Shubham Sawarkar
Apple is set to open its second retail store in India just days after launching its first store in Mumbai. The new store, located in the Saket area of New Delhi, will be the latest addition to the company’s growing network of retail outlets around the world.
“We’re thrilled to bring the best of Apple to our customers in Delhi with the opening of our second store in India, Apple Saket,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “Our incredible team members look forward to connecting with the local community and helping them find new ways to pursue their passions and unleash their creativity through our amazing products and services.”
The opening of the Saket store comes just days after CEO Tim Cook launched the company’s first retail outlet in India in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai. The move marks a significant step forward for Apple, which has faced significant regulatory hurdles in India due to the country’s laws on foreign investment in retail.
The Indian government has insisted that companies must manufacture around 30% of their products in the country if they want to open a single-brand store, a rule that has made it difficult for Apple and other tech giants such as Samsung and Microsoft to gain a foothold in the Indian market.
Apple has been engaged in extensive negotiations with the Indian government over the past few years and has finally managed to secure official permission to open its stores in India. The result is the opening of Apple BKC and Apple Saket, the company’s first two stores in the country.
While the BKC store has been widely praised for its stunning architecture, the Saket store appears to be a more standard mall store, with only two design features – a curved storefront and a wall made in India – mentioned by Apple in its preview photos. Nevertheless, the store is expected to attract a large number of customers in the Delhi area, who will be able to purchase the latest Apple products, including the new iPhone 14 in Yellow color, which features powerful camera capabilities and groundbreaking safety features.
According to Apple, both the Saket and BKC stores run on 100% renewable energy and are carbon neutral. The Saket store has a team of over 70 highly skilled retail employees, who come from 18 different states in India and speak more than 15 languages. They are eager to help customers discover and shop for the latest Apple products and are expected to provide a high level of customer service.
Apple Saket is set to open on Thursday, April 20, at 10 a.m. IST in New Delhi. The preview photos of the store can be downloaded HERE, and opening day photos will be added to the same folder [opening day photos are now available for download in the same folder]. With the launch of its first two stores in India, Apple is hoping to gain a foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing smartphone markets and is expected to continue expanding its retail network in the country in the coming years.
