The Microsoft retail store scheduled to open later this year at The Shops at Mission Viejo (S. Calif.) will not be adjacent to the Apple store that has been there since 2004. Instead, it will likely be 360 feet away on the same level of the indoor mall, in a 75-wide space on the same side of the hallway as the Apple store. The huge Microsoft space dwarfs Apple’s 30-foot store, and is much closer to the central atrium and food court. A white construction barricade now covers the space, which was formerly occupied by The Limited store. Photos and a video after the break. read more…
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A security guard posted in front of the former Brooks Brothers store at the Scottsdale Fashion Square (Ariz.) shopping center seems to confirm the future location of one of Microsoft’s first two retail stores. The 75-wide space is on the lower level of the huge, upscale mall that attracts locals and tourists from around the world. The space is covered by an undistinctive beige barricade, but is centrally located within the T-shaped mall just north of the old Scottsdale downtown shopping district. There has been no activity at the door in the barricade Wednesday. The guard arrived about 11:30 a.m. and has occasionally conferred with executives, possibly from mall operator Westcor. There are two other empty spaces nearby in the mall, but neither has a barricade or other sign of activity. A 100,000 square-foot mall expansion will open in 77 days, but those spaces are not as centrally located as the Brooks Brothers space. Photos and a video after the break. read more…
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Microsoft announced that it will open its first two retail stores in Scottsdale (Ariz.) and at The Shops at Mission Viejo south of Los Angeles. As first reported by Cnet, Microsoft also intends to take the retail initiative “global,” although a spokesperson declined to say in which countries and how soon. It’s not clear exactly where the stores will be located. The Mission Viejo store opened in 2004 at store #76. Apple opened an impressive store last month at Scottsdale Quarter.
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The location of the second Apple retail store in Italy has been confirmed in Milano (Italy) at the large Carugate shopping mall northeast of city center. As reported by the SetteB.it Web site, a traditional black construction barricade has appeared inside the mall, and construction photos that reveal the store could open by year’s end.
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A source has provided the Gizmodo Web site with a design firm’s Powerpoint presentation that showcases a proposed layout, design and marketing strategy for the future Microsoft retail stores, including live wall graphics, a “Guru Bar” and rear-of-store theater. The full document also sets out Microsoft’s goals for the stores, including creating “inclusive exuberance” among its customers. Microsoft has confirmed they will open an unknown number of retail stores by year’s end, and that some of them will be adjacent to Apple’s locations. In the slide presentation by the firm Lipponcott and dated July 7, 2009, Microsoft’s stores will share an amazing number of similarities with Apple’s stores: wall-mounted display tables, center-located display tables, a service counter towards the rear of the space with customer seating, and hand-held point-of-sale computers. The space will be organized into areas, labeled in the slide presentation as PCTV, Windows 7, Smart Phone, Personalization. The sidewalls will be stocked with laptops running various Windows-based applications. According to one slide, the overall purpose of the four major areas is to “Engage, Educate and Excite.” Perhaps most interesting is a wall-sized video display that allows customers to preview software applications with an “Xbox style menu” before copying their purchased software to a “distinctive Microsoft USB flash drive.” Like the Apple stores, the Microsoft stores will feature a schedule of free events, including group training, tech presentations, live music events, and even “community events.” read more…
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Bucking the national economic downturn and generally poor results in the computer industry, Apple reported sales of $8.34 billion during the third quarter of 2009, an increase over the same quarter of 2008 and the previous quarter. It was the third-highest revenue in the company’s history, bested only by the most recent holiday quarters. The retail stores posted revenues of $1.5 billion, the fourth-best in the chain’s history, and a profit of $321 million, another fourth-best. Macintosh sales totaled 492,000, yet another fourth-best. CFO Peter Oppenheimer confirmed that Apple would open its first Paris store during the holiday quarter, and that the company was on-track to open 25 new stores this fiscal year. read more…
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Continuing this year’s drive to open more international Apple stores, the company will hold the grand opening of the Churchill Square (UK) retail store this Saturday at 10 a.m. The store on the south coast of England will fill in coverage for the region, and bring the number of UK stores to 21. The city is a major destination for tourists and attendees to business conferences, who visit the many night spots and seaside attractions. The first 1,000 visitors will receive a commemorative T-shirt. read more…
