Located in Mumbai’s bustling Bandra Kurla Complex financial, arts, and entertainment district, Apple BKC will serve as a dynamic space where customers can come together, explore Apple products and services, enjoy exceptional service, and learn how to get more out of their devices through free Today at Apple sessions
Mumbai: Apple Inc. on Monday opened for preview its much-awaited first company-owned and operated store in India in Mumbai. The store launch coincides with the company’s silver jubilee celebrations of Apple’s arrival in India.
The Mumbai store located on the ground floor of Reliance Industries-owned Jio World Drive in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) will be opened for consumers on Tuesday and that would be followed by another store opening in New Delhi later this week. The first preview of the Mumbai store was held on Monday and the around 10,0000 sq ft New Delhi store – located on the first floor of New Delhi’s Select Citywalk Mall – will be thrown to the public on April 20.
What truly makes this opening of the stores stand out are the series of environmental initiatives planned for the country along with steps the Cupertino tech giant would undertake with the rapidly growing community of Indian developers.
“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.”
The store
As you take your first step at the Apple BKC store, you cannot help but be in awe of what awaits you. From the design to the greetings from the team members at the store, each of it sets a benchmark in retail that remains unparalled. This particular store is designed to be one of the most energy-efficient Apple Store locations in the world, with a dedicated solar array and zero reliance on fossil fuels for store operations. The store is operationally carbon neutral, running on 100% renewable energy.
Apple BKC features a triangular handcrafted timber ceiling that extends beyond the glass façade to the underside of the exterior canopy, reflecting the unique geometry of the store. Each tile is made from 408 pieces of timber, forming 31 modules per tile with a total of 1,000 tiles that make up the ceiling. There are over 450,000 individual timber elements, all of which were assembled in Delhi. Upon entering the store, customers are greeted by two stone walls sourced from Rajasthan and a 14-meter-long stainless steel staircase connecting the ground level and the cantilevered mezzanine.
The team of 100, who collectively speak over 20 languages, are well acquainted with every bit of information you may seek to find. From professional music artists to photographers, the team stands out tall. Starting April 18, 2023, the store will host an exclusive initiative titled – Mumbai Rising. To be carried on till May 25, this will allow patrons to enjoy free sessions with pioneering Mumbai artists.
Driving meaningful initiatives
It is interesting to note that at the iOS App Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru, Apple works one-on-one with developers to help take their apps from good to great. Since 2017, the accelerator has hosted sessions for more than 15,000 developers, enabling them to build on their ideas and bring cutting-edge apps to the market. Their commitment towards the environment comes live with the brand’s aim to be 100% carbon neutral for its supply chain and products by 2030, all active Indian manufacturing supply chain partners are committed to using 100% clean energy for their Apple operations. Building on its work to expand recycled materials across its products, last week Apple announced it will use 100% recycled cobalt in all Apple-designed batteries by 2025.
In addition, Apple works with partners across India that are advancing critical work to protect the environment and expand access to education and employment, including the Akanksha Foundation, EnAble India, and Barefoot College International. Earlier this year, the company announced a new effort in partnership with Frank Water to support improved water quality, sanitation, and hygiene outcomes in India, and since 2021, Apple has supported the Applied Environmental Research Foundation in its efforts to safeguard the future of Indian mangrove forests by creating alternative, sustainable industries in the surrounding communities.
Further to the list of initiatives by Apple in India, is one of their most promising programme that is focused on women’s health, as part of the company’s $50 million Supplier Employee Development Fund which was founded in 2022 to educate supplier employees on new skill development, rights awareness, and other learning opportunities.
And on the creative side for their end customers, Apple continues to expand its range of award-winning services available to customers in India, offering a growing catalogue of music in Spatial Audio on Apple Music, and most recently launching the new Apple Music Classical app designed specifically for classical music lovers. Services like Apple Music elevate local artists like Mali, Armaan Malik, DIVINE, and Sandunes through expert curation and editorial.
Continuing the legacy
Apple began manufacturing iPhone in India in 2017, and since then, the company has worked with suppliers of all sizes to assemble iPhone models and produce a growing number of components. This alone has been a major factor contributing to hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country.
