Apple Inc.’s first-ever retail store in China opened at The Village at Sanlitun (Beijing) shopping development with a large overnight crowd of enthusiasts, and a continuing line of very curious visitors after the doors opened. The store represents a very small but financially significant step in broadening Apple’s retail presence around the world. About 85 persons officially stayed overnight in an air conditioned space provide by the property manager adjacent to the store, avoiding the heat and offering power, bathrooms and bottled water. It was a sleepy crowd that was funneled into 10 numbers lanes around 8:15 a.m., and then finally allowed outside into the main waiting queue. A large group of photographers assembled for the opening as the crowd held provided umbrellas against the blazing sun. At 10 a.m. the manager came out, yelled out the traditional question “Are you ready?” in Chinese, and the 400 or so in line began to file into the store amid clapping and yelling. After taking their commemorative T-shirt boxes, the visitors headed straight for the product displays, demonstrating an intense interest in each and every Apple product. The store is an odd bird, with a trapezoidal shape, an overhead “box” with backlit Apple logo, two cashwrap positions and a smallish Genius Bar. Although the store is bright and airy, the views on two sides stare into unfinished adjacent buildings. Only the front of the store has a view of the mall’s plaza. Check my full report here, and a collection of photos here.According to accounts of the press preview on Thursday morning, Sr. VP Retail Ron Johnson confirmed that Apple would be opening additional stores in Beijing, and stores in Shanghai “and beyond.” The second store in Beijing will be one along a renovated section of Qianmen Street, he confirmed, but didn’t mention an exact location or opening date.
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