Previous reports stated Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) planned on opening retail stores in Chongqing, Central Hangzhou, and Shenyang later in the year. And it looks as if the Cupertino-based tech giant plans on adding a few more stores to the mix. A recent job posting shows Apple is hiring managers in the following locations: Zhengzhou, Tianjin, and Wuxi.
Apple to build retail presence in China
A past report from 9-to-5 Mac claimed Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s new retail lead Angela Ahrendts will oversee the openings of 20 new Apple retail stores in China within the next two years. This includes four store openings in the upcoming months. Besides the aforementioned store openings, the company also plans on opening locations in East Chengdu and East Hangzhou in either latter 2014 or early 2015.
Apple hopes to take advantage of China’s large market
China’s market is a key to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s success. During the Q2 earnings call, Apple credited the company’s financial success to growth in China. In fact, the nation’s operations account for about a fifth of total sales. It helps that Apple signed a deal with China Mobile(the world’s largest phone carrier) and launched the iPhone 5S through the carrier earlier this year. It will get even better when it rolls out the 4G network. Currently, Chinese customers are still on the carrier’s 2G, 2.5G, and 3G networks.
The iPhone maker opened the nation’s first retail store back in 2008 which is located in the Sanlitun district in Beijing. When Apple had 11 retail outlets in China, CEO Tim Cook announced plans to double that number. Right now, the iPhone maker has about 13 stores, 10 of which are on the mainland.
Unfortunately, the job ad made no mention of when the new retail stores will open. A representative for the company has yet to make an official statement on the matter. The new stores will boost profits for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and increase the company’s presence in China.
