Apple chooses Thailand for second store in Southeast Asia – TechCrunch

Apple continues its efforts in the fast growing market of Southeast Asia after choosing Thailand as the location of its second Apple Store in the region.

An article on the Apple website reveals that it will operate a retail store in Iconaires, which will soon open and is expected to become Bangkok's largest shopping center when it opens next month. The Apple Store is expected to open on November 10. An Apple representative confirmed to TechCrunch that the details on the website were indeed accurate.

The new store follows the opening of an Apple Store in Singapore last year, which marks the first official presence of the American firm in Southeast Asia, a region of 650 million consumers with more than Internet users than the American population.

Apple does not disclose sales figures for Southeast Asia. The region is part of the "Asia-Pacific rest of the world" category that excludes Japan and China and accounts for about 6% of Apple's worldwide sales.

For Apple, this is a drop in the proverbial ocean, but Southeast Asia is one of the few regions in the world where smartphone sales continue to grow at a double-digit rate. With its devices accounting for a minor share of the region's markets, mainly due to pricing and the absence of operator subsidies, it makes sense for Apple to intensify its retail operations.

The Iconsiam shopping center, which will house the first Apple Store in Bangkok, is still under construction but is expected to open next month.

Apple's formal presence in Asia was limited to China, Hong Kong, and Japan until recently with the opening of stores in Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore. TechCrunch has learned from real estate sources that Apple is planning to enter the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and Vietnam, as its upcoming Southeast Asia store launch markets. We had plans to open the Thai store last year, but we were struggling to find a place he thought would be appropriate for his shop.

Currently, most Southeast Asian countries are served by third-party "licensed" Apple stores, unofficial retailers, Alibaba-owned Lazada e-commerce service, and Apple's online store. Outside the region, it has been trying for a long time to set up flagship stores in India, but regulations on the operation of physical stores have hindered its progress.

Images via Apple