Fashion
Apple is about to open its first retail stores in India.
But unlike in other international markets, the Apple India stores will be a joint venture with local electronics chain, Croma. And they’ll be considerably smaller than elsewhere.
India has strict laws regulating single brand foreign retailing, which would require Apple to source a percentage of its products’ components within India.
Media sources in India say the new stores – the first of which will open around the time of next month’s Diwali Festival – will feature the same signature wooden tables and counters of full scale Apple stores elsewhere in the world and staff will be trained in the US.
Croma, a subsidiary of Infiniti Retail, in turn owned by industrial giant Tata, will open six stores in an initial trial, all in greater Mumbai.
Infiniti Retail CEO Avijit Mitra said in a statement: “We are proud to partner [with] Apple to launch the Apple Store in India and extremely bullish about it.
“These stores will be modelled on the global design and will offer the best experience to consumers, showcasing the entire range of Apple products,” he said.
The first stores will comprise a mere 46 sqm, a fraction of the size of the tech giant’s global flagships, in reality resembling little more than a concession. But it marks a significant strategic step from Apple’s previous india strategy of selling through authorised resellers or mobile phone networks.
Apple’s iPhone 6s model goes on sale in India this week, with the 16GB version priced at 62,000 rupees, about US$960).
