Apple is said to be opening an online store the first time in India next month. According to a Bloomberg report, the information comes from a person with knowledge of the matter. Apple is said to be readying its online store for operations just ahead of the festive Dussehra-Diwali spending season.

The report goes on to say that Apple had originally planned to start online sales within months after the government relaxed the rule last year but those plans were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The iPhone maker is boosting investments in the South Asian region to reduce its dependence on China both as a market and manufacturing base amid the tensions between Washington and Beijing.

The company is also said to be preparing to open a second offline store in Bengaluru, following an outlet in Mumbai that will be its first physical location in the country. As per the report, Apple has already scouted nearly half a million square feet of space right in the heart of Bengaluru near Minsk Square

Source: Bloomberg

Update: We reached out to Apple India for a statement, and the official says it is a “very speculative story.”