2019 arrived arriving to the area of retail Apple – just in the last few days, we have had an avalanche of news regarding renovations, relocations or even closings of Apple stores around the world. Shall we do a tour for all of them?
McLean
Perhaps the name above does not evoke many memories, but it was in the city of McLean, Virginia (United States) that Apple opened its very first store, Apple Tysons Corner, in May 2001. Even with some renovations over time, the space remains essentially unchanged since then – that is, it is difficult for Apple to apply in the store the novelties that have been introduced in its retail spaces, such as Today at Apple and the new decoration with double ceilings and trees inside. But perhaps the company has a drastic solution up its sleeve.
Apple Tysons CornerAs the Biz Journals, Apple is one of the main stakeholders in a newly opened space in a nearby mall, the Tysons Galleria. There, the Macy’s department store closed its doors, freeing up a huge section of the shopping center that would be occupied by a chain of cinemas, a delicatessen, a Tiffany & Co. store and, it seems, an Apple Store.
As the image above shows, the central space would be ideal for Apple, with its external glass facade, expanded ceilings and entrance also inside the mall. There is still no confirmation that the Apple will actually get the location, but in doing so, it is unlikely that the Apple Tysons Corner will be maintained – after all, it makes no sense for the company to keep two stores less than a kilometer away in a city of 48,000 inhabitants.
So if you want to get to know a piece of Apple history before it moves, it’s good to buy tickets to McLean as soon as possible!
Sendai
While some stores move, others say goodbye for good. Apple announced on its website that Apple Sendai Ichibancho, in the Japanese city of Sendai, will close its doors on the 25th next.
The store opened in December 2005 as the sixth Japanese Apple Store and has since been known as one of the smallest Apple retail spaces in the world – just look at its narrow façade and tiny internal area, which is very characteristic of tiny properties in the world. Japan. Certainly the space limitation was a determining factor for the company to pass the pen in the store.
The problem is that Apple Sendai Ichibancho will not have a close replacement, at least for now. As the 9to5Mac, the store was Apple’s only store in northern Japan; now, the nearest is six hours away (or three, on a bullet train). Unfortunately, the inhabitants of Sendai and its surroundings will have to resort to long distances or authorized centers to satisfy their needs. Appleistics.
Bridgewater
Returning to the US, Apple announced that it will temporarily close the doors of Apple Bridgewater in the homonymous city of the state of New Jersey.
Located in the Bridgewater Commons mall, the store is expected to undergo renovations and be expanded, perhaps taking up space in one of the two stores that surround it (or perhaps even both) and gaining some of the new retail experiences introduced by Apple. The store will be closed on the 27th and there is no forecast to reopen.
Naples
Further south, in the city of Naples (Florida), Apple Waterside Shops has been closed since last September for renovations. Until now, it was not known what Apple’s plans would be for the renovation of the store in the open air mall, but a surrender published by Naples Daily News gives a clue that the change will be huge:
Apparently, the space will be greatly expanded and will gain several features of recent Apple Stores, such as the all-glass facade, the wooden ceiling and the enlarged ceiling. To give you an idea of ​​the change, here’s the store before the renovation:
According to the newspaper, the reform is expected to be completed in the autumn of the northern hemisphere.
Toronto
Next stop, Canada: as reported by MacRumors, the company will relocate the Apple Eaton Center, which is in the most visited shopping center in North America. Analyzing construction permits issued by the Toronto City Hall, the website found that the current Apple space, on the second floor, will close and reopen where there is now an Abercrombie & Fitch store (which is also moving across the hall) ).
The move will be very beneficial for Apple: the Abercrombie & Fitch space is over 1,000m², double the area of ​​the current Apple store. There are still no closed dates for the relocation (the permit is still awaiting final approval from the responsible municipal bodies), but the MacRumors said the new store could be ready for the 2019 Christmas season, if approval comes quickly.
It’s worth noting that the Apple Eaton Center is the company’s only retail space in downtown Toronto, one of the largest cities in North America – so the store is absolutely packed. It is rooted for change to solve the problem.
More Toronto
If the change in the Eaton Center does not solve the overcrowding problems, another plan will certainly work: the construction of a brand new Apple Store on the ground level of the The One, a gigantic new commercial development (85 floors) that is being built at one of the main intersections in downtown Toronto.
THE surrender above, brought by MacRumors, shows what the building should look like after it is finished and, undeniably, those glass walls on the ground floor are very reminiscent of Apple stores – it is worth noting that the project was signed by Foster + Partners, Apple’s partner architecture firm in many stores and in Apple Park.
More information about the likely “Apple The One” is expected to come up soon: the development itself is expected to be completed only at the end of 2022, but the store area on its first floors is expected to be operational next year. We are waiting.
Barcelona
Finally, we reach the old world – more specifically, Barcelona. Apple has announced that it will temporarily close its store on Passeig de Grà cia, its largest and most important store in Catalan territory, for renovations.
The store will close on February 10 and there is still no information on what kind of renovations will be made there or what the reopening forecast is – it is not difficult to bet, however, that the space will gain Apple’s recent retail experiences, such as the big screen Today at Apple, The Forum and new environments with more wood and plants.
Apple recommends that, during the renovations, Barcelona residents and tourists visit Apple La Maquinista, another company store in the city – which has recently been renovated, by the way.
via The Loop, 9to5Mac: 1, 2
