It was early 2008. And the biggest product in the underground market in India back then was the iPhone, which first made its appearance in 2007. The year 2008 was also special for another reason — the iPhone made its official debut in India with the model iPhone 3G. Since then, it has been one giant wave after another for Apple, offering India a wide range of its portfolio.
Cut to 2023. On April 5, 15 years after its official iPhone debut in India, Apple revealed the barricade of its first retail store in India at Jio World Drive Mall in Mumbai. Called Apple BKC, it lays the foundation of Apple’s bigger dreams for India. The opening date hasn’t been revealed nor the list of dignitaries at the launch but the “Hello Mumbai” is a sign big enough for bigger things to come.
The store is coming at a time when Apple is expanding its footprint in India while China goes through a troubled phase with the supply chain.
Recently, Hugues Asseman, who was vice-president in charge of India, the Middle East, Mediterranean, East Europe and Africa, retired and following his departure, Apple promoted its head of India, who reported to Asseman — Ashish Chowdhary, who now reports directly to Michael Fenger, Apple’s head of product sales.
Apple has been laying its plans for India for years. The upcoming store will be home to all the latest Apple products as well as offer access to Specialists who can help consumers choose the right products.
The new Apple BKC wallpaper
The budget and mid-segment phone market in India is going through a tough phase and all eyes are on the premium segment. India’s smartphone market ended 2022 with 144 million shipments, lowest since 2019, with a 10 per cent decline y-o-y (year-over-year), noted International Data Corporation (IDC). But Apple continues to make its lead felt in the premium segment.
“The Apple-owned flagship stores are a key pillar in Apple India’s playbook to win in a strategic growth market. A stream of favourable tailwinds back the launch of the Apple-owned flagship retail stores in India. The premium smartphone segment in India continues to be immune to macro-economic pressures, and has been growing in double digits. Offline retail continues to be key in a large, diverse market like India, where consumers love to touch, feel and explore the products. Apple would seek to replicate the famed Apple retail experience — including, overall consumer experience, staff knowledge and expertise, and the service standards, amongst others — in India, and steer greater market growth in the years ahead,” Prabhu Ram, head, Industry Intelligence Group, CyberMedia Research (CMR), told t2.
The company made its online store available to customers in India in 2020 and it has been a thumping success for the company. Having its offline retail stores is the next step. In February that year, Tim Cook was asked at a shareholder meeting about the company’s plans for India and he said Apple would open its first Apple-branded store there next year but the pandemic hasn’t been kind to any company. He said: “We needed to get approval from the government to go in there ourselves (rather than through a domestic partner)…. I don’t want somebody else to run the brand for us.”
Meanwhile, the company’s contract manufacturing partners continue to ramp up. The company’s supply chain continues to be mainly in China but slowly, Apple is looking at other markets, like India and Vietnam. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently praised Apple’s symbiotic relationship with China despite rising trade and geopolitical tensions between Beijing and the US.
Meanwhile, if you are in Mumbai in the next few days, you can take a look at Apple BKC from the outside before it opens its doors officially. Inspired by the iconic Kaali Peeli taxi art unique to Mumbai, the Apple BKC creative includes colourful interpretations of the decals combined with many Apple products and services that will be available for customers. If Mumbai is the first retail store stop for Apple in India, New Delhi is expected to be the next.
