For Diwali, Apple announces 4 more stores in India

Apple’s business is booming in India so the company is building four more of its incredibly popular retail stores to cope with (and help generate) demand.

New Apple Stores are coming to India

The company, which already has stores in Dehi and Mumbai, now intends to put shops in place in Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai.

In a statement, Deirdre O’Brien, Appe’s VP Retail said, “We’re thrilled to build our teams as we plan to open more stores in India, because we’re inspired by the creativity and passion of our customers across this country. We can’t wait for them to have even more opportunities to discover and shop for our amazing products and services, and connect with our extraordinary, knowledgeable team members.”

Happy Diwali

It’s an announcement that is likely to draw attention to Apple in India at a pretty favourable time: India’s Diwali festival is just about to begin with Apple offering iPhone 15 purchasers free Beats headphones and cashback deals to mark the season.

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights that celebrates Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon Naraka, is also seen as India’s biggest shopping festival. It traditionally sees investment in gifts, home, clothing and lots of feasting.

Business is booming for Apple in India.

Company revenue jumped 42% in 2023 to hit $8.7 billion, according to Morgan Stanley. At the same time, iPhone shipments increased 39% year-on-year in 2023, which means India is now Apple’s fifth biggest smartphone market. (iPhone exports to the US now eclipse the value of India’s US diamond exports).

Where are these things made?

Of course, for Apple in India it’s not just the presence of these stores that matters, it’s also what’s inside them. With that in mind the company has confirmed it is now manufacturing the entire iPhone 16 range, including the Pro models, at factories in India.

That’s a first, as since 2017 when the company began iPhone manufacturing in India in a small way only the standard models have been made there.

JP Morgan recently claimed iPhone production in India has now reached around 10-15% of Apple’s global iPhone manufacturing. The bank anticipates up to 25% of iPhones will be made in India by 2027. We also believe the company will commence making AirPods in India in 2025.

In other news, the Tata Group factory that was taken out of service earlier this month following a fire is now back online, though production has not yet restarted completely. The factory was closed following a fire, the third blaze to impact Apple’s production in India.

Please follow me on LinkedIn, Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill group on MeWe.