India’s first-ever apple store set to open in Mumbai, tech giant takes off wraps
The Apple BKC is situated at Jio World Drive Mall, 2nd will be opened in New Delhi later.
Apple’s first official store in India has revealed its exterior presence in Mumbai, a milestone for the company that has been trying to expand its presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing smartphone markets, a landmark move for the iPhone maker which is placing big bets on the South Asian nation for everything from manufacturing to sales.
As per an official statement by Apple, “To celebrate the opening of the new store, visitors can download the new Apple BKC wallpaper and move to the sounds of Mumbai with a specially curated playlist on Apple Music”.
The tech giant plans to open the gates of the store later this month. Apple is expected to open its second store in India in New Delhi at a later date.
As per the official website, customers will be able to exchange their Apple devices and get credit towards the next purchase at the store. Additionally, they will get Apple Store Gift Cards for purchasing products from the store. They will also get an option of “Genius Bar” where they will get expert service and support. The website also reveals that buyers will be able to place an order online and pick it up from the store.
The outlet’s design is inspired from Mumbai’s iconic Kaali Peeli (black and white) taxis; the store will welcome its customers with the classic Apple greeting, ‘Hello Mumbai.’
Apple BKC is located inside the Jio World Drive Mall at Bandra Kurla Complex, from where it gets the ‘BKC’ bit in its title. Though the company is yet to announce the date on which it will throw open the shop, reports state Apple BKC will commence operations in April itself.
According to Counterpoint Research, Apple had a 4% share of the Indian smartphone market in 2022, behind Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo. However, Apple also saw a 35% year-on-year growth in its shipments, driven by strong demand for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models.
Apple performed well last year as its ‘Make in India’ shipments grew by 65% by volume and 162% by value in 2022.
