Apple hiring staff to open its own retail stores in India

Apple had been expected to do it last year but now a rash of hires suggests the company is about to open its own retail outlets in India, the Financial Times has said.

Apple’s flagship store may be in Mumbai

The company has been expected to launch physical stores for years, but these plans seem to have suffered delay during the pandemic. The report points to a wave of recruitment ads on Apple’s career page, many of which relate to Apple retail roles.

Apple is seeing to fill Genius roles, seeks store leaders and managers and at least five employees have announced their hire on LinkedIn, the report said. The company is also searching for an operations expert and wants technical specialists. The retail roles offered were for various locations across the nation, including Mumbai and New Delhi.

Apple launched its online store in 2020.

An Economic Times report last year indicated Apple had plans to launch its first India retail stores between January-March 23. The first store is anticipated to be in Mumbai where the company may open a 22,000 foot square flagship store. That’s the same store the company had been expected to open in 2021.

A second smaller store is planned in New Delhi and others may open nationwide. Interestingly, India’s Tata Group has also revealed plans to open a chain of Apple-focused stores in the country, suggesting continued commitment to push Cupertino into the world’s second largest smartphone nation.

Apple is building business in India

Apple also continues to expand its manufacturing and production presence in India. iPhone manufacturing has already created 150,000 jobs in India, according to reports and is expected to match China in scale by 2027. These efforts appear to be resonating with local people. The iPhone 13 was the best-selling smartphone in India in Q4 2022.

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