Apple to open second store in Singapore?
Tech giant Apple has put up new job postings for retail staff for a location in the east of Singapore, sparking speculation over the opening of a second Apple store here.
The listings on its website include jobs such as store managers, operations staff and Apple's Geniuses - tech support staff typically stationed at its retail stores.
The move suggests Apple is preparing to open its second Singapore store, said Storeteller, a German site that specialises in Apple-related news. Apple opened its first store at Knightsbridge mall in Orchard Road last year.
There are suggestions the new store may be located at Jewel Changi Airport, which is due to be completed next year.
Apple Singapore has been reached for comment.
Increased competition from the Orchard Road Apple store and other resellers of Apple products has made it a challenging time for some.
Former reseller Epicentre Holdings reported a full-year loss of $7.1 million for the 2018 financial year ending June 30, down from a profit of $507,000 for FY2017.
It sold its four storefronts to rival reseller Elush, which runs iStudio, and lost its premium reseller status with Apple in June.
Business experts told The Straits Times there is a growing trend of electronics manufacturers preferring to run their own retail boutiques here.
Brands such as Xiaomi and Samsung have been setting up retail shops in Singapore, said Assistant Professor Zhang Kuangjie from Nanyang Business School (NBS), instead of relying on resellers.
"In an Apple boutique, consumers are not just buying a product. They are buying a lifestyle. As a result, a consumer may walk into the store thinking of buying only an iPhone but end up buying an Apple Watch as well," said Prof Zhang, who specialises in hedonic and experiential consumption behaviours.
NBS' Associate Professor Sharon Ng said a manufacturer-run store is seen as more authentic than one by a reseller and brands benefit from having more control over consumers' experiences at their stores.
National University of Singapore Business School's Associate Professor Ang Swee Hoon said manufacturers set up their own stores when they feel that resellers have built up the market to a size that they can confidently enter.
They can also raise profits by cutting out the middlemen, she added.
However, Prof Ang said resellers are still relevant as not all manufacturers have the ability to distribute their products on their own.
This is because of the high setting-up costs of retail shops and the need for marketing, inventory management and distribution competencies.