India Extends Hand to Apple and Others by Easing Rules on Foreign Firms<br />Single-brand shoe or clothing companies like Uniqlo could also find India a more appealing place to operate stores, perhaps buying some products here to sell overseas<br />and others to sell locally, said Ankur Bisen, senior vice president of retail at Technopak, a consulting firm based in New Delhi.<br />Apple and other multinational retailers had lobbied the government for several years to ease a requirement<br />that foreign-owned, single-brand retailers obtain 30 percent of the value of products sold in India from suppliers in the country.<br />In addition to the changes in the retail sector, the government also said it would allow up to 49 percent of Air India, the troubled national air carrier<br />that is now up for sale, to be bought by foreign airlines.<br />In a statement, the government said the changes would contribute to "growth of investment, income<br />and employment." Among the potential beneficiaries of the changes is Apple, which has long sought to open stores in India.<br />If, for instance, Apple sold $100 million of its products in India, it could meet the target<br />by buying $30 million of India-made leather cases and selling them outside the country.<br />The changes could lead Apple and other companies based outside this country of 1.2 billion to significantly expand their retail presence here.
