Apple plans a rapid expansion of physical stores in China

Tim Cook noted during Monday’s earnings call that Apple was “investing like crazy” in China, but he took the opportunity of his current visit to the country to put a specific number on the company’s retail expansion plans: it will open 25 new Apple Stores in Greater China within the next two years. Greater China includes both Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook said the company is planning to open 25 retail stores in China within the next two years, according to a Chinese transcript of an interview posted by web portal Sina.com. Apple, which currently earns about 15 percent of its revenue in Greater China, has 15 outlets in the country. The Apple chief executive made similar comments Monday on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. “We’re investing like crazy in the market,” Cook said on the call. “When I look at China, I see an enormous market where there are more people graduating into the middle class than any nation on Earth in history.”