Although Apple has partnered with a variety of retailers in India to showcase its products, there never have been dedicated Apple Stores in the country. The company has now tied up with Indian retailer Croma to open up outlets within its stores.
It is said that Croma will set aside 400-500 square feet of real estate for Apple products in its outlets. Apple already has tie-ups with multiple retailers in the country, although the space available is rather limited. But with that being said, authorized Apple resellers have large retail outlets spread across major cities, so there has never really been a shortage of commercial real estate for Apple products.
The new Apple Stores will be opened in multiple locations across Mumbai including Malad, Juhu, Oberoi Mall, Phoenix Mall and Ghatkopar. The Croma outlet in Jayanagar, Bangalore will also have its own Apple Store. These outlets are set to be opened by Diwali, which is next month.
“We are proud to partner Apple to launch the Apple Store in India and extremely bullish about it,” Avijit Mitra, CEO of Infiniti Retail, which owns Croma, told the publication. “These stores will be modeled on the global design and will offer the best experience to consumers, showcasing the entire range of Apple products.”
This new wave of retail presence in India could coincide with the rumored release of the Apple Watch in India. Apple is officially launching the iPhone 6s and the 6s Plus in the country later this week with pre-orders already going live.
[“Source- gizmodo”]