Pakistan to Receive First Official Apple Retail Store by End of 2025

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The store will be located inside Dolmen Mall Lahore, and will launch alongside a retail outlet for Xiaomi products, according to a statement made during Airlink’s latest corporate briefing.

Airlink, a Lahore-based tech manufacturer, distributor and retailer, was appointed in September 2024 as the premium retail partner for Apple in Pakistan, a move intended to expand the tech giant’s structured retail footprint across the country.

Industry observers say the new development may help formalise Apple’s presence in Pakistan and potentially ease some of the challenges faced by consumers today, such as high mark-ups, limited authorised channels, high PTA approval fees, and difficulty in accessing genuine warranties. A local news site noted that Pakistani buyers frequently encounter inflated pricing and grey-market imports due to the absence of an official Apple store in the country.  

While Apple already sells products in Pakistan via authorised distributors and resellers, this upcoming store would represent a direct retail channel under Apple’s brand in the Pakistani market. The move mirrors similar expansions by Apple in other markets such as Saudi Arabia, where an online store launched in 2025 and physical flagship stores are planned from 2026 onwards.  

From a corporate strategy perspective, Airlink’s briefing also revealed that the company expects to receive 10,000 fully built units of laptops for local distribution and is in talks to begin local manufacturing for another international mobile brand. These plans align with Apple’s broader efforts to deepen supply-chain partnerships and retail access in emerging markets.  

The timing of the announcement coincides with Pakistan’s growing smartphone and wearable device market and appears to respond to strong consumer demand for premium electronics brands. Analysts suggest that the presence of a branded, direct retail store could increase transparency on pricing, improve warranty and service support and reduce reliance on unauthorised imports.

As Apple’s global retail model emphasises both product sales and service offerings, the presence of a dedicated store could pave the way for more robust after-sales care and local staffing under the Apple brand. Local reports highlight that previous steps (such as the launch of an authorised service centre by GNEXT Technologies in Lahore and Karachi) have set the groundwork for improved device servicing.  

Whether the store will open exactly by the end of 2025 or face delays remains to be seen, but the announcement appears to mark a significant milestone for Pakistan’s tech retail ecosystem.