First Apple retail stores to open in India next week

NEW DELHI: Apple is opening its first retail stores in India, beginning next week, the global tech giant which entered the country two decades ago announced on Tuesday. The Apple BKC store in Mumbai will open on April 18 while the Apple Saket store in Delhi will open its doors to customers on April 20.

Apple's Mumbai store will open at 11 am and Apple Delhi outlet will open for customers at 10 am. The US tech giant had launched its first online store in India in 2020 and was supposed to launch its physical stores soon after but plans were stalled due to the COVID pandemic. The first-ever brick-and-mortar retail outlets in India of the iPhone maker will mark a significant expansion of the US company in the country and will offer services and experiences for customers.

"Beginning April 20, customers will be able to stop by to explore Apple's latest product lineup, find creative inspiration, and get personalised service and support from the store's team of Specialists, Creatives, and Geniuses," the tech giant said in a statement. Apple is leveraging India's electronics market growth and has been heavily focusing on manufacturing its products here.

Apple started manufacturing its latest iPhone 14 models in India, just days after it had a global unveiling. In India, the US tech giant is partnering with top three global smartphone manufacturers -Wistron, Foxconn, and Pegatron. In 2017, Apple started manufacturing iPhones in India. The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme by the Central government is likely to have attracted several gadget makers, including Apple, to set shop in the country.

The government had launched Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes in 14 sectors which will make Indian manufacturers globally competitive, attract investments, enhance exports, integrate India into the global supply chain and reduce dependency on imports.