Apple Begins Preparations for Direct Sales in Russia

Apple has reportedly registered a company in Russia ahead of plans to launch direct sales in the country, according to a Moscow News report relayed by MacWorld.

In order to expand into Russian territory, Apple as registered a company called Apple Rus and assigned Vitaly Morozk, the company's local legal advisor as its director general. It is alleged that Apple executives travelled to Moscow in 2011 to find premises for an Apple store but did not find anything suitable. Apple opened the iTunes Store online in 2009.

Apple could begin selling products directly to customers via its online store in 2013; however, it's unclear when or whether the company intends to open any Apple Retail Stores.


"You can often hear the opinion that as soon as Apple Store comes, the prices will fall," said spokeswoman for Re:Store Retail Group, Lyudmila Semushina. "The prices will not fall. For the majority of Apple products, apart from iPhone, we have practically the same prices as in European countries, and they will remain. The products for Russia are not bought in via the U.S.A., but via Europe."

"The only thing that can change for the better for the consumer is that there will be a smaller delay between announcing a new Apple gadget, and its appearance on the Russian market. But we are not the first place in this market. For Apple there are three major markets: U.S.A., Europe, China, who buy many times more than Russia," Semushina told RIA Novosti.

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