Reliance has planned to pull the shutters over as many as 16 out of 20 Apple retail stores in India because they do not follow the norms that the US-based company has specified for its retail channels. Nevertheless, the Indian conglomerate will focus its attention on its multi-brand stores called Digital Xpress.
Apple seems to have taken the decision of shutting 80 percent of its shops to ensure that it does not affect its sales in the country. As The Economic Times reports, Reliance Retail led by Mukesh Ambani was responsible for running these stores. They were basically one stop shop for Apple products such as iPhones, iPad, iPod, Mac computers and laptops as well as software and accessories.
As we said, 16 stores will be closed, but the other 4 will continue to run in India. One each will operate in cities like Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata. Apparently, some senior executives who are familiar with the matter have revealed that Apple is not happy with the way things have been shaping up in the last four years, while Reliance is not too keen on following the designing norms that Apple wants all its stores to adhere to. These include higher ceilings, white LED lighting, wooden floors, new display tables and a bigger size amongst others.
Not all stores were rejected, 12 of the 16 stores which are being closed down did qualify as per Apple’s requirements. But Reliance seems to have made up its mind to turn them into Digital Xpress which will be multi-brand stores and will naturally sell iDevices too.