Pushing closer toward its goal of opening 40 Apple Stores in China by mid-2016, Apple on Thursday announced its newest regional outlet in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, will start accepting customers on Nov. 21.
When it opens next week the Chengdu location in the Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li complex will be Apple's 26th operational brick-and-mortar store in Greater China, coming exactly four weeks after the company opened a massive outlet in the city of Dalian on Oct. 24.
Like most recent Chinese Apple Stores, the Chengdu shop boasts a Genius Bar, an area for workshops and ample floor space for product display tables. The store is currently taking reservations for iPhone photography, Keynote for Mac and Mac basics workshops scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 22.
China is a hugely important sector for Apple. During the company's most recent quarterly earnings conference call, CEO Tim Cook said Chinese revenue reached $12.5 billion, up 99 percent from the same time last year. As it stands, China accounts for nearly one quarter of Apple's quarterly revenue and Cook said he only expects that number to grow.
China will one day move from its current No. 2 spot to surpass the U.S. as Apple's largest market, Cook said. Apple intends to capitalize on its biggest growth market by expanding its retail footprint to 40 Apple Store locations by mid-2016.
The Chengdu Apple Store opens its doors next Saturday at 10 a.m. local time. Normal operating hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.