Apple plans to open additional offline retail stores in Germany, Bloomberg reported on the 30th (local time).
With the expansion of online shopping due to Covid-19, they are still looking for offline stores where many customers can touch and experience hardware product, said Deirdry O’Brien, senior vice president of Apple Retail and Human Resources.
Apple currently operates more than 510 Apple stores worldwide, including more than 100 stores in Europe.
Apple has been operating in front of stores during the Covid-19 Pandemic period by taking products ordered online or entrusting products to use repair services, but has resumed store operations in Germany, Australia, Canada, Italy, and Switzerland as vaccinations speed up.
CNBC interpreted the resumption of Apple’s retail operations in the core commercial area as a key demand booster and a leading indicator of the soundness of the retail industry.
Earlier, Apple announced that it would invest $1.2 billion to open a mobile semiconductor software research institute at the ‘European Silicon Design Center’ in Karlsstra, central Munich, Germany, in the second half of next year. Apple’s new offline store is also expected to be located near the institute, according to the news agency.
Currently, Apple has 4,000 employees in Germany, and 1,500 engineers work in Munich, which has seven offices.
Earlier, Google also unveiled its plan to open its first official offline store in New York that allows users to experience and purchase its products. Google’s first offline retailer will be located near the Chelsea Market in Manhattan, New York.
This store allows users to experience and purchase all Google products such as smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, and artificial intelligence speakers, and also provides services such as repair and software installation support.
