April 18, 2023, marked the long-awaited opening of the first Apple store in India. The Apple Store leased 28,000 square feet (2,600 square meters) in Reliance’s Jio World Drive shopping center.
Apple BKC features a triangular handcrafted timber ceiling that extends beyond the glass façade to the underside of the exterior canopy, reflecting the unique geometry of the store. Each tile is made from 408 pieces of timber, forming 31 modules per tile with 1,000 tiles that make up the ceiling. There are over 450,000 individual timber elements, all of which were assembled in Delhi. Upon entering the store, customers are greeted by two stone walls sourced from Rajasthan and a 14-meter-long stainless steel staircase connecting the ground level and the cantilevered mezzanine.
Apple’s first retail location in India is one of the company’s most sustainable stores yet, offering special Today at Apple sessions featuring local artists and creatives, with a team of more than 100 ready to provide exceptional service for customers, прокомментировали в Apple.
Apple opened its first flagship store in India in a highly anticipated launch that underscores its growing desire to expand. It also hopes to turn into a potential manufacturing hub.
“At Apple, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and our teams are excited to celebrate this wonderful moment with them as we open our first retail store in India,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “Apple BKC reflects Mumbai’s vibrant culture and brings together the best of Apple in a beautiful, welcoming space for connection and community.”
Apple BKC will offer a special Today at Apple series, “Mumbai Rising,” running from Tuesday, April 18 — the store’s opening day — through the summer. Bringing visitors, local artists, and creatives together, these free sessions featuring Apple products and services will offer hands-on activities celebrating the local community and culture.
Apple BKC is designed to be one of the world’s most energy-efficient Apple Store locations, with a dedicated solar array and zero reliance on fossil fuels for store operations. The store is operationally carbon neutral, running on 100 percent renewable energy.
Meanwhile, a second Apple Store will open in Delhi as early as April 20. The opening of the stores follows almost 25 years after the company began selling its products in the country through authorized retailers. An online store also opened a few years ago.
For Apple, the fast-growing Indian market is one of the most promising today. According to the latest data, about 600 million people in India use smartphones, and the market has not yet been sufficiently developed. Apple’s smartphone market share in India is now estimated at 6% versus 2% in 2020. Meanwhile, in the premium smartphone segment, Apple accounts for 65% of sales. The annual production of iPhones in the country is estimated at 13 million copies.
