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Resellers Instead of Stores in South America

April 11th, 2008

Apple seems to be taking a very conservative approach to retail in South America, preferring to bulk up reseller support rather than open its own stores. There have been no rumors or tips about stores south of the U.S. border except for Mexico City. Instead, Apple is providing support for resellers in places as distant as Quito (Ecuador) and now Bogota (Colombia). A glass-front store has appeared along an up-scale part of the city with black plastic covering the interior. Printed in unmistakable Apple-font letters is the exclamation, “It’s about time!” See the photos after the break.

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it about time, what??

to be nothing for apple? that for apple, Latin America is just mexico and brazil?

alfred021 April 12, 2008 at 6:10 am

Well, something is better than nothing. By the way, I should point out it’s Ecuador with a “c” not Equator. [IFO -- Oops! Corrected.]

Jess April 12, 2008 at 10:42 am

Apple made the same in Brazil. Just gave suport to a Premium Reseller to open a store in Brazil and suport to the opening of some …

Filipe Alvarenga April 12, 2008 at 1:50 pm

The guy that wrotes this post doesn’t know that the country is call COLOMBIA, not colUmbia? Geography please… [IFO -- Look at map, write post. Look at map, write post. Thanks! Corrected.]

Luciano April 13, 2008 at 2:08 am

I snapped this shot of a stand-alone reseller called MacOnline in Santiago, Chile:

http://flickr.com/photos/johnlamb/2410591575/

The Falabella department store in the same mall as that MacOnline in Santiago was almost completely decked out in Apple ads, from the takeover of the entrance to a pathway on the floor leading to the Apple corner of the store:

http://flickr.com/photos/johnlamb/2411426302/

I will be uploading later a shot I took of a MacOnline in Buenos Aires.

John Lamb April 13, 2008 at 9:10 pm

I had a chance to see one of the first Premium Resellers in Brazil last week. It is a store called a2you on Iguatemi Mall in São Paulo, and judging from the accessories they had over there it looks like things are finally improving down here. A buddy took some pictures at the store opening:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnyken/sets/72157604275218450/

Gui Leite April 14, 2008 at 11:12 am

It’s a shame that I can’t send the pictures now, but I saw a “premium reseller” in Santiago, Chile (Falabella, Mall Plaza Vespucio), running an ad for a Nintendo Wii… in a Apple module.

Shame that for Apple, Latin America means “Mexico… and Mexico”. Brazil runs from a completely different office, and the rest of countries have to deal with whatever they can get.

KenjiFinster April 18, 2008 at 5:45 pm

Here’s the Buenos Aires MacOnline store:
http://flickr.com/photos/johnlamb/2504057250/

And here’s the curious logo of the Buenos Aires airport gift shop, which carries the typical wide variety of non-tech items:
http://flickr.com/photos/johnlamb/2407697015/

Finally, the “authorized” section of that airport gift shop:
http://flickr.com/photos/johnlamb/2407698045/

John Lamb May 18, 2008 at 5:59 pm
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