Apple's first India store goes live; CEO Cook opens doors to welcome customers

Twenty-five years after entering India by selling products and services through partners, iconic consumer technology brand Apple on Tuesday launched the country's first retail store in Mumbai.

Chief executive Tim Cook opened the doors of the store located in a mall in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) business district exactly at 11 AM to welcome the first set of customers.

Dressed in a black t-shirt and grey pants and accompanied by the company's senior vice president for retail, Deirdre O'Brien, Cook opened the doors of the store to walk into a crowded foyer to pose for the media, and then started welcoming customers into the store.

As the store's 100-odd employees along with company executives from other parts of the world cheered, Cook welcomed about a dozen-odd customers for seven minutes before going back into the store.

Excitement levels were already very high over the last fortnight since the company announced the opening of the store, and many fans had been queuing up at the mall since morning to be among the first ones to shop at the store.

Cook posed for selfies with the customers and exchanged quick pleasantries before welcoming them into the store located inside the Jio World Drive mall.

The launch of the Mumbai store will be followed by opening of another retail outlet in New Delhi's Saket on Thursday.