Bengaluru, NFAPost: As per news report, the premium segment smartphone maker, Apple has leased a commercial area of about 4 lakh sqft in Bengaluru’s central business district.
The lease has been signed with Prestige Estates at its Minsk Square building. Apple will pay a rent of Rs 170 per sqft, which works out annually to Rs 82 crore.
This is the US-based tech giant’s biggest real estate deal in the country. The new Bengaluru office would host a large technology centre that can seat 4,000 employees. However, the number could reduce as companies are aiming to de-densify workspaces due to coronavirus.
The renewed focus on India by the Cupertino-headquartered tech giant shows its reprioritization of the sensibilities of business. Apple also wants to move like any corporate companies with an urgent need to reduce the overwhelming reliance on China as a manufacturer of all things.
The deal has coincided with the iPhone-maker launching its online retail store in the country, which it did last month. The company, which is already making smartphones in India, has also announced it will open its first physical store in Mumbai next month.
As part of the expansion plan the company also listed 18 vacations on its website in September, out of which seven are in Bengaluru and the rest in Hyderabad, Chennai and Gurugram.
Apple that has been operational in India for over 20 years has been selling its products through authorised sellers in offline and online retail. Apple opened its first tech centre near Yelahanka for iOs developers and organised lot of events to expand the developer ecosystem.
The company is planning to expand in India. The company recently started assembling the iPhone 11 and the new iPhone SE in India. It also plans to open its offline store at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. Besides coming up with Made in India Apple iPhones and the Apple India online store, the company is exporting all its leading manufacturing partners to invest in India for addressing both local and global market.
As part of the strategy to deepen its India focus Apple is going ahead with its deeper localisation strategy. The company started the Shopping Assistance option that allowa customers to connect with Apple Specialists, and communicate with them in English and Hindi, at this time. These specialists will be able to help with support and pre-purchase guidance. Support for more Indian languages is expected in the coming weeks.
The company’s India expansion is coinciding with the government of India initiative in August last year paving the way for the foreign direct investment (FDI) rules for global tech giants manufacturing initiatives.
