Apple's latest flagship store in Mumbai is close to opening, but it looks like there was some bargaining that meant other tech leaders can't operate nearby. In a report from India's Economic Times, it looks like some of Apple's biggest competitors won't be able to have any presence near the new store.
There are 22 businesses specified within the rental agreement, citing the need for an Apple 'exclusive zone' around the store.
No competition for Apple
Twenty-one of the twenty-two companies where named in the Economic Times report, leaving one conspicuously missing.
- Amazon
- LG
- Microsoft
- Foxconn
- Garmin
- Hitachi
- HP
- Intel
- Lenovo
- Nest
- Panasonic
- Toshiba
- HTC
- Sony
- Bose
- Dell
- Devialet
- IBM
It's not hard to guess that the missing company is likely Korean competitor Samsung. It's also easy to see why most of the companies on the list are present, given that they make products that compete directly with Apple's. Some make Windows machinery, and others build audio gear that competes with the HomePod line and AirPods.
It's no great surprise that Apple wants to protect this store from competitors either, given how much work has gone into opening the new store.
Apple had a tricky job opening the store in Mumbai, especially after the Indian government banned the opening of single-brand retail outlets. The only stores of this type had to prove that a high enough percentage of their products were manufactured in India. Is this why Apple upped iPhone manufacturing in India? It's unlikely to be the sole reason, but it's what helped them open this new store in the first place.
The new store will open in a few day's time, on April 18th. Apple will follow this flagship store with one in Delhi. Apple seems to be making massive inroads into the Indian market, with components of the new iPhone 15 being made there, as well as components of AirPods cases. Either way, Apple is serious about this developing market.
