India may see the opening of Apple's first physical stores in the near future

There is currently a dozen job listings for physical store locations in India for the company.

Apple is reportedly hiring for its upcoming stores in India, according to job listings on its website. The listings, which include both full-time and part-time positions, are for various retail roles such as store leaders, senior managers, and Genius Bar workers at "various locations" throughout the country.

According to The Financial Times, at least five employees in Mumbai and New Delhi have already been hired for the new stores, with Apple's head of recruiting in India, Renu Sevanthi, "celebrating" the news on LinkedIn. It is unclear how many total positions are available.

According to a report from The Economic Times, Apple is set to open a 22,000-square-foot store in Mumbai at the beginning of this year. The company is also rumored to be working on a store in New Delhi that will be between 10,000 and 12,000 square feet, as well as other stores in the country. It is unclear when these additional stores will open. Apple CEO Tim Cook previously hinted at establishing a physical presence in India and stated that the company would open its first store in the country in 2021. However, these plans were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were pushed back again last year. Apple did not respond to a request for comment from The Verge on these reports.

Apple is expanding its presence in India, both in terms of retail and production. In 2017, the company began manufacturing iPhones in India, and more recently, it moved the production of the iPhone 14 from China to India. This shift is likely due to a combination of political concerns about China and efforts to reduce costs in the face of difficult economic conditions. India offers a number of advantages as a manufacturing hub, including low costs compared to China and Vietnam, and a large smartphone market that Apple has only just started to tap into.