Taipei, June 12 (CNA) Apple Inc. is planning to open its first Taiwan official retail store in Taipei in the Taipei 101 tower.
On its Taiwan website, Apple said that the retail shop directly owned by the U.S. consumer electronics giant will be coming to Taipei soon.
Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said on his Twitter page: "Here comes Apple Taipei 101, our first store in Taiwan!"
It is a common polite expression among ethnic Taiwanese -- spoken in the Hokkien dialect -- extending welcome for company.
Currently, Apple authorizes third parties to run Apple resellers to sell its products in Taiwan, while the U.S. firm also sells its products through its online platform.
The presence of the first official Apple store is expected to please many fans of iPhones and iPads in Taiwan.
While the construction work of the new store is under way, Apple has invited Taiwanese paper cutting artists Yang Shih-yi to create a large papercut work with an image showing a huge tree as a gathering place in the store.
Apple said that the papercut shows the company's welcome to people in Taiwan to the new store.
While Apple did not disclose an exact date for the opening of the store, local media said that the store, with an area of about 400 pings, or 1,320 square meters, across two floors, is expected to open by the end of this month.
Apple said that the new retail store will open at 11 a.m. and run through 21:30 pm., Monday through Thursday and Sunday. On Fridays and Saturdays, the business hours will be between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m., the company said.
Local media said that Apple launched a recruitment program in Taiwan last month with the aim of hiring 400-500 people -- including those working on logistics and support -- for the retail store, adding that in the initial phase, the U.S. firm will send employees from Hong Kong and Shanghai to support the new Taipei outlet.
Apple has opened almost 500 retail stores in 17 countries, including 270 in the United States and 225 in other countries since May 2001.
