The Shibuya Apple store in Tokyo has reopened today with striking modern styling, coinciding with the release of the iPhone XR. The new four-storey design features dramatic natural lighting and a new spiral staircase, described as “stunning” by local media. The store, which reserves substantial space for back-of-house activities, took 11 months to transform, during which time two further stores were opened in Japan.
The original Shibuya store, which opened in 2005 as the fourth in Japan, was also well-known for its distinctive spiral staircase, reflective of Apple’s retail aesthetics at the time. The new design is closer in look to that of the Steve Jobs Theatre.
Comparing the original design with the revamp offers a unique perspective into Apple’s evolving retail architecture. The earlier version of the store, optimised for the iPad era, has been enlarged vertically rather than relocated to more expansive premises, indicating the importance to Apple of the location over the venue’s suitability for the brand’s contemporary retail features such as its video wall, which is conspicuously absent in Shibuya.
Various Thai media outlets are reporting that not one but two Apple Bangkok stores are under construction. The US tech giant is notorious about not commenting on its store plans anywhere in the world, even when branding appears on barriers covering its construction sites. However, the first Apple Bangkok store is scheduled to open at IconSiam, the massive retail and entertainment destination being built on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, which will officially begin trading on November 9.
Thai business magazine Positioning Magmeanwhile, is reporting a second Apple Bangkok store is being developed outside the giant CentralWorld shopping centre in the heart of the city.
This will be constructed underground, in similar style to the Apple store near New York’s Central Park, with a glass canopy above the courtyard through which customers can enter, before descending down a curved staircase.
The Icon Siam store will bear more of a resemblance to the Apple store on Singapore’s Orchard Road, featuring a two-story high glass frontage and most likely overlooking the river.
Both stores were probably designed by Foster + Partners which has a long pipeline of unique Apple store designs around the globe. Its most recent work was Apple Macau.
Apple now operates about 500 of its own stores in 24 countries.
Apple China is set to open a new retail store in the Chinese city of Suzhou.
Roughly coinciding with the imminent launch of the new iPhone and Apple Watch models, Apple’s 505th retail outlet will open beneath the city’s tallest building, Gate to the East, adjacent to Suzhou’s largest shopping centre Suzhou Center Mall.
It is the second new location for Apple in greater China this year since opening in Macau a few months back.
Mystery surrounding the developing store under construction was cleared when its facade was recently revealed to bear the chromed Apple logo.
Suzhou, along with Shanghai, was recently announced as a target location for new Apple R&D facilities.
Apple just opened its latest Japanese store in Kyoto, the first outlet to open in the city by the U.S. tech company.
Located in the heart of Kyoto’s main shopping corridor, a queue of customers stretched 10 blocks down Shijō Dori on Saturday to visit the Apple Kyoto store.
Apple described the new store as a “cultural and technological hub for Japan” with the Kyoto branch centred around a multi-level atrium that offers free “Today at Apple” sessions on photography, music, coding and more.
Some 100 employees have been hired for the Kyoto store, Apple added, with 12 languages spoken among them.
“Kyoto is such a culturally rich city, where tradition meets creativity and technology. It is a special place for Apple and we are so honoured to have opened Apple Kyoto today.” said Angela Ahrendts, SVP, Apple Retail.
The store design takes inspiration from traditional style and materials.
The upper levels are clad in a translucent material inspired by Japanese lanterns, while lightweight timber frames and special paper on the upper facade make reference to the country’s traditional houses.
Apple is currently on a retail expansion in the country, with plans to open several new stores, and remodel existing ones, in the coming years, it said.
Apple first arrived in Japan in 2003, which saw the iPhone maker bowing its debut international store in Tokyo.
With the new Kyoto store, Apple now operates nine standalone boutiques in Japan across Tokyo where it holds four locations and in Fukuoka, Miyagi, Osaka and Aichi.
Apple Japan is about to open its ninth retail store.
The new Apple Kyoto shop will commence trading at 10am on August 25, according to a video in Japanese on the company’s Youtube account. It will be the first in Kyoto city, which is on Honshu Island. Previous Apple Japan stores have opened in Osaka, Fukuoka, Aichi, Miyagi and, of course, Tokyo.
To mark the opening of the Apple Kyoto store, the tech company has created a new wallpaper downloadable online.
Apple Kyoto is located on the first floor of the recently opened Kyoto Zero Gate building, adjacent to the Daimaru Kyoto department store and opposite well-known Shinjo Street.
The newly opened Apple Macau store has been designed to offer “a calm complement to the buzz and excitement of Macau,” says its creator, Foster + Partners.
“We wanted to create something very simple and pure – a beautiful and elegant building that complements the sounds, sights and colors of Macau, while embodying a sense of clarity and quietude,” explains Stefan Behling, head of studio at London-headquartered practice.
