Angela Ahrendts discusses the future of Apple Retail
- sep
- 12
Apple's Senior VP of Retail Angela Ahrendts explained the company's plans for the future of Apple Retail in her presentation at today's Apple Event, saying that Apple Stores are no longer just stores - they're Town Squares.
The same team that designed the beautiful and efficient Apple Park campus also designs the largest Apple Retail stores, now called Town Squares. Because they're places that people come together to congregate and learn, Ahrendts referred to them as Apple's largest products.
Town Squares will feature a forum and a board room, and the Genius Grove - like an Apple Store Genius Bar but larger - will act as the heart of each store. Avenues will be like shop windows that change seasonally to feature new products and services, like the company's recently-instated "Today at Apple" workshops, where Apple Creative Pros (the 'liberal arts' equivalent of Apple Geniuses) and local artists will teach Apple users how to best use their devices. These workshops include Photo Walks (where attendees can learn to take better photos), Swift Playground (where kids can learn to code), and Teachers Tuesdays (where educators can stay up to date with tech).
These revamped Apple Town Squares will open in the largest cities in the world. The New York City flagship store - dubbed the 5th Avenue Cube - will reopen next year. The Piazza Liberty location in Italy will be revamped as well. The Carnegie Library in Washington DC will be renovated to house an Apple Store. Finally, Apple will open the Michigan Avenue Town Square in Chicago on Oct. 20 as part of the city's plan to revitalize its Waterfront.