significant development area for Apple.
Apple has long been selling its products in India through Apple Premium Resellers, but its market share remains fairly low. The popularity of Apple products in India has grown several times over the past few years, leading to long lines at various stores. In December, sales of the brand’s products in the country reached record sales.
In the past couple of years, amid its popularity in India, the company has been planning to enter the market with its Apple Store format, which provides customers with a premium experience worldwide.
Apple had been planning to open its retail stores in India for a long time; the expansion development had been underway since at least 2015. To implement the plan, the company had to open its factories in the country and provide thousands of jobs. After fulfilling the necessary conditions, the company launched an online store and planned to open the first Apple Store in early 2021, but the pandemic interfered. The opening in Mumbai was postponed several more times amid uncertainty in the market, first to mid-2022 and then to spring 2023.
In March 2023, Apple officially confirmed that the country’s first flagship store would open in Mumbai. Reliance Jio World Drive, a mall famous for luxury global brands, has been chosen as the launch site. The store will be located in the Bandra Kurla Complex.
The official Apple website currently carries the message:
The message also indicates the opening date of the store—April 18. Sources in the commercial real estate market know that the lease was signed for 11 years. The first Apple Store will be about 21,000 square feet, with rents increasing 15% every three years. In addition, Apple will pay 2% of the proceeds for the first three years of the store.
The storefront’s design is inspired by local artist Kaali Pili’s cab art, which is unique to Mumbai. The façade design for the brand’s first store in India was created from stickers depicting Apple products and services.
With the opening of the Apple Store, fans of the brand in India will finally have the most comprehensive assortment with fewer delivery delays in buying any products. In addition, the store will provide services for data setup, cellular plan activation, financial plan selection, and more. The Apple Store in India will also feature a Genius Bar with full personal manager support by appointment.
Apple will also offer its customers various delivery and pickup options, favorable exchange and trade-in terms, and qualified support.
The “Today at Apple” program will also launch with the opening in Mumbai—daily in-store sessions led by Apple creatives to help customers exercise their creativity and use their devices best. The brand will also invite local artists, experts, and community partners to these classes to develop themes: art and design, business, coding and apps, kids and families, products, and music.
Apple also reported that to celebrate coming to India and opening its first store, there will be a Mumbai Rising program from April 18 to 25.
Customers can explore the “Mumbai Rising” sessions and sign up at apple.com.
A second Apple Store will open in Delhi. The Apple Store in the Select. CityWalk mall will be 10,000-12,000 square feet. According to some reports, the store was ready to open even earlier than in Mumbai, but because of its flagship store status, it was decided to delay its opening. According to official data, the opening is scheduled for April 20.
Apple announced in the fall of 2022 that it would begin assembling its flagship iPhone 14 in India. The company wants to move some of its production from China to the country. Apple said Monday that it is assembling its flagship iPhone 14 in India as the U.S. tech giant hopes to move some of its production from China. The partner is Foxconn, a major smartphone assembler that operates a factory in Sriperumbudur on the outskirts of Chennai.
Production of iPhones in India began back in 2017, but it was only for older models. The company began assembling its flagship model in India for the first time in anticipation of entering the market with the Apple Store. In the future, Apple will also export from India to other markets.
To date, only 5% of iPhones are produced in the country, and the company’s market share is estimated at 3.8%, significantly less than that of Samsung and Xiaomi. At the same time, the market potential is huge; today, India is among the top 20 countries in the growing demand for premium products.
