Tim Cook To Welcome Customers At Apple's First Store In India

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New Delhi: Apple's chief executive Tim Cook is likely to welcome customers to the iPhone maker's first store in India, which is scheduled to open at the BKC business district here on Tuesday, company executives said on Monday. The store is being launched as the company marks 25 years in the country.

Store openings for the iconic brand world over have witnessed fans queuing up to become the first customer, and it remains to be seen how the people of Mumbai welcome the store on a working day. ()

On the eve of opening for customers, a media preview was held at the store which is spread over a 20,000 square feet area. The Mumbai store opening will be followed by the launch of a similar facility in New Delhi's Saket on April 20. According to reports, Cook will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ()

"India has such a beautiful culture and an incredible energy, and we're excited to build on our long-standing history -- supporting our customers, investing in local communities, and working together to build a better future with innovations that serve humanity," Cook said in a statement.

The company's senior vice president for retail Deirdre O'Brien told reporters that a lot of attention has been given to Apple's key beliefs of sustainability and inclusivity, and pointed out that the 100-strong team which will be on the floor will be speaking 18 Indian languages.

The company employs 2,500 people in the country and has indirectly helped create 10 lakh jobs through its app ecosystem, she said. The two-storey store occupies prime real estate at the corner of a sprawling mall which also houses brands like Diesel, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and Swarovski.

While a lot of features at the store are the same as other Apple stores across the world, the company seems to have paid attention to 'Indianise' the facility by including local influences, starting with the much talked about 'kaali-peeli' theme on the facade borrowed from the black and yellow taxis on the city roads.

O'Brien said the store has an 8-metre tall ceiling if one were to include the upper floor, and has a specially made staircase leading to the upper floor that has 14-metre long, single-piece glass walls on either side.

For the walls inside the store, the company has specially procured stone from Rajasthan, and 4.5 lakh pieces of timber adorn the ceiling walls, she said.

The store has products, merchandise, and services like repairing the gadgets available for customers, executives said, adding that the customers will be able to check out the products and can also educate themselves on how to use them optimally.

At present, Apple has a 3 percent share in the highly competitive Indian smartphone market which is ruled by Chinese and South Korean brands. Lately, the company has upped its reliance on manufacturing in India, which is increasingly being seen as an alternative for China ever since the supply chain disruptions during the Covid pandemic.