It’s been 15 years since the world saw its first Apple Store. In the decade and a half since, the Apple Store has defied the role of a traditional store and defined the process of brand-imaging. And now, the Apple Stores India seem to be shaping up in three desi locations – Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
The stores are expected to be completed and fully operational before 2018. That gives them just about year-and-a-half to complete the project. If that happens … well, India is known to be a land of miracles, isn’t it?
Each building is supposed to be spread over a construction area of 10,000 square feet! Early estimates peg the construction cost at INR 20 to 35 crores each (roughly $3-5 million). And given the company’s attention to detail, the finished product has to pass Apple’s lofty standards!
The project seems farfetched because they haven’t even acquired the land for these stores yet! And, since they would like to stay away from malls, they’re on the lookout for prime real estate in the heart of the cities. Good luck getting 10,000 square feet in Connaught Place!
Now, we’ve full faith in Apple’s abilities to build huge and elaborate buildings with seeming ease (have you seen the new Apple HQ?) but that’s the U.S. of A, baby! All things are possible there.
However, they’re not in the US anymore, are they? This is India and construction projects here have a peculiar affliction of being inexplicably late.As do court cases; or trains; or flights; or just people in general.
But we digress…
The Apple Stores will pave the way for an authentic user experience, one that third party retailers in India cannot replicate.
A group of 40 Apple employees have been working out of Gurugram (formerly Gurgaon) for months now to facilitate the growing business in India. Meanwhile, Apple has also been busy building a new India Headquarters building in Hyderabad.
We’re not rooting for Apple to fail, but neither are we’re overly optimistic about their timelines. We know the ground realities of our country better than Tim Cook. Let’s hope we’re proved wrong. Nothing would please us more!
Bonus: Apple Stores are getting their biggest makeover in 15 years
