Bengaluru has special mix of creativity and passion for technology: Deirdre O'Brien on opening Apple's Hebbal store

"We’re committed to providing the best shopping experience both in stores and online, while deepening connections with local communities across India," Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail and People, said to DH.

Just a few weeks ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook, during its earnings call with analysts, revealed that the company registered a strong double-digit growth in India.

This has been the trend for more than three years, primarily driven by the demand for iPhones and Mac computers. While growth in the US and China is plateauing, India is rapidly emerging to be the next engine of revenue growth for the Cupertino-based company.

In April 2023, Apple opened its first-ever India retail store, Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in India's financial capital, Mumbai and in the same month, opened Apple Saket in the national capital.

In their first year of operations, Apple India reportedly recorded approximately Rs 800 Crores in revenue. And, they continue to go make sales in the subcontinent.

Now, Apple is all geared up to expand its retail presence in Bengaluru, India's IT Capital, on September 2.

Why Bengaluru?

"We care deeply about the communities we’re a part of, and we’re always looking for places that have that special combination of creativity, culture, and a real passion for technology — something we believe is true for Bengaluru," Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail and People, said to Deccan Herald, ahead of opening Apple Hebbal store.

Apple Hebbal Store to open in Mall of Asia, Bengaluru North

"We believe deeply in the transformative potential of technology to enrich lives, and we want to connect as many people as possible with Apple innovations. That’s what Apple Retail is all about — connecting people with the best of Apple. So we love to see Apple technology enable our users to pursue their passions, wherever that takes them — whether that’s entrepreneurs, developers or professionals in Bengaluru," O’Brien added.

Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail and People.

Called Apple Hebbal, the brand new store is coming up at Phoenix Mall of Asia in North Bengaluru. It just a few kilometres from Hebbal flyover, notorious for its never-ending traffic.

Interestingly, earlier this month, a new ramp on the Hebbal flyover connecting Nagawara to the Baptist hospital was thrown open for the public. This has considerably reduced the logjam here.

Read more | Opening of Hebbal flyover loop eases traffic

It looks like all stars are aligning at the right time for Hebbal to shed its infamous tag and become a popular landmark in the startup capital of India.

In and around Hebbal, multiple tech parks are lined up on Outer Ring Road and towards the international airport, residential habitations and malls too have emerged; soon, a new multi-modal metro station is coming up near the flyover.

Now, Apple Hebbal is expected to further boost the image of one of the city's oldest inhabited areas. Apple Stores worldwide have become iconic places in their respective cities.

To name a few -- 5th Avenue store in New York City, Apple Xinyi A13 in Taipei’s Xinyi district, Apple Store Regent Street (London), Apple Store Orchard Road (Singapore) and others.

Besides Peacock-inspired storefront design, Apple Hebbal promises to offer a world-class shopping experience.

Appel Hebbal Store.

"Our team members are ready and excited to support customers every step of the way, from personal shopping sessions, to pickup and delivery options, to setup and support. And with Today at Apple, we’re excited to empower the communities in Bengaluru to do more with their devices — whether that’s learning how to code or run their small business on Mac, or create something amazing for a class assignment on iPad," said O’Brien.

Besides Bengaluru, the Cupertino-based company is slated to open the Apple Koregaon Park Store in Pune next week, on September 4.

Later this year, Apple has plans to add two more stores in Mumbai and Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region), taking the tally to six stores in India.

Deirdre O’Brien, Apple's senior vice president of Retail and People.

"We love our customers in India, so we’re going to keep investing and innovating to bring even more customers the best of Apple. We look forward to sharing more details about our next two stores in India as we prepare for them to welcome our customers soon," O’Brien noted.

Besides retail expansion, Apple in recent years has doubled down on increasing the local assembling of iPhones in India.

In the fiscal year 2024, Apple India's revenue rose 36 per cent to Rs 67,122 crore.

It has plans to further increase iPhone shipments to close to 60 million units per annum from its local supply partners.

Taiwan-based Foxconn and Domestic partner Tata Electronics have ramped up iPhone production in Bengaluru (Karnataka) and Hosur (Tamil Nadu) to not just cater to local demand but also for exports.

Due to continued trade conflict with China, all the iPhones sold in the US are being shipped from India. For the first time ever, Apple is reportedly assembling all variants of the soon-to-be-launched iPhone 17 series in India.

Even India is facing heat from the US over the procurement of oil from Russia. The Donald Trump Administration has imposeda 50% tariff on imports from the subcontinent.

Unlike textiles, jewellery, and shrimp, imports of semiconductor and consumer electronics goods to the US are exempted from tariffs for now.

That said, Apple is continuing its investment in India, in particular in Bengaluru. It already has two offices, one in the UB City and another near Mink Square, which also houses Apple Developer Centre (ADC).

ADC helps budding app developers get all the resources and meet experts one-on-one. It will assist developers in improving their applications and also provide mentorship on expanding their business beyond the Indian borders.

Soon, Apple is all set open its third big office at Embassy Zenith near Palace Road. It will occupy the 5th to 13th floors of Embassy Zenith with a monthly rent of about Rs 6.3 crore (Rs 235 per sq ft).

If Apple continues its double-digit growth streak, it won't be long before we see Apple Stores coming up in Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Hubli and other tier-II & tier-III towns.

For now, people in other cities can rely on Apple's online and mobile app store to buy new iPhones, iPads, watches and Mac devices.

Recently, Apple rolled out the 'Shop with a Specialist over Video' service in India. This allows users to directly speak via video call with an Apple Specialist to make an informed decision to buy a device. It is a one-way video call, only the Apple person will be visible in the call, and the customer's face will be hidden for user privacy.

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