Apple’s first India store 'Apple BKC' will be one of its most sustainable in the world

The atmosphere is electric outside the bustling Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai's financial, arts and entertainment district, as anticipation grows for the opening of Apple's first retail store in India tomorrow.

On a warm April 17 morning, a group of journalists and tech influencers were led inside Apple BKC for a sneak peek of the iPhone maker's first India store, which has been in the works for several years.

They were greeted by a bunch of enthusiastic store employees who lined up on both sides of the entrance ushering in each individual with claps, a long held Apple Store tradition, and screams of 'BKC'.

“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,” Apple's senior vice president of retail Deirdre O'Brien said in a statement.

“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,” she said.

Earlier today, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company is excited to build on its over 25-year history in the country with the opening of its first Apple Store locations in the country. "India has such a beautiful culture and an incredible energy," he said.

The brand new Apple BKC will have more than 100 team members who collectively speak over 20 languages, the company said. These employees were clad in green T-shirts during the preview event, which they said was representative of the upcoming Earth Day, observed every year on April 22 to raise awareness about the need to protect the environment.

The focus on sustainability was quite evident across the retail store, which the company claims is one of its most sustainable and energy-efficient stores yet.

Running on 100 percent renewable energy

Apple BKC will feature a dedicated solar array and zero reliance on fossil fuels for store operations. The store is operationally carbon neutral, running on 100 percent renewable energy, the company said.

In terms of interiors, Apple BKC features a triangular handcrafted timber ceiling that extends beyond the glass facade to the underside of the exterior canopy, reflecting the unique geometry of the store, the company said.

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, it added.

 Customers are welcomed into the store by two stone walls sourced from Rajasthan and a 14-meter-long stainless steel staircase that connects the ground floor and the cantilevered mezzanine.

Visitors will be able to explore the latest Apple products such as iPhone, Mac, iPad, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple TV lineups, as well as accessories like AirTag on the surrounding display tables. The store also offers an Apple Pickup service that will enable customers to place an order online and pick up products from the physical store.

Apple Store’s unique architecture

Apple stores are globally recognised for their unique and striking architecture. Just like their products, Apple has revolutionised retail store formats with their first store at Tysons Corner Center Mall in Tysons, Virginia, which was designed in 2001. The stores have a sleek and minimalistic setup, with natural elements such as wood, stone, and even the aluminum used in the MacBook's body. But what really sets Apple stores apart are their striking exteriors.

In 2020, the spherical glass island store at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore was inaugurated. These stores are situated in the best locations in their respective regions and are intended to be an experience centre that educates customers about their products rather than focusing on driving sales. The sales staff at these stores are also trained differently and well-versed in the products' technicalities and installation requirements.

“This is a part of the experience store strategy. The intent is not to drive sales but to open a flagship experience store. Mumbai is the financial capital of the country, plus it will have Reliance Jio as a partner, which has a huge customer base. This is a lot broader than just a retail setup,” Sanchit Vir Gogia, founder and CEO of advisory firm Greyhound Research, previously told Moneycontrol.

Apple’s India hopes

India is one of Apple's fastest-growing strategic markets, benefiting from the company's plan to diversify its manufacturing capabilities beyond China as it pursues a China Plus One strategy in the face of rising US-China tensions.

Although Apple has been manufacturing older iPhone models in India since 2017, it only began assembling the most recent smartphone models last year, with the iPhone 14.

Despite being marred by the pandemic, Apple’s iPhone shipments in India stood at 6.7 million units in 2022 against 4.8 million in 2021 and 2.7 million in 2020, according to data from International Data Corporation (IDC)

Apple also captured 25 percent of 'Made in India' smartphone shipments in terms of value in 2022, as compared to 12 percent in 2021, as per Counterpoint Research, a market research firm.

Among cities, Mumbai, which will have the country's flagship store, accounted for 10 percent of iPhone sales in India, trailing only Delhi, which had about 11 percent sales, the firm noted.

Today at Apple

To commemorate the store's opening, Apple BKC will also host a series of free 'Today at Apple' creative sessions dubbed 'Mumbai Rising', which will offer hands-on activities with Apple's products and services that celebrate Mumbai's local community and culture, the company said in a statement.

These sessions will bring local artists, creatives and visitors together and will run from April 18 through the summer, it said.

Among the sessions include ‘Deep Listening in Urban Spaces with Sandunes’ (Music Lab), ‘Portraits of Resistance with Prarthna Singh’ (Photo Lab), ‘Every Poster Tells a Story with Boomranng Studio’ (Design Lab), ‘Drawing Homage to Mumbai with Kohla’ (Art Lab)

The company, which has been operating in India for more than 25 years, said that it will continue to provide long-term support to organisations such as the non-profit Akanksha Foundation, community-based grassroots organisation Barefoot College International, and environmental NGO Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF), among others.