Apple looking to invest in online, retail Indonesian stores
updated 09:43 am EST, Tue January 22, 2013
Online store returns after two-year absence
Apple is planning a new push into Indonesian sales, says NZWeek. Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board has officially approved an Apple application to enter the country. The board's deputy chairman adds that the company is planning to invest between $2 million and $3 million to launch a retail store in the capital of Jakarta; the store would be Apple's first in the country, and in fact Apple's first in the Asia-Pacific region outside of China or Japan.
The company is reportedly planning to reopen its Indonesian online store as well. Online sales did take place between 2008 and 2010, but were shut down in 2011, owing to problems with shipping out of Singapore. Apple likely has strong incentive to open up Indonesian sales, since just last month it launched the iPhone 5 and the iTunes music and movie stores in the country.
The prospect may also be more practical now that Foxconn is making a $10 billion investment towards an Indonesian manufacturing facility. Foxconn is Apple's main supplier, which could mean that within the next couple of years some Apple products will be marked with a "Made in Indonesia" stamp. Construction of the factory should have only recently began, however.