“The design creates two distinct spaces, one inside and one outside, imbued with a sense of authentic beauty arising from the innovative use of natural materials.”
The new store anchors the extension of the Sands Cotai Central retail space, which houses 25 stores. It opened last Friday.
Technology, entertainment and arts come together in the new store, giving locals and tourists alike an inviting, contemplative space. Behling says its timeless design reinvigorates a corner of Cotai with a distinctive addition – a luminescent cube, whose pure geometry and warm ‘beacon-like’ glow draws passers-by closer, set within a quiet bamboo grove and an external plaza.
Apple Cotai Central is conceptualised as a ‘paper lantern’ that glows mysteriously. Visitors entering the store are treated to a magical experience, surrounded by glowing stone panels that shimmer throughout the day as the sun brings them to life, while at night the cube radiates a warm glow, contrasting against the bright lights of Macau. The first-of-its-kind glass-stone composite facade comprises five layers of glass integrated with wafer-thin layers of stone, which gives the building its distinctive materiality – appearing as translucent stone walls, akin to stained-glass, explains Behling.
The structural frame is supported by just three corner columns wrapped in mirrored stainless-steel that reflect the patterns and colors of the facade, dematerialising the structure and blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment.
Inside, a quiet bamboo grove has been taken from the ‘forest’ outside and placed under a soaring central atrium. It is capped by a large central skylight with punched pyramidical apertures that brings natural light deep into the interior. The ground level is wrapped in a glazed facade that looks onto a layered bamboo screen, providing a heightened sense of enclosure, while blurring the boundaries between the inside and outside.
At the far end of the store is a 10.6m by 4.5m video wall, alongside an entrance from the adjacent retail shopping mall and casino.
Two grand stone staircases lead to the upper level, lit by skylight strips that bring in filtered natural light.
Display tables are arranged around the central atrium looking onto the bamboo grove below. The composite glass-stone facade wraps around the entire upper level, creating what Behling describes as a soft internalised environment that exudes a sense of calm and serenity.
The Apple Macau store design is the result of a close collaboration between the Apple team led by chief design officer, Sir Jonathan Ive and Angela Ahrendts, senior VP of retail and online stores, and Foster + Partners.
Construction crews have begun assembling a green facade at the site of the second Apple Macau store, to be located next to the Sands Cotai Central casino resort.
A sign says the shop is “coming soon”, but the facade sports a wave pattern and a chrome-like logo, signalling that Apple considers it an important outlet (the company often uses a plain black facade for smaller openings).
The first Apple Macau store opened in June 2016 at Galaxy Macau.
Apple’s store in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, is also undergoing renovations as the tech retailer rolls out an updated store model across the region.
And in Beijing, the Apple store on Wangfujing Road will close on June 24 for a makeover, with no date set for re-opening.
Opened in 2012, it is one of Apple’s older stores in China, a two-floor outlet with a round glass facade.
Apple’s remodelled stores often gain extra space to accommodate both more products and customers. A larger floor gives room for Today at Apple sessions related to photography, coding, exercising with the Apple Watch, and other topics.
Apple’s latest retail design, introduced in 2015, typically includes glass doors, video screens for product marketing and in-store events, and sequoia wood shelves on the walls for accessories.
Its flagship Covent Garden store in London will also be closed from June 27 for renovations. This location became Apple’s largest store when it opened in 2010.
Apple will launch a new store in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo on Saturday, April 7. It will be the company’s eighth retail outlet in the country.
Shinjuku is a special ward that’s a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the Northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration centre for the government of Tokyo. As of 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 337,556.
With the opening of its Shinjuki establishment, Apple will have 504 retail stores in 24 countries and an online store available in 39 countries.
Opening in Seoul on Saturday, Apple Garosugil will bring Apple’s products, in-store programming and services together in one place for the first time for South Korean customers.
In the heart of the Gangnam area, the store features a 7.6m glass facade along a tree-lined street, with interior trees mirroring those outside.
“Our stores are gathering places for the community where everyone is welcome to connect, learn and create,” says Apple senior VP of retail Angela Ahrendts.
Today at Apple programming offers free sessions daily to inspire participants to unlock their creativity in photography, music, art and design, coding skills and more. The sessions are held in the heart of the store, the Forum, with its video wall.
Anyone can attend a 30-minute Quick Start session, then go further with experiential photo walks or attend entrepreneurial sessions. Educators and developers can also receive advice and specialised training in the store’s boardroom.
Apple’s full line of products and a curated collection of accessories are available in the store. Along each side of the store are Avenues, inspired by window displays along a shopping street, which offer interactive displays for visitors. These feature third-party products and accessories.
Customers can register for Today at Apple sessions through the Apple Store app, as well as explore products and shop.
