India may get its first Apple Store

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New Delhi, Jun 11: Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Retail is actively negotiating with the $19.3-billion Apple Inc of the US to bring its high-end Apple Store to India. If the deal falls into place, India will be only the second Asian country after Japan and the sixth country outside the US to have an Apple retail outlet. Given that an Apple Store is a single-brand retail outlet, Apple Inc can hold up to 51% equity in the venture.

Apple Inc, which started its flagship outlet in California in 2001, has over 160 stores in the US. It also has Apple Stores in Britain, Canada, Italy and Japan. The stores carry Apple computers, software, iPod music players, third-party accessories, and other consumer electronics such as the Apple TV and the eagerly awaited iPhone, to be released this month end.

Apple Stores are renowned for being the destination hangouts for its brand loyalists and are famous for their architectural features and in-store designs. They feature a theatre for presentations and workshops, a studio for training with Apple products, while offering a Genius Bar for technical support and repairs, as well as free workshops available to the public.

Reliance Retail’s consumer durables and information technology (CD&IT) vertical recently launched Reliance Digital at Ghaziabad in the national capital region. Reliance Retail at present has 170 Reliance Fresh stores, which sell groceries and FMCG products.

Its next phase of expansion will see hypermarkets and more CD&IT stores coming up. According to sources the company is very keen on signing Apple and has held various rounds of talks in this regard.