First Italy ‘Apple Shop’ Opens

Apple’s store-within-a-store project has blossomed in italy, with the first “Apple Shop” opening inside the Mondadori Multicenter in central Milan. Photos on the the setteB.IT Web site show the Shop’s installation, and the finished sales area. The exterior of the department store has black-and-white signage, and the 960 square-foot Shop looks exactly like an expanded Best Buy installation: a black-painted wall with an LCD screen flanked by two back-lit logos, and wood display tables. But the layout includes a Genius Bar-like area with black stools, and a laid-down wood floor. According to setteB.IT, the Shop is one of six or seven that will be installed in various Italian stores this year, including MediaWorld in Rome. The Shop project now includes 13 retailers located in Italy, Germany, France, the UK and Amsterdam.