Apple plotted to open its first retail store in India in 2021, after years of negotiating with the government, and commence online sales in the country this year, Reuters reported.

At the company’s annual shareholders meeting CEO Tim Cook said: “We needed to get approval from the government to go in there ourselves” rather than with a domestic partner.

The vendor currently lacks any branded retail stores in India, instead selling its devices through third-party resellers, and has pushed to open Apple Stores in the country since early 2017.

Apple in October 2019 leased three floors of retail space at Maker Maxity shopping centre in Mumbai, which is co-owned by Reliance Industries, The Economic Times reported.

The US-based tech giant had encouraged the Indian government to reduce import taxes on mobile phone components so it can expand local production of iPhones and meet a local content requirement needed to open stores in the country.

India’s government reportedly will now allow handset makers’ exports to count towards the 30 per cent local sourcing requirement.

Apple started assembling the iPhone SE in May 2017, with output reportedly between 25,000 and 50,000 units a month.