US-based tech giant Apple will reportedly be opening its very first store in India on the upcoming year’s Independence Day.
The company-owned and operated store will be opened in Mumbai, reported Economic Times, hinting that it could possibly be located at the city’s Maker Maxity Mall, co-owned by Reliance Industries, 20,000-25,000 sq ft of which it had leased in 2019.
The pandemic delayed both the store launch and the opening of the Maker Maxity Mall by about a year and the mall is now scheduled to roll out ahead of Diwali this year, the report added.
The Mumbai debut will be immediately followed by an outlet in New Delhi next year, said one of the publication’s sources.
In addition, Apple plans to open three more outlets in the coming years — one in Bengaluru and plans to add one store each in Delhi and Mumbai, he said.
Apple has been eyeing opening its own store in India for years. However, a 30 per cent mandatory local sourcing clause for single-brand retailing prevented the firm from opening its own stores in India.
