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http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/10/09/10.apple.stores.in.india/

Reliance to open 10 Apple iStores in India

updated 02:05 pm EDT, Tue October 9, 2007

 

10 Apple Stores in India


India telecom giant Reliance landed an exclusive retail relationship with Apple: Reliance Retail announced a $19.3-billion agreement with the Cupertino-based company to build a series of iStores that would showcase both Macs and iPods and eventually the iPhone. The first store, which will be officially dubbed "iStore by Reliance Digital," is expected to open by the end of October-end in Banglore, the "Silicon Valley" of the second most populous country. Closed on Monday, the deal is the first exclusive relationship with an international brand for Reliance Retail and also a first for Apple, according to the report.

The Economic Times (of India) reports that this is the first time Apple is teaming up with corporate partner for distribution anywhere in the world. The iStores, the report says, would be standalone retail locations that would sell Apple products ranging from Macintosh computers to iPods and later, once it’s launched in India, the iPhone.

Earlier this year, Apple formed a partnership with PC Vendor Wipro Infotech to expand its business presense in the country. Wipro reportedly created a new specialized team to address the market for Apple's range of products, and said that the entity will address target enterprise as well as small & medium businesses (SMB) markets.

Already under construction, the first iStore in India will be opened just before the annual Christmas-like national holiday of Diwali and will be over 2,000 sq ft.

The report says that the Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Retail will open a total of 10 iStores by the end of the calendar year and that Apple would invest in market development. Apple has few resellers in India but no company-owned store, according to the Times.

While the deal is expected to give Apple an immediate presence and several retail and distribution points, the stores are also expected to help grow the Reliance Digital brand. As the consumer electronics chain of the retail division, Reliance Digital has only opened a single store earlier this year in the NCR.


by MacNN Staff

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Comments

  1. psdenno

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2003

    0

    19.3 billion.......

    ...with a "b"?!?!?!? They're spending 19.3 Billion to open 10 new Appple stores in India? For that amount, there will probably be one in the Taj Mahal. Perhaps, the number of zeroes following the "193" was misread by the author of the article.

  1. Peter Bonte

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0

    19,3

    19,3 million on the other hand is not enough, maybe they start with 10 stores and build more later on. Maybe the Mac hardware is also included and iPhone payola.

  1. Peter Bonte

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0

    fruits & vegetable stores

    figures

  1. WiseWeasel

    Junior Member

    Joined: Apr 1999

    0

    420!!!

    Time to get high! : P

  1. Cubester

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2001

    0

    Tech support

    When they call tech support, will they get an ignorant American reading from a script with a horrendous accent and total inability to understand a word they say? lol

  1. macnixer

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2006

    0

    Reliance head honcho ...

    Mukesh Ambani is rich and 19.3 is something he can easily afford what with a 17 storied building all for himself and his family to live in with a helipad and gardens on 23rd floor. guess what he has a full fledged movie theater for personal viewing with satellite download in real time. Mukesh is also the big baron on Petroleum Products. boy is Steve looking for the right partners?

  1. macnixer

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2006

    0

    correction...

    27 storied building...

  1. macnixer

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2006

    0

    believe it not?

    http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?Page=article§id=15&contentid=20070530022210718d7460de5

  1. macmacmac007

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2003

    0

    searched the net...

    no one but Macnn lists a dollar amount. Guess it's the MacNN writers making up more stuff again!!

  1. Guest

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 1999

    -1

    19.5 billion$

    "NEW DELHI: Reliance Retail has clinched an exclusive marketing and distribution deal with the $19.3-billion iconic maker of iPods and Mac computers, Apple, for standalone iStores". Economic Times

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