The brand that has been loved for years worldwide and after 25 years of selling products and services in India through partners, venerable consumer technology company Apple on Tuesday opened India’s first physical store in Mumbai. The store was inaugurated by Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple.
He flew to India for the first Apple store in Mumbai. The store that was open to invitees yesterday has opened for all customers today morning. The team of Apple welcomed the people with literal cheers as they entered the gates after being in the waiting line.
Source: Apple Press Release
The 20,000 square foot store’s doors were opened by the company with the Bollywood song “Yeh Hai Bambai Nagaria” playing in the backdrop. The doors of the enormous glass facade skyscraper were opened to a loud cheer from the Apple staff.
“At Apple, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and our teams are excited to celebrate this wonderful moment with them as we open our first retail store in India,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “Apple BKC is a reflection of Mumbai’s vibrant culture and brings together the best of Apple in a beautiful, welcoming space for connection and community.”
“Apple began its scale-up after the Covid-19 and the chip crisis. We actually did fairly well through Covid in India,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “I’m even more bullish now on the other side of it or hopefully on the other side of it. And that’s the reason why we’re investing there,” he said. “We’re bringing retail there and bringing the online store there, and putting a significant amount of energy there. I’m very bullish on India.”
Apple BKC will offer a special Today at Apple series, “Mumbai Rising,” running from Tuesday, April 18 — the store’s opening day — through the summer. Bringing visitors, local artists, and creatives together, these free sessions featuring Apple products and services will offer hands-on activities that celebrate the local community and culture, mentioned Apple in their press release.
Source: Apple Press Release
Sessions in the “Mumbai Rising” series include:
- Music Lab: Deep Listening in Urban Spaces with Sandunes
- Photo Lab: Portraits of Resistance with Prarthna Singh
- Design Lab: Every Poster Tells a Story with Boomranng Studio
- Art Lab: Drawing Homage to Mumbai with Kohla
Fine Architecture
The store is a place to visit not just for the amazing Apple products but the way the store is built. It is an architectural beauty of modern times promoting sustainability with amazing interiors and exteriors.
Solar Panels
With a dedicated solar array and 0% dependency on fossil fuels for store operations, Apple BKC is built to be one of the world’s most energy-efficient Apple Store locations. The store uses only renewable energy, making its operations carbon neutral.
Unique Geometry
To reflect the distinctive geometry of the store, Apple BKC has a triangular handcrafted timber ceiling that extends past the glass façade to the underside of the outside canopy. The 1,000 tiles that make up the ceiling are comprised of 408 pieces of wood each, comprising 31 modules per tile. Over 450,000 distinct pieces of wood were used, all of which were put together in Delhi.
Two Rajasthani stone walls and a 14-meter stainless steel staircase leading from the ground floor to the cantilevered mezzanine welcome clients as they enter the store.
There were celebrities spotted on day zero of the store like Madhuri Dixit Nene, AR Rahman, Mouni Roy, Prajakta Koli, Bhuvan Bam, and more. Several technology influencers went there too to cover the store and give a tour of the exclusive store.
Technical Guruji
He is talking about facts like this store being the most sustainable one in the whole world.
Rohit Khilnani
Also Read: World Heritage Day- Heritage Meets Modern Technology at NMACC
Prior to now, Apple was unable to create a location in India due to legislation governing single-brand retail. Up to this point, it had shops run by Indian business partners like Imagine and Future World. Apple will become a full-stack player in India with the opening of its first two locations, handling everything from manufacturing to retail.
Aayush Ailawadi
He gave a tour of the store as well.
Mansi Zaveri
The store has over 100 team members who speak over 20 languages.
“This week, as Apple celebrates more than 25 years in India, the company is marking a major expansion with the opening of its first Apple Store locations in the country, along with new environmental initiatives and a key milestone in the rapidly growing community of Indian developers,” the company said in a statement.
Customers are invited now to visit the big store, download interactive custom wallpapers, listen to a curated Apple Music BKC Playlist, and sign up for upcoming Today at Apple sessions.
The next store and the second in a row opens in India in Saket, Delhi on 20th April.