Between them, the store’s 140 team members speak 15 languages.
The first official Apple Store Korea will open later this month.
Apple Korea announced today that its first fully-fledged retail shop in South Korea will open on January 27, on Garosugil in the affluent southern district of Gangnam in Seoul.Apple said on its website that the store will trade seven days a week from 10am to 10pm.
Consumers will be able to try out iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, MacBooks and other Apple products, visit the Genius Grove for repairs, and attend training sessions on the use of Apple gadgets at the store.
Apple said it has been working with mobile carriers, including SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus so users can register and set up their mobile phones at the store.
Apple began replacing iPhone batteries early this month as hundreds of thousands of South Korean iPhone users filed a suit over allegations the tech giant intentionally slowed down older iPhones to push users to buy new models.
Apple China has set an opening date of September 16 for its Tianyi Square location in Ningbo – just in time for the iPhone 8 release.
It will be the US technology brand’s 41st store in China, and appears to be geared toward Apple’s new retail vision with a large central gathering space with conventional retail on its periphery.
While Apple’s retail team is currently remodelling all its stores, the company expanded its reach with three new stores in China, Germany and the US. More than 350 store employees at the new stores in Nanjing (China), Cologne (Germany) and Miami (US) welcomed thousands of customers at the grand openings. “Each store complements the local architecture, from the restored facade in Schildergasse to the 90-by-30-foot glass entryway of Apple Nanjing,” the company said in a statement on Saturday. For the first time in each city, customers can explore The Forum — a place where the local community can gather and learn.
All the three stores also feature The Boardroom — a space for local entrepreneurs, developers and business customers to get hands-on advice and training. On March 12, Apple reopened its store in St. Johns Town Center in Florida — the 35th store company updated to its latest design in the US. Apple opened its first store on May 15, 2001, at the Tysons Corner Center mall, Virginia.
Apple published a total of 15 retail job listings to its corporate website today seeking candidates for the Apple Store Leader Program, business managers, Genius Bar staff and marketing, among other positions.
As expected, the job postings seek employees for an outlet in South Korea’s capital of Seoul. The city also happens to be the hometown of Apple ally and competitor, Samsung.
“We’re excited about opening our first Apple Store in Korea, one of the world’s economic centers and a leader in telecommunication and technology, with a vibrant K-culture,” Apple said in a statement on Friday, local time. “We’re now hiring the team that will offer our customers in Seoul the service, education and entertainment that is loved by Apple customers around the world.”
Apple has not officially stated where it plans to build its first Korean flagship, but it is claimed construction is already underway in a southern district of Seoul. That report, also filed on Friday, suggests work at the site will be completed in November. Previous rumors suggested Apple was looking at sites in Gangnam and the busy Garosu-gil shopping street.
For Apple, a brick-and-mortar outlet in Seoul represents more than an opportunity to grow international sales. A retail presence in Samsung’s backyard could go a long way in winning mindshare in the South Korean market, which is currently served by third-party resellers and Apple’s online store.
Back in July, Singaporeans were thrilled by the news that our very first Apple retail store was set to open in November at Orchard Road’s Knightsbridge Mall.
With Apple products only available to Singapore dwellers via authorised resellers (Nübox , EpiCenter) and Apple’s online store, the opening comes as a very welcomed surprise to both Apple fans and tech enthusiasts alike.
The facade of the store, albeit still very much under renovation, was also observed by local Apple blog My Apple Singapore to potentially have the trademark front-facing glass panels that international Apple retail stores possess.
What was also exciting, especially to us, were the possibilities of how an Apple retail store in Singapore would turn out, given that the company is known for designing its stores so as to “become one with the community [it is in]”.
And it’s not just in the superficial – Apple stores in Japan are also known to participate in the Japanese New Year’s Fukubukuro (“lucky bag”) tradition, giving out bags containing random Apple products at highly discounted prices.
At that point of time, we were a mere few months away from the unveiling of a shiny new store which could, pardon the reference, make shopping in Singapore great again, but the projected date (and month) has already come and passed…and we’re still far from picking out Apple products over the counters.
From 31 Oct, To 30 Jan, To…
Last month, The Straits Times came bearing the bad news that the store “will likely not open in time for Christmas this year”.
The information board at the location showed an updated expected completion of Jan 30, 2017, and comes as a 3-month delay from the previously stated Oct 31, 2016.
The store was also observed to be “still covered by white construction hoarding, with construction canvas draped over the exterior’s glass panels” – not exactly the most promising sign.
Photo of the store’s information board in Nov
But that’s not the end of it.
According to a report last week, the date has now been covered up, making the date of completion pretty much indefinite.
After a check with workers and security guards at the site, the report found that the delays were “unavoidable after the site was issued with a three-week stop-work order in late October”.
