Apple Retail

Apple released the third developer beta of iOS 12.2 today, and with it comes a few new features. In addition to design tweaks and subscription discount options for developers, Apple has enhanced Siri functionality to help spread awareness of its Today at Apple retail initiative.

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Following Apple’s ambitious retail expansion promise last fall, plans for larger and modernized stores that form greater community connections have steadily revealed themselves. From Florida to Vancouver to Barcelona, Apple looks set to fulfill its word with a myriad of concurrent construction projects. Close to home, changes are also afoot. San Jose’s Westfield Valley Fair shopping mall is in the midst of a massive expansion that will include a brand new flagship Apple Store.

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Apple’s first retail expansion of 2019 is complete. Customers and team members in Natick, Massachusetts celebrated the grand reopening of Natick Mall’s Apple Store today after just under nine months of renovation work. The redesigned store offers more than twice the space of the previous storefront. 9to5Mac reader Dakota Allen visited the new space and shared photos of the redesign.

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Since Apple announced that Angela Ahrendts is passing her role as senior vice president of Retail to longtime leader Deirdre O’Brien, many Apple enthusiasts have arrived at the conclusion that the company’s stores are in dire need of radical change. Valid complaints of low appointment availability, slow service, and overcrowding have inflated themselves into an online meme that Apple store visits are becoming as unpleasant as the DMV. One of the most commonly prescribed antidotes is to “just build more stores.”

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It’s no secret that Apple has been pushing iPhone upgrades like never before over the last several months. Yesterday, however, I visited an Apple store to have my iPhone XS Max serviced, and I realized just how far Apple has taken its iPhone upgrade pitch.

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As the sun sets on plans to transform a historic park in Stockholm with the addition of a flagship Apple store, Apple is now looking to unload the property it planned to occupy and distance itself from the project, according to a new report from Swedish publication Fastighetsvärlden. The property sale would mark a disappointing end to an extensive and expensive investment for Apple as it seeks to expand and modernize its retail experience worldwide.

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Apple’s announcement earlier this week that senior vice president of Retail Angela Ahrendts will be departing from the company in April sent a wave of concern through the industry. Apple’s press release left details of Ahrendts’ departure and promotion of longtime Apple veteran Deirdre O’Brien open to interpretation, causing many to speculate around the terms of her exit and future plans after leaving Apple.

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As Apple continues to work through a shrinking list of classic retail stores in need of upgrades, customers in Reston, Virginia may be next in line to receive an improved in-store experience. According to Reston Now, new building permits filed with Fairfax County indicate Apple’s plans for an imminent store expansion.

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Following nearly 9 months of renovation and expansion work, Apple’s retail store in Natick, Massachusetts will reopen on February 16th at 10:00 A.M. local time. The updated location is expected to more than double the width of the previous storefront as a Forum and Video Wall are added.

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Yesterday, Apple announced that 30-year company veteran Deirdre O’Brien has been named senior vice president of Retail + People at Apple, a newly created role that merges employee relations responsibilities with retail experience management. Angela Ahrendts, the company’s current senior vice president of Retail, will depart in April after five years at Apple.

News of Ahrendts’ departure came as a surprise to the industry, leading Apple watchers and enthusiasts to speculate on the terms of her departure and Apple’s retail health. As the most senior member of leadership directly connected to Apple’s service and support channels, Ahrendts’ decisions are often analyzed through the emotional lens of customers frustrated by technical difficulties with their products or a stressful trip to the mall. But Apple makes decisions for long-term growth, not based on short-term impulses. So what does this executive shakeup say about the future of Apple retail?

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Update: Apple has refreshed its Leadership webpage to reflect O’Brien’s new role in retail.

After 5 years leading Apple’s retail initiatives, Angela Ahrendts will be stepping down as Apple’s senior vice president of Retail in April, according to Apple. In her place, Deirdre O’Brien is taking on the role of SVP of Retail + People.

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The New York Post reports that Apple is in advanced talks to secure a 60,000 square foot office space in the ultra-premium Hudson Yards area of Manhattan. The rumored office space is set to be housed at a building which is still under construction, and Apple would join other luxury business tenants such as Point72 Asset Management, private equity firm Silver Lake, and various law firms.

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Apple may be planning a significant upgrade to its retail store in Vancouver’s Pacific Centre shopping mall. Plans unearthed by Daily Hive Vancouver reveal an expansive, multilevel glass pavilion destined to replace the mall’s rotunda entrance.

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Between work and hobbies, I spend a significant amount of my time online. While some of my most enriching discussions have begun over the internet, online life can also make it easy to fall into an exhausting echo chamber of negativity and homogenous thought. That’s one reason I’ve been such a vocal supporter of Today at Apple. The program of free creative sessions hosted at every Apple store worldwide helps me broaden my horizons through positive thinking and understand the perspectives of people I would’ve otherwise never met.

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Today at Apple is about to change in a big way. Starting January 31st, Apple Store visitors will be greeted by a whole new set of more than 50 creative sessions to explore. Apple has collaborated with experts in disciplines ranging from video to health and fitness to develop compelling content that will help you explore the topics you’re passionate about.

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Ahead of the launch of a new schedule of Today at Apple sessions and the upcoming grand opening of Apple Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C., Vogue Business checked in with Apple Retail SVP Angela Ahrendts to learn more about the company’s thoughts on the future of brick and mortar stores and the importance of experiential retail.

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Photo courtesy of Jordan Irazabal

Apple’s permeating iPhone upgrade promotion continues to gain momentum. After extending the limited time offer in Japan yesterday, Apple has now revised its U.S. trade-in deal, offering customers a new attractive monthly payment option if you make the upgrade in an Apple Store.

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Photo via @takoyaki_motoya

As the day came to a close in Sendai, Japan, so did another chapter in Apple’s retail history. Today marked the permanent closure of Apple Sendai Ichibancho, one of the world’s smallest standalone Apple stores. To say farewell to the well-loved location, fans and customers gathered in and around the store all day to make their final purchases and attend the last Today at Apple sessions offered inside.

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As the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland continues, Apple CEO Tim Cook today met with Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. Amidst discussion of progress in the Czech economy and advancements in artificial intelligence, the Prime Minister suggested Apple establish an official retail location in the country’s capital of Prague.

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Since opening in October 2017, Apple Michigan Avenue on the Chicago River has become a must-see destination for Apple fans, architecture enthusiasts, and creative professionals. The Foster + Partners-designed store draws visitors from the Magnificent Mile shopping corridor, offering stunning views of the river and a glass-wrapped performance space like no other. The site’s popularity and visibility have now earned it a pricey real estate deal.

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