In 2020, the firm took things to a whole other level with a spherical island store on Singapore’s famous Marina Bay. Re-built in 2019, the glass cube on Fifth Avenue - arguably a New York landmark in its own right - now sits at the heart of a redesigned public square, with lightwells to the store beneath.Īpple’s forums, avenues and genius groves await customers in what’s intended as an oasis in the heart of Manhattan. One of Apple’s most famous sites is also a really clear example of this strategy. The town square stores, though made with the same ingredients as the other outlets, employ a design philosophy of their own: larger sites are able to create “plazas” for music and events, so-called “forums” become spaces for creativity, “avenues” guide customers, while trees help evolve the genius bar into the “genius grove”. Other brands began copying Apple’s style and soon there were Tesla Stores and Samsung stores - even McDonalds began borrowing from the company’s methodology.Įncouraged by runaway success, Apple doubled down bringing on Angela Ahrendts from Burberry in 2014 and forging a relationship with renowned architects Foster + Partners.įrom there, the firm began to test and apply its “town square” principle, connecting famous landmarks and locations to its brand.Īpple’s stores began appearing in the most prominent spots of our major cities the Champs-Elysees in Paris, Covent Garden in London, Piazza Liberty in Milan and even New York City’s Grand Central Station.Īrmed with formidable cash resources, Apple has inserted itself into the core of many public spaces, becoming a focal point for activity. When the first Apple Store opened back in 2001, this approach set it apart from every other retailer.ĭespite the industry’s early scepticism, Apple’s stores were generating USD $1BN of annual sales in just three years. They focus on the customer’s experience, rather than their own objectives. Products are displayed more like exhibits in a museum than clothes in a department store. Image courtesy of Apple.Īpple Stores have never really been designed to directly sell anything, but to educate. The stores, like Apple’s products, represent elegant simplicity for customers.Ībove: One of Apple's Dubai stores. The aluminium of an iMac becomes wallpaper. The logo glows on storefronts like the back of a MacBook. They emphasise natural materials, like wood and stone and they’re easy to move through because they are clean and open.Īpple extends the design language of its products into the built environment. So, what’s Apple’s secret? How does it build its stores? How are they thriving when the rest of the retail world is in freefall? And, is the firm’s appearance in some of our most iconic city locations a great way to preserve heritage, or a step too far?Įvery Apple Store is made with the same ingredients. Their runaway success has inspired copycats, seen the firm team-up with world-renowned architects and created new landmarks in our cities. Since 2001, Apple’s stores have transformed retail unlike any other brand. That ordeal of trying to find what you want, typical to normal retail stores, is instead replaced by calm. You’re struck by the incredible location or structure that you’re stepping into. You’re hit by a clean, uncluttered, minimalist design that’s the same around the world. WALKING into an Apple Store is different from walking into other shops.
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