Apple to soon open its first brick-and-mortar stores in India
What's the story
Apple's physical retail stores in India may not be that far away. The company is yet to announce anything about such stores officially, but it has already started hiring for several roles "for various locations" throughout the country.
Per Financial Times, some people have already made their hiring official on LinkedIn. However, it's unclear when Apple will open its first brick-and-mortar stores in India.
Context
Why does this story matter?
India has been growing in importance in the Apple playbook. With the issues it is facing in China, its manufacturing hub, India has emerged as a viable alternative for Apple.
Setting up retail stores will further enhance India's position in the tech giant's roadmap.
For Apple, this is a chance to tap into India's massive smartphone market.
Job Listing
The company has listed 12 job opportunities
Apple's career page (jobs.apple.com) has 12 job listings that are marked "Apple retail." The positions available are for a store leader, operations expert, genius, and business pro, among others.
We might see more job openings in the company's retail section popping up in the coming days.
The Cupertino-based tech giant hasn't said anything about how many stores it is opening in the country.
Apple retail
Apple to open a 22,000-square-foot store in Mumbai
An Economic Times report from last year said Apple aims to open its retail stores in India in the January-March quarter this year. The new job listings seem to be in line with that.
A 22,000-square-foot store at Mumbai's Jio World Drive mall is expected to be a retail landmark in India, like Apple's outlets in New York, Beijing, Milan, Singapore, and Los Angeles.
Delay
The first store was supposed to be opened in 2021
The soon-to-be-launched Apple retail stores in India are the manifestation of what Tim Cook, the company's CEO, said in 2020: "I don't want somebody else to run the brand for us."
Apple initially planned to open its first retail store in the country in 2021. However, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And last year, the plan met with another delay.