April 22 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Apple has been raising its game in India ever since it faced a host of negative issues in its top manufacturing base, which is China, during the Covid-19 pandemic. To make sure disruptions no longer affected its manufacturing schedules, Apple looked to diversify and since then it has built a massive base in India and elsewhere too. Considering that sales of iPhones too have dropped in a major way in China, the diversification drive has acquired even greater urgency. While that is the case regarding the manufacturing arena, Apple has gone ahead and even opened physical stores in India last year – two of them actually, and that too in plush locations in New Delhi and Mumbai.
Now, a report by the Economic Times reveals that these Apple Stores in India have emerged as high-performers and are being compared among its best on a global scale. Apple has not given any reaction to these claims though.
According to the ET report these 2 stores’ revenues have been strong, with each accounting for anything between ₹190- ₹210 crore in the previous fiscal.
ET quoted an industry executive as saying. “It has met Apple’s expectations, matching some of the best-performing store launches and they are now aggressively scouting space for the next three company-owned stores.”
This success has reportedly egged the company on to plan new store openings in other premium locailities in the country. This may reportedly include setting up Apple Stores in Pune, Bengaluru, as well as in Noida.
Apple Stores are popular because of the number of benefits that accrue to potential buyers as they can fully experience the products as well as get personal attention, full explanations and other help from the employees there.
Apple had opened its Apple BKC Store (Mumbai) on April 18, 2024 and Apple Saket (New Delhi) on April 20, 2024, with CEO Tim Cook himself jetting down to inaugurate the stores.
The ET report also indicates that Apple may well launch its latest gadget, Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, in India and that too soon. Notably, the gadget requires a lot of personalisation and explanations that can be best done in an exclusively Apple Store.
