Apple is planing a massive retail push into Latin America, says a report from AppleInsider. The report — citing sources familiar with the matter — says the push will see Apple Stores opening across Mexico, and eventually South America, with the first two outlets, one of which will be a flagship location, in Mexico City.
The first facet of Apple’s plan is to break ground on a large mall location in Via Santa Fe, the upscale wing of Mexico City’s Centro Santa Fe complex, a person who wishes to remain anonymous told AppleInsider. Apple SVP of Retail Angela Ahrendts just recently made the deal official by signing a lease, though construction on the “next-gen” Apple Store design was already underway, the source said.
The Via Santa Fe location will be the first to open in Mexico, and only the third Apple Store in Latin America. Two physical Apple Store locations are located in Brazil, which the report’s source said served as testing grounds for the upcoming retail push in the region.
The second Mexico City store is being planned as a large standalone structure positioned in an affluent shopping district, with a build on the level of its U.S. counterparts, such as the Union Square store in San Francisco. No information was available as to exact target dates for the opening of either Mexico City store.
As the image above shows, Apple is assembling a team from its existing workforce to lead the Mexico-based retail project. The report also notes Apple plans to expand out of Brazil, into neighboring countries such as Argentina, and Peru. Chile is also said to be a part of Apple’s future Latin America expansion plans.
