Apple Opens Offline Store in Germany... Kickstarting Normalization

Photo by Bloomberg News

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Bloomberg reported on the 30th (local time) that Apple plans to open a new offline retail store in Germany.

Deirdre O'Brien, Senior Vice President of Apple Retail and People, said, "Despite the expansion of online shopping due to COVID-19, many customers still want offline stores where they can touch and experience hardware products," adding, "We plan to open more retail stores in Germany."

Apple currently operates more than 510 Apple Stores worldwide, including about 100 stores in Europe.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple operated by allowing customers to pick up online orders or leave products for repair services at stores, but as vaccination speeds up, it has resumed store operations in Germany as well as Australia, the United States, Canada, Italy, and Switzerland.

CNBC interpreted the reopening of Apple’s retail stores located in prime commercial areas as a key demand catalyst and a leading indicator showing the health of the retail industry.

Earlier, Apple announced that it would invest $1.2 billion to open a mobile semiconductor software research lab called the "Europe Silicon Design Center" in Karlsstraße in central Munich in the second half of next year. The report said that a new Apple offline store is also expected to be established near this research lab location.

Currently, there are about 4,000 Apple employees in Germany, and about 1,500 engineers work in Munich, which has seven offices.

Previously, Google also revealed plans to open its first official offline store where customers can experience and purchase its products in New York, USA. Google's first offline retail store is expected to be located near Chelsea Market in Manhattan, New York.

At this store, customers can experience and purchase all Google products, including self-developed smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, and AI speakers, and services such as repair and software installation support will also be provided.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.