In recent years, India has been a key market for Apple, with the company seeing double-digit growth in the country. After opening its first official online store in India in 2021, Apple is now gearing up to open its first brick-and-mortar retail store in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex, commonly known as BKC.

The announcement of the store’s opening was made in 2021, with the date initially set for 2022. However, due to logistical difficulties, including the pandemic, the launch was pushed back to 2023. But now, the barricade of Apple’s first Indian retail location has been made public for the first time, officially marking the impending opening of Apple BKC.

The store will be located in Jio World Drive, the global headquarters of numerous premium brands. The Apple BKC creative is based on Mumbai’s iconic Kaali Peeli taxi art and features numerous Apple products and services that customers will be able to discover, as well as colorful interpretations of the decals. The store’s creative uses the familiar Apple greeting “Hello Mumbai” to brightly welcome visitors.

The BKC store is said to be as grand as the iconic Apple stores in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Beijing, Milan, and Singapore. Customers can configure a variety of models and experience devices before making a purchase decision, something that is not as easy to do in the company’s authorized retail locations throughout India. Apple is also expected to offer exchange value, trade arrangements, and other benefits for its store customers. Customers can also talk to Apple experts to get answers to questions about various products.

The opening of an official Apple Store in India is a significant milestone for the company, as it will allow the tech giant to have a more significant presence in the country and offer its customers a more personalized experience. The BKC store is just the beginning, as the company is reportedly planning to open more physical stores in malls and high-end shopping centers in other cities like New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

With India being such an important market for Apple, the company has been prioritizing local manufacturing for its most recent iPhone models in the country. A few days after its official launch in the United States, it was made official that the iPhone 14 was made in India. This move not only benefits Apple by reducing manufacturing costs but also helps to boost the Indian economy by creating jobs and stimulating local manufacturing.