Apple considers locations in Seoul for first Korean retail store

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited September 2016
Apple is reportedly examining several possible retail sites in Seoul, South Korea, hoping to establish its first official outlet in the country.




Apple has examined real estate near Samsung's headquarters and flagship store in Gangnam, as well as a site along the city's Garosu-gil shopping street, sources told the Wall Street Journal. Plans have not been finalized, and an opening could still take a year, the people added. Currently, Apple relies on third-party retailers to sell its products offline in Korea.

The country's smartphone market is currently dominated by Samsung and LG, which together share 80 percent. Apple did manage to take a quarter of the market with the 2014 release of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but fell below 10 percent in the second quarter of 2016.

A new retail location in the region might mean Apple is ready to fight for a larger share on Samsung's home turf. In the short term, one analyst from South Korea recently suggested that Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 recall could help Apple complete over 100 million sales of the iPhone 7 before the end of the year.

Apple also recently launched Apple Music in Korea, which could boost the appeal of the company's product ecosystem.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    ceek74ceek74 Posts: 324member
    Wouldn't this violate some SK law?
  • Reply 2 of 10
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,913member
    ceek74 said:
    Wouldn't this violate some SK law?
    Apple wouldn't consider if their high paying lawyers didn't approve.
    jbdragon
  • Reply 3 of 10
    metrixmetrix Posts: 256member
    I would expect Samsung to build a near replica across the street, similar to Microsoft but not as busy.
    calibigjbdragon
  • Reply 4 of 10
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    Apple should start off with two stores. Buid one in Itaewon where there are a lot of Westerners and another in the popular shopping area of Myeongdong. 
    edited September 2016
  • Reply 5 of 10
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    I'd say Apple should go all out and make a flagship store that's an architectural masterpiece. Show samscums country who Apple is and what engineering looks like.
    biglostkiwijbdragon
  • Reply 6 of 10
    bigbig Posts: 36member
    An Apple Store in the land of Samsuck?!?! Oh man this is gonna be great!!!! 
    calijbdragonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 10
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    To celebrate the eventual opening, Apple would place a few Note 7s in a pile to start a bonfire. 
    lostkiwiwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 10
    maclvr03maclvr03 Posts: 198member
    boltsfan17 said:
    Apple should start off with two stores. Buid one in Itaewon where there are a lot of Westerners and another in the popular shopping area of Myeongdong. 
    I definitely agree with Myeongdong. I would skip Itaewon though and go for Gangnam. 
  • Reply 9 of 10
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member
    The closer to Samdung Town in the Gangnam district, the better.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 10
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,311member
    jungmark said:
    To celebrate the eventual opening, Apple would place a few Note 7s in a pile to start a bonfire. 
    By the time the store opens, It'll be the Note 8 or 9. It's better to stay classy and ignore them. Nice big fancy Apple store near them, but that's about as close as you get to ever mentioning them. Just the Simple fact they're over there. Apple could use some real stores in that country. Why not, Samesung is here in this country.
    watto_cobra
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