With Apple’s plan to open retail stores in India still delayed pending government approval, the tech giant is planning bigger franchisee outlets at key locations in metropolitan cities, according to The Economic Times.
These article says these 5-6 franchisee-run outlets will be at least three times larger than the current, 1,000-square foot stores and may even go up to 5,000 square foot. Quoting three unnamed “senior industry executives, the article says the “Flagship Apple Premium Reseller” outlets will become a “stepdown” version.
Apple wants to open premium retail stores at prime locations either in a mall or high street in New Delhi and Mumbai. The goal is for the Indian stores to be nearly double than that of its average global store size of 8,500 square feet. However, getting government approval has proved a challenge.
The country has restrictive real estate investment laws for foreign companies. The Cupertino, California-based company has yet to receive approval from the government for its retail foreign direct investment (FDI) plans.
Apple currently has about 150 franchisee run Apple Premium Reseller stores in India, which are up to 1,500 square feet in area. One such franchise holder told The Economic Times that the flagship stores will come up in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, which are Apple’s biggest markets in India, and later in Hyderabad and Pune.
