If you look at map of Apple Store locations around the world, there’s one very obvious wealthy area of the world without a single store: the oil-rich nations of the Middle East. This now looks set to change, as ifoAppleStore spotted Apple job listings for the United Arab Emirates for the complete range of retail store positions.
The job listings appeared yesterday, and include the full range of store positions from Store and Market Leader, Manager, Expert, Creative and Specialist. The listings also include the Apple Store Leader Program, a 24-month development program for those who have just graduated from higher education …
The UAE is the 19th richest country in the world, with one of the highest ex-pat populations in the world, comprising 87 percent of residents. It is also an increasingly popular premium tourist destination with an emphasis on luxury, making it an attractive target for Apple.
The listings give no clue as to where in the UAE the store or stores will be located, but Abu Dhabi and Dubai (top photo) would be the two obvious candidates, each with a number of upscale shopping malls. Back in February, Tim Cook visited the Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Mall in (obviously) Dubai, suggesting that one or both may be potential locations.
Based on previous timings between advertising for staff and store openings, ifoAppleStore is predicting an opening in February 2015, suggesting that work on the store(s) is already underway.
Update: Further job listings were added on 9th January 2015.
