Alphabet’s Google is near deciding on areas in its key market of India the place it is going to open its first bodily retail shops exterior america, three sources conversant in the matter mentioned.
Google counts India as a key progress market, the place it has dedicated to investing $10 billion (roughly Rs. 86,759 crore). It at the moment has solely 5 bodily shops, all in america, which promote its merchandise resembling Pixel telephones, watches and earbuds.
It’s aiming to reflect a retail strategy that helped Apple rake in billions of {dollars} within the final 20 years by showcasing its personal merchandise. Apple has 500 plus shops worldwide.
Google is in superior levels of finalising areas in or across the capital of New Delhi, and the monetary capital Mumbai, mentioned three sources, who declined to be named as the method is confidential.
Google declined to touch upon the matter.
The primary supply mentioned the shops are more likely to be round 15,000 sq. ft, and can take not less than one other six months to open, although the timeline might change.
The IT hub of Bengaluru in south India was additionally thought-about, however New Delhi and Mumbai are the frontrunners, the individual added.
“The thought is to compete with Apple … particularly to focus on the luxurious phase,” mentioned the individual, including extra shops can be thought-about if the preliminary ones do effectively.
Google at the moment sells it merchandise in India via authorised retailers, as does Apple. However in 2023, Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner visited India to open its first company-run stores in Mumbai, after which in New Delhi.
Pixel telephones in India value from about $370 to $2,000 for top-end fashions. Apple’s iPhones value from about $520-$2,130. Google has additionally began making Pixel smartphones in India.
In 2024, Apple dominated the native marketplace for premium telephones, priced above $520, with a roughly 55 p.c share, in contrast with Pixel’s 2 p.c share, analysis group Counterpoint mentioned. The fast-growing Indian market has about 712 million smartphone customers at the moment.
Google’s plan to open the shops is agency and can be executed quickly, there are some commonplace regulatory and compliance processes to clear earlier than the shops may be arrange, mentioned the second supply, with out elaborating on the problems.
A 3rd supply mentioned one of many attainable areas Google is contemplating close to New Delhi is within the satellite tv for pc metropolis of Gurugram, the place many world firms resembling Uber and Meta have places of work and the likes of Uniqlo have stores.
In India, Google is battling many regulatory and authorized challenges. Amongst them are ongoing antitrust instances associated to its in-app billing system and abuse of market place available in the market for good TVs.
In a top-level departure, Google misplaced its India head of public coverage this month, marking the second departure in round two years from the important position which is essential to authorities engagement.
© Thomson Reuters 2025
About The Author
