The Apple Store is finally debuting in India, thanks to TATA-owned consumer electronics chain Croma, which shall host the store at few of its locations. And yes, buyers and visitors shall get to see those signatory wooden tables as well. Avijit Mitra, CEO, Infinity Retail, stated that these stores shall be modeled as per the global design (and that’s why those wooden tables), shall be set up to offer the best experience to consumers and shall be showcasing the entire range of Apple products.
The Apple Store has been allotted 400-500 square feet each in five of the Croma outlets in Mumbai – Ghatkopar, Juhu, Malad, Oberoi Mall and Phoenix Mall; and in Bengaluru at Jayanagar. The stores shall open come Diwali next month.
The store design, furniture and fixtures, lighting etc. shall match the global standards, and even the sales staff shall be accordingly trained by the company. So far, in India, Apple sold its products through premium resellers who run exclusive stores under the franchise model. Also, Apple products are available with multi-brand mobile and consumer electronics retail chains and even in neighborhood phone stores, not to mention online retail stores.
So far, Apple wasn’t able to set up its own stores owing to the mandatory local-sourcing norms for single-brand FDI (foreign direct investment) in retail. With Croma, Apple has the benefit to direct customer experiences without jumping the hurdles of bureaucracy.
The Apple Store is finally debuting in India, thanks to TATA-owned consumer electronics chain Croma, which shall host the store at few of its locations. And yes, buyers and visitors shall get to see those signatory wooden tables as well. Avijit Mitra, CEO, Infinity Retail, stated that these stores shall be modeled as per the global design (and that’s why those wooden tables), shall be set up to offer the best experience to consumers and shall be showcasing the entire range of Apple products.
The Apple Store has been allotted 400-500 square feet each in five of the Croma outlets in Mumbai – Ghatkopar, Juhu, Malad, Oberoi Mall and Phoenix Mall; and in Bengaluru at Jayanagar. The stores shall open come Diwali next month.
The store design, furniture and fixtures, lighting etc. shall match the global standards, and even the sales staff shall be accordingly trained by the company. So far, in India, Apple sold its products through premium resellers who run exclusive stores under the franchise model. Also, Apple products are available with multi-brand mobile and consumer electronics retail chains and even in neighborhood phone stores, not to mention online retail stores.
So far, Apple wasn’t able to set up its own stores owing to the mandatory local-sourcing norms for single-brand FDI (foreign direct investment) in retail. With Croma, Apple has the benefit to direct customer experiences without jumping the hurdles of bureaucracy.