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In the midst of “remodel season,” the very first renovation of an international store has closed the Bluewater (UK) store for 10 days. The location closed after hours on Sunday, and will re-open on July 31st. A warning sign appeared before the store closed, saying, “We’re making this store better than ever for our favourite guests—you.” The sign suggested that customers visit the Lakeside store, about 15 minutes away. The Bluewater store opened in July 2005 as the 111th store in the chain, and still features glass partitions. read more…
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A key figure in achieving Apple’s ground-breaking retail store concept is now consulting with Microsoft on that company’s retail stores, the first of which are expected to open this fall. George W. Blankenship, 56, joined Apple in 2000, and his 20 years of experience as Gap Inc.’s vice president of real estate strategy helped fulfill the original concept developed by Apple Sr. V-P Retail Ron Johnson–position the stores at upscale, high-traffic locations to attract customers. As first reported by TechFlash, Microsoft has hired Blankenship to provide consulting services for its retail team, although the company refuses to say exactly what work he is performing. The consulting arrangement is probably meant to work around the non-competitive agreement (NCA) that Apple executives routinely sign when leaving the company. Much of the data that Blankenship might use to pick Microsoft store locations is held by third parties, so he won’t be handicapped by any NCA. As well, Blankenship’s assistance to Microsoft won’t create any peril for Apple, since after eight years of developing new Apple stores, the formula is hardly proprietary. read more…
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Several sources have confirmed that the Barton Creek (Tex.) retail store will close at the end of business on Sunday, August 1st, and the entire operation will then move 3.3 miles into a larger space at West 6th Street and North Lamar Blvd by month’s end. The new, previously-identified location has been under construction for some time, but has not been pinpointed. However, it’s most likely on the property at the northeast corner owned by Schlosser Development Corp. The property includes a large building previously occupied by Whole Foods and new construction just north of that building. The store’s Web site seems to confirm the move, since the store’s activities calendar is completely empty beginning August 2nd.
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A video of today’s energetic grand opening of the Rideau (Ottawa) retail store shows the large crowd that showed up, and also the center pillar that Apple’s architects turned into wall shelving to display products. Apparently the only suitable space available for lease was located on either side of support columns that couldn’t be removed. So, the storefront for this location is interrupted by a stainless steel-covered column, with entrances on either side. Further back in the store, a steel column serves as the end-point for the pillar-turned-wall-display for accessories. Watch the video here.
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As part of this year’s annual Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival, the Regent Street (London) store will host several events this month, including an appearance by electronic musician John Foxx. His performance will be accompanied by “video jockey” John “Karborn” Leigh, who will provide audio-visual presentations. However, as the appearance was being planned, the Apple store staff discovered the Karborn is a PC user. Since the vision of a PC being used inside an Apple store might be unsettling to a Mac crowd, the store staff made Karborn an offer: We’ll loan you a Mac laptop to give your presentation. Karborn agreed, and so the Foxx show will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday the 24th.
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The construction barricade and storefront covering has been removed at the future Rideau (Ottawa) retail store, revealing a rare interior design feature: a center pillar around which there are display shelves and wall graphics. Because of the spaces that Apple selects, the Royal Hawaiian (Hi.) retail store is the only other location with a similar product display pillar. The store holds its grand opening this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. [photo]
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Apple will open a store in the city of Perth (Australia) early next year, the first location in the western region of the continent. The exact location of the future store isn’t know, but it will definitely be in center of this coastal city of 1.6 million residents. It would be the sixth store in the country, fulfilling Apple’s recent focus on increasing the number of international stores.
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Microsoft intends to open some of its previously-announced retail stores next-door to existing Apple stores, according to the company’s chief operating officer Kevin Turner. During a sales-focused keynote presentation at today’s Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans, Turner gloated over the success of the company’s series of “Apple Tax” television commercials, and then alerted the crowd, “Stay tuned, ’cause we’re going to have some retail stores opened up right next door to Apple stores this fall. Stay tuned! Just stay tuned!” He promised the partner audience that, “Every single thing we learn in those Microsoft stores we put on the street, we going to share that openly and transparently with all of our retail partners, so they can do the exact same thing.” Watch the keynote video after the break. read more…
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