Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook is likely to welcome customers at the iPhone maker’s first store in India, which will open on Tuesday in the BKC business district here, company officials said on Monday.
The store is being launched as the company completes 25 years in the country. With fans queuing up to become customers ahead of the store opening for the iconic brand across the world, it remains to be seen how Mumbaikars welcome the store on Working Day.
On the eve of opening for the customers, a media preview was organized at the store spread over 20,000 sq ft area. A similar facility will be launched in New Delhi’s Saket on April 20 following the opening of the store in Mumbai. According to reports, Cook will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“India has such a beautiful culture and an incredible energy, and we’re excited to build on our long-standing history – supporting our customers, investing in local communities, and doing better with innovations that serve humanity.” Working together to create the future,” Cook said in a statement.
In the evening, Cook tweeted a photo of himself with Apple employees at the store, writing “Hello, Mumbai! We can’t wait to welcome our customers to the new Apple BKC tomorrow”.
The company’s senior vice president for retail, Deirdre O’Brien, told reporters that there is a lot of focus on Apple’s core beliefs of sustainability and inclusivity, and pointed out that of the 100-strong team that will be on the floor, 18 will be Indian speaking. languages.
He said the company employs 2,500 people in the country and has indirectly helped create 10 lakh jobs through its app ecosystem.
About half the employees at the store, including leadership, are women, she said.
The two-story store occupies prime real estate on the corner of a sprawling mall that also houses brands such as Diesel, Michael Kors, Kate Spade and Swarovski.
While many of the facilities at the store are similar to other Apple stores around the world, the company has focused on ‘Indianising’ the facility by incorporating local influences, starting with the much-hyped ‘Kaali-Peeli’ theme. The façade is borrowed from the black and yellow taxis plying the city streets.
The music played is also an eclectic mix of songs that are rooted in the city, such as Jaaved Jaffrey’s number “Mumbai”, from the film Bombay Boys, released in the late 1990s.
O’Brien said the store has 8-metre-high ceilings to encompass the upper floor, and a specially made staircase leading to the upper floor, which has 14-metre-tall, single-piece glass walls on either side. Are.
For the walls inside the store, the company specially procured stone from Rajasthan, and 4.5 lakh pieces of wood adorn the ceiling walls, he said.
Officials said the store has products, merchandise and services such as repairing gadgets available to customers.
Like any other store, there are long wooden desks on which products are placed, including specially made sensors that trigger the opening of switches.
Apple’s first retail store in the country has been the subject of huge speculation since at least 2019, when Indian policymakers warmed to the idea of welcoming foreign direct investment in single-brand retail. The permission to allow such stores has come with riders such as mandate on local sourcing in final finished goods.
Earlier, the Cupertino, US-based tech major was reportedly looking at a space in central Mumbai, which has been selling Apple’s products for some time, before downsizing the current location owned by the company headed by richest Indian Mukesh Ambani. Also a distributor.
The company has leased space at Jio World Drive Mall for 11 years, and has been in talks to prevent 22 competing brands, including Amazon, Facebook, Google, LG, Microsoft, Sony and others, from occupying or advertising the closed space. Has been successful. nearby.
The store’s launch in the financial capital on Tuesday will be followed by the opening of a similar store in New Delhi’s Saket two days later. According to reports, the company will pay 42 lakh per month as rent for the store, and will also share a part of the revenue with the space owner.
The store is inspired by the iconic black-and-yellow taxis that have been a regular feature on the city’s streets, and will feature luxe brands such as Michael Kors, Kate Spade and Swarovski as its neighbours.
Currently, Apple has a 3 percent share of the highly competitive Indian smartphone market, which is ruled by Chinese and South Korean brands. Recently, the company has increased its reliance on manufacturing in India, which is increasingly seen as an alternative to China following supply chain disruptions during the Covid pandemic.
Last week, the company revealed its face with a “Hello Mumbai” greeting.
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This news is auto-generated through an RSS feed. We don’t have any command over it. News source: Multiple Agencies: hindustantimes, techrepublic, computerweekly,