This was confirmed by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), which revealed that the order was meted out on Oct 24 due to “unsafe conditions relating to work at height, traffic management, scaffolding, electrical installation and lifting operations that were observed during an inspection at the worksite”.
Was The First Predicted Date Of Completion Too Optimistic?
Given that a 3-week delay would’ve definitely caused a break in construction, the pushing back of the date of completion not once, but twice, might suggest that the first predicted date of completion (Oct 31) might have been a stretch in the first place.
But then again, according to industry observers who has been interviewed, delays “are not uncommon [given] Apple’s emphasis on customer experience in its flagship stores”.
Regardless, We do hope that the site is now much safer for the workers (given that this year has seen a rise in workplace deaths, and is an issue we shouldn’t ignore anymore), and that we also get an update soon.
Apple fans who have been looking forward to the tech giant’s first brick-and-mortar store in Singapore may have to wait a while longer, with the completion date of construction work at its expected location along Orchard Road apparently pushed back.
According to an information board put up outside the construction site at Knightsbridge mall, the latest expected completion date of Jan 30, 2017 – already a three-month postponement from the previous date of Oct 31, 2016 – was covered up, with no new date provided.
The information board with details on the expected completion date seen outside the construction site at Knightsbridge mall on Dec 9, 2016.
A check with workers and security guards at the site noted that the ongoing construction work is unlikely to wrap up by next month. One construction worker said that delays were unavoidable after the site was issued with a three-week stop-work order in late October.
In response, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) confirmed that it did issue a full stop-work order to the work site’s contractor on Oct 24, citing “unsafe conditions relating to work at height, traffic management, scaffolding, electrical installation and lifting operations that were observed during an inspection at the worksite”. A separate check on MOM’s website showed that the stop-work order was issued against Legend (Singapore) Interiors Pte Ltd.
MOM said the order has since been lifted, and when this reporter visited the site on Dec 9 and Dec 13, workers could be seen working on the sides of a three-storey-high facade covered up by grey-coloured boards.
Apple declined to comment. It also declined to reveal an official opening date for the store or provide an update for the number of employees it is hiring locally.
Its senior vice president of retail and online stores, Angela Ahrendts, confirmed last November that the tech giant had begun hiring staff for its retail store in Singapore.
The store, which is expected to take up four levels at Knightsbridge mall, will be Apple’s first physical retail presence in Singapore, as well as Southeast Asia. Apart from an online store, Apple currently sells its products via authorised premium resellers such as EpiCentre and Nubox in Singapore.
Speculation about the Singapore’s first Apple store emerged in October last year, when fitness club Pure Fitness informed its members that it would be shuttering its four-storey gym facility at Knightsbridge mall to make way for a “future Apple store”.
So far, there have been few details about the retail outlet apart from a statement released last November noting that the Apple Store will be powered by solar energy from developer Sunseap Group.
As for the exterior, a previous post by local blog My Apple Singapore wrote that wooden crates bearing the logo of German glassmaker Seele were placed outside the construction site in July. Given that Seele has been providing Apple with the glass panels for its overseas stores, the upcoming store in Singapore could be fitted with a similar glass facade, according to the blog, which began tracking developments at the construction site since last November.
Ongoing construction work seen at the site of Apple’s first retail store in Singapore at Knightsbridge mall on Dec 9, 2016
Construction work for the store commenced in May this year, according to the information board, and was initially expected to be completed by Oct 31.
SUCH DELAYS “NOT UNCOMMON”
However, industry observers said that such delays are not uncommon given the work required to fit out a huge space and Apple’s emphasis on customer experience in its flagship stores.
“For a huge flagship store occupying 30,000 sqft of prime space along Orchard Road, some degree of fit-out delay is not uncommon given the complexity of the design and layout,” said Cushman & Wakefield’s research director Christine Li.
“Plus, we are talking about the world’s most valuable brand – a brand that pays a lot of attention to detail and strives to be perfect. So, I think they want to make sure they don’t rush into things and that everything is in order,” she added.
Industry observers say retailers who are staying put at Knightsbridge mall, such as Abercrombie & Fitch, may get a boost from the extra shoppers that the Apple Store will bring in.
While it remains unclear when the Apple Store will officially open its doors, Ms Li said that it will be a boost for Singapore’s prime shopping belt, as well as neighbouring stores such as casual wear chain Abercrombie & Fitch, when it does.
“It will be good news given that so far we’ve been hearing so much negative news such as store closures at Orchard Road. Crowds attracted to the Apple Store will also benefit surrounding stores,” she explained.
Ms Li cited the example of Japanese retail brand Uniqlo, which launched a sprawling flagship store at Orchard Central in September. “Definitely, we saw more shoppers at the new flagship store that helped auxiliary stores like the F&B outlets nearby as there will usually be some spillover effect from the high traffic.”
