Apple has delayed its plans to launch its first offline retailer in India because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the corporate has confirmed to Devices 360. CEO Tim Prepare dinner final yr introduced that the primary bodily Apple shops would open within the nation beginning 2021. The Cupertino firm has been working to determine its native retail presence within the Indian marketplace for a while. Final September, the corporate began its on-line retailer to start its retail enterprise within the nation. It was thought-about as a strategic transfer by Apple to face towards conventional e-commerce gamers together with Amazon and Flipkart that additionally promote units such because the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook.
With out specifying particulars on till when the delay will likely be in place, Apple confirmed to Devices 360 on Friday that it has postponed the launch of its first bodily retailer within the nation. The event was first reported by The Indian Categorical.
Apple has been within the headlines for engaged on its bodily shops within the nation for the previous couple of months. In February final yr, CEO Tim Prepare dinner confirmed the plans and expressed that the corporate needed to have its native presence within the Indian retail sector.
“I do not need anyone else to run the model for us,” Prepare dinner had stated whereas responding to shareholders throughout Apple’s annual shareholder assembly.
At current, Apple sells its units within the nation by distributors who function underneath a franchise retail community. The corporate, nonetheless, needs to go deeper within the Indian market by establishing its bodily shops.
The federal government enabled native retailing for gamers together with Apple by easing the earlier 30 % native sourcing norm in single-brand retail (SBRT). That step helped Apple launch its on-line retail retailer in September. It got here together with direct buyer assist and advantages together with trade-in and back-to-school reductions.
Throughout an earnings name in January, Prepare dinner had revealed that Apple doubled its enterprise in India within the December quarter in comparison with the year-ago counterpart. He had additionally proven optimism in persevering with the expansion over time.
Nonetheless, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have impacted Apple’s retail plans not simply in India however all over the world because it needed to shut most of its shops in key markets together with the US and China for a while — identical to different tech giants together with Google and Microsoft. The latter even completely closed its retail shops shortly after the coronavirus outbreak emerged all over the world.
Apple, nonetheless, seems to have the potential to get its retail plans on observe because it has already reopened all its shops within the US and most all over the world. The corporate’s revenue additionally almost doubled to a whopping $21.7 billion (roughly Rs. 1,60,829 crores) within the final quarter because the lockdowns eased in most international locations.
Prepare dinner additionally acknowledged through the latest earnings name that there was a powerful progress in rising markets together with India. He, nonetheless, did not present any particular statistics to justify his feedback.
