Sam Oliver
With just six stores in Greater China, Apple has one retail location per 216 million Chinese people, Reuters highlighted on Wednesday. In comparison, the state of Pennsylvania has a total of eight stores for a population of 12.7 million people.
Former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson said in early 2010 that Apple had plans to open a total of 25 retail stores in China. The company declined to explain why it failed to meet that original target, but Wednesday's report noted that growth could be held back by red tape involving new stores.
Demand for Apple products in China is only expected to increase as the company this week reached a settlement to use the iPad brand in China. That's expected to clear the way for the company's new third-generation iPad to go on sale in mainland China.
In cities where Apple has not yet expanded its retail presence, there are even some high-profile knock-off stores designed to look just like Apple's own retail operations. At one such store in Kunming, China, the location features a winding staircase and employees wearing blue t-shirts with Apple logos and name tags.
Apple Store Sanlitun in Beijing, China | Copyright: 变脸.
The company's first Chinese store opened in Beijing in 2008, just prior to the Olympic games. The company's second store also arrived in Beijing in June of 2009.
Market analysts such as Chris Whitmore of Deutsche Bank see Apple having "enormous" potential in China. In April, he predicted that Apple will sell at least 35 million iPhones in China in 2013.
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Wesley Hilliard
Andrew O'Hara
Marko Zivkovic
19 Comments
Of course, I suppose it could also be argued that they have too many stores in Pennsylvania... (kidding)
Of course, I suppose it could also be argued that they have too many stores in Pennsylvania... (kidding)
Considering I live in Pennsylvania, and the closest one is about 2 hours away from me, I'd argue Apple needs a few more. At least another store-within-a-store that's closer to Altoona. Best Buy in Altoona isn't authorized to sell Macs, meaning I have to travel to Best Buy in State College (PSU-main, 40 minutes away) if I want to buy a Mac or Mac accessories locally.
If Reuters wanted to know what was up with Apple Retail in China, they should have read the article from M.I.C. Gadget at this link-
http://micgadget.com/24345/upcoming-china-apple-stores-hong-kong-shenzhen-chengdu-guangzhou-dalian/
It is an interesting world we live in when a large (and apparently uninformed) news organization like Reuters doesn't have the resources to compete with a Chinese blog!
When it comes to growth, Apple isn't as aggressive as some companies would be. Apple deliberates and takes its time. A company needs to have balanced growth and I think Apple is succeeding at that. There's no point in putting more stores in China if production can't meet demand as it is.
Very nice architecture here. I like the "revealed" girders on the upper right, and how they echo the revealed portion of the grey mass through the clear glass. The grey mass also forms a bridge to the older building on the left, with the shape of the bridge echoing the square shape of the connected older building. The new window mullions also echo the ones in the glass portion of the new building.
It is simple, playful and effective.