Winning Bizness Desk

Mumbai. Apple has announced that it will close its retail store located in Parkland Mall, Dalian, China, on August 9. This marks the first time the company is shutting down a retail outlet in the country since it entered the Chinese market in 2008. The Parkland Mall store is one of 56 Apple stores operating across Greater China, a market that contributes significantly to the company's global retail presence.

Mall rebranding behind the closure decision

The reason cited for the closure is the rebranding and management changes at Parkland Mall, which is now known as Intime City. Following the shift in operations, many top retail brands have exited the mall. Apple has said that the exit of several other retailers influenced its decision to close the store. However, Apple clarified that its second store in Dalian, located just 10 minutes away in Olympia 66 Mall, will remain open and operational.

Apple’s expansion continues in other regions

Despite the closure, Apple has stated that it remains committed to the Chinese market and does not intend to scale down its presence there. Instead, the company is expanding into new regions. Apple is set to open more retail outlets in emerging and high-potential markets such as India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and even Detroit in the United States. Currently, India has two official Apple stores — one in Delhi and another in Mumbai.

India becomes central to Apple’s manufacturing plans

Apple has increasingly focused on India not only for retail but also for production. According to research from Canalys, 23.9 million iPhones were manufactured in India in the first half of 2025, marking a 53% increase from the same period last year. Nearly 78% of these iPhones were exported to the USA, highlighting India’s rising importance in Apple’s global supply chain.

India surpasses China in iPhone exports to USA

In April 2025, India exported 3.3 million iPhones to the United States, while China shipped just 900,000 units. Cybermedia Research reported that a total of 22.88 million iPhones were exported from India between January and June 2025, up from 15.05 million during the same period last year — a 52% year-on-year rise. In value terms, iPhones worth ₹1.94 lakh crore were exported from India in the first half of 2025, compared to ₹1.26 lakh crore a year ago.

Story in a nutshell:

• Apple will close its Dalian, China store on August 9 due to mall rebranding.
• This is Apple’s first store closure in China since 2008.
• Apple still operates 56 retail outlets across China.
• The second Dalian store at Olympia 66 Mall will remain open.
• Apple is expanding to India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Detroit.
• India-made iPhones are now exported more than China-made ones to the USA.
• iPhone exports from India rose 52% year-on-year in the first half of 2025.