A TopZone store in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: Hai Dang)

Most recently, The Gioi Di Dong or Mobile World, a big retailer in Vietnam, has announced the TopZone chain, which provides only Apple products. This retailer has inaugurated the first four stores in the country's two largest cities – Hanoi and HCM City. It plans to open a total of 60 more stores in the first quarter of 2022.

This is a model backed by Apple, which shows Apple’s plan to enhance its presence in Vietnam. Mobile World's TopZone is in the form of AAR (Apple Authorized Retailer) and APR (Apple Premium Retailer).

Previously, AAR stores were often combined with tech supermarkets selling technology products of many different brands. Only APR stores specialize in selling Apple products, but the number of this type of store is very small in Vietnam, with only FPT's F.Studio chain and one eDigi store.

However, Apple has joined hands with Mobile World to launch APR and AAR chains with its own brand and independent from retailers. Earlier, some ShopDunk stores followed this model.

Not only increasing its presence in Vietnam with independent stores, Apple has also added more authorized retailers in Vietnam this year. Specifically, Minh Tuan Mobile chain recently joined the AAR group of stores specializing in genuine Apple products.

Last year, the chain of more than 30 Di Dong Viet (Viet Mobile) stores also received certification from the iPhone manufacturer to become an authorized reseller.

The two retail chains mainly provided “hand-carried” iPhone products a few years ago, but then they have become official sellers of Apple.

The fact that chains of tech-goods stores have switched to selling genuine products has made a significant impact on the market for “hand-carried” iPhone products. This move has encouraged customers to buy officially distributed products while made small shops change their minds in choosing sources of goods for distribution.

While strengthening its presence in Vietnam, Apple has taken strong action against stores providing unauthorized iPhone products. In June this year, many shops selling locked iPhones and iPhones of unknown origin were hidden on e-commerce platforms.

In 2017, Apple hired lawyers to send a request to phone stores to remove the Apple logo that they were using illegally, which can make customers think that the stores are authorized by Apple.

However, an important milestone in the market for “hand-carried” iPhone products is the issuance of Decree No. 98/2020/ND-CP in 2020, which states that individuals trading in smuggled goods will be fined from VND500,000 to VND50 million, depending on the value of smuggled goods, while the fines imposed on organizations for the same act will be VND1 million to VND100 million.

This year, the iPhone 13 series will officially open for sale in Vietnam on October 22, less than a month after developed markets. Last year, the gap of time was two months, which spurred the sale of “hand-carried” iPhones.

Hai Dang

Mobile World to open new retail chain selling only Apple products

Vietnam’s big retailer Mobile World has announced that its TopZone chain will sell Apple products only.