New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS): After a long delay owing to the pandemic, Apple is finally set to launch its own physical stores in India this year, and has started hiring employees for retail stores at "various locations" in the country, the media reported.

According to The Financial Times, Apple is hiring technical specialists, business experts, senior managers, store leaders and "genius" for its retail operations in a country that has provided tremendous growth for the iPhone maker in recent years.

Apple's recent job listings show new openings for 12 retail roles at "various locations" throughout the country, the report mentioned.

Several job descriptions refer directly to flagship retail operations.

"The Apple Store is a retail environment like no other -- uniquely focused on delivering amazing customer experiences," according to one such description.

According to the report, at least five employees in Mumbai and New Delhi posted on LinkedIn that they have been hired for retail store operations.

"Apple's head of recruiting in India, Renu Sevanthi, "celebrated' several of the announcements on the social networking site", said the report that came out late on Sunday.

Apple was yet to comment on the report.

An Apple Store has at least 100 employees and flagship locations can have up to 1,000 workers.

Apple is reportedly set to open a 22,000 square foot store in Mumbai early thisyear.

In January 2021, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the online store has received a tremendous response in the country, and the company was ready to launch retail stores in the country in the future.

"We are also going in there with retail stores in the future and so we look to that to be another great initiative, and we continue to develop the channel as well," Cook had said.

The physical stores will certainly help Apple in giving a controlled experience of its devices and services as it intends and designed them to be in the country.

Apple led the premium segment in India with 40 per cent share, followed by Samsung and OnePlus, with registering the highest ever shipment share in the country in the September quarter.

Apple reached its highest ever share of 5 per cent in India's smartphone market during the quarter driven by a strong channel push ahead of the festive season, according to Counterpoint Research.

According to data from business intelligence platform Tofler, Apple India logged a net profit of Rs 1,263 crore, a growth of 3 per cent (year-on-year) in the fiscal year, as sales were up a massive 45 per cent.

In India, not just high-end new-generation Apple phones are flying off the shelves, older generation models like iPhone XR, 11, 12 and 13 are now popular among those who cannot afford the new handsets, thanks to attractive offers and schemes.