Apple Retail Redesign Will Bring Back the Genius Bar and Ditch the Video Walls
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Apple’s retail stores are about to get a big redesign for the Ternus era, with the company reportedly planning to engage in a “renovation spree” that will bring some of its recent slightly experimental new designs into the mainstream.
It’s not entirely clear if these marching orders have come from Apple’s newly minted CEO or are simply the culmination of something that’s been in the works for a while, but Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is planning “three major changes” to its standard store designs that will see the elimination of the sprawling video walls and the return of the dedicated Genius Bars of yesteryear.
The changes seemingly won’t be confined purely to the layouts. Gurman notes that Apple plans to go with a lot more wood, using it entirely for the new online pickup, Today at Apple, and Genius Bar areas. The Genius Bars will be similar to what we’ve seen in the past, “but with an all-wood look.”
While Gurman doesn’t point to specific locations, he notes that some of these changes “have already appeared in a handful of Apple stores,” and we can’t help but think of the Miami Worldcenter store that opened last year with its ‘biophilic’ design. While that will likely remain unique in its extremely environmentally friendly approach with its natural green spaces, the interior has more wood grain throughout than we’ve ever seen in an Apple Store.
Structurally, Apple plans to revamp the “Avenue” — the side sections of the store — to add distinct sections for online pickups and Today at Apple sessions in individual 10-foot “bays.” Essentially, this will be a return to more traditional storefront counter arrangements, with secure drawers for storing pickup orders, providing a more efficient flow than the current model, where many stores just use a dedicated table and send runners into the back to retrieve items after customers arrive to pick them up.
The giant video walls that are currently used for Today at Apple sessions and marketing videos will be removed in favor of placing oversized TVs at the top of the Today at Apple bay, which will also include secure drawers for storing equipment used by the instructors.
This concept dates back to Angela Ahrendts’ tenure leading retail and reflected her vision of Apple stores as community landmarks and gathering places. The company is now moving away from that approach and refocusing its stores around more traditional and practical retail, service and fulfillment functions.
Mark Gurman
Meanwhile, the Genius Bars will be back. It’s not clear where those will be located in every store; Gurman says that “Apple will replace the video walls with dedicated Genius Bars,” suggesting they’ll be dropped into that location, but it may vary depending on the design of the individual stores. Either way, it appears they’ll be distinct from the side Avenue bays.
It’s unclear how fast these changes will be moving forward, as Apple isn’t likely to start doing wholesale renovations of its Apple Stores all at once. In some cases, it will shutter a store to renovate it in-place, while in others — particularly in shopping centers — it often uses the opportunity to lease a new space and build the new store in that location while keeping the existing one open until the new one is ready.
Lastly, Gurman’s sources tell him that Apple will also be enforcing stricter rules for employees during morning meetings before stores open, and requiring all employees to applaud as the first customers enter each day.
