Apple is further delaying the opening of the first Apple Store in India, with The Economic Times reporting on Thursday that the company now plans to open in the country between January and March next year, if all goes to plan.
Apple confirmed to The Indian Express last year that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening of India’s first-ever Apple Store had been postponed until 2022, with today’s new report suggesting the company has now fallen further behind schedule.
Prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that Apple was planning to open its doors to customers in India during 2021, with reports claiming the iPhone maker had secured a space in Mumbai’s Maker Maxity mall, located in the Bandra Kurla Complex.
In addition to Mumbai, Apple has been rumored to be considering additional store locations in New Delhi and Bengaluru.
Apple stepped up its retail efforts in India in 2020, expanding the official online Apple Store to bring its full range of products and support directly to customers across the country for the first time, cutting the reliance on Apple’s network of third-party sellers to handle sales and support in the country.
Apple is yet to officially share any details on its future store in India and if it will indeed be located in Mumbai’s Maker Maxity mall as rumored.