Copycat Apple Store in Kunming prompts investigation

Authorities in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, have launched an investigation into electronics stores following media reports that a retailer had imitated Apple’s (AAPL.NASDAQ) shop design and format, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing state media. The inspections will examine licensing, brand use and purchasing channels. The store that provoked the controversy was first reported by a foreigner, who took pictures of what appeared to be an Apple Store in Kunming. It featured a sign identifying it as an Apple store, employees wore blue Apple employee t-shirts, and the layout and interior design of the establishment was virtually indistiguishable from the real thing. Apple has only opened four stores in China so far – two in Beijing and two in Shanghai. It is not illegal to resell genuine Apple merchandise in the country. But while many resellers have adapted Apple’s store design, few have gone so far as to clone it. A manager at the Kunming store surnamed Li said that while his shop is not yet an authorized Apple reseller, he is sure that it will attain that status in the future: “After all, we invested a lot in this store,” he said.