Apple Unveils New “Mini” Retail Store Design

[Kent Pribbernow]

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/oct/14retail.html

"Apple today unveiled its new "mini" retail store, a stunning all-new design featuring stainless steel walls and seamless white floors and ceilings. The mini store is half the size of Apple’s smallest store to date, which will allow it to be placed in a variety of new locations to introduce Apple’s innovative products to even more customers. Apple will open its first six mini stores this Saturday at 10 a.m. in Palo Alto, CA; San Jose, CA; Santa Rosa, CA; Tukwila, WA; Bridgewater, NJ; and Rockaway, NJ. “Our mini store is a big experience that fits in a small space,” said Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “The mini store’s small size will allow us to place stores in a variety of interesting new locations, while retaining innovations like the Genius Bar that have made Apple’s retail stores such a hit.”

An interesting idea. Smaller square footage means lower overhead for Apple in terms of maintenance and lease costs. But it also means less inventory as well, which has both its good and bad points. What's really interesting is that more than half the store is devoted to iPod, which shows just how vital that product is to Apple's product line.

[Kent Pribbernow]

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/oct/14retail.html

"Apple today unveiled its new "mini" retail store, a stunning all-new design featuring stainless steel walls and seamless white floors and ceilings. The mini store is half the size of Apple’s smallest store to date, which will allow it to be placed in a variety of new locations to introduce Apple’s innovative products to even more customers. Apple will open its first six mini stores this Saturday at 10 a.m. in Palo Alto, CA; San Jose, CA; Santa Rosa, CA; Tukwila, WA; Bridgewater, NJ; and Rockaway, NJ. “Our mini store is a big experience that fits in a small space,” said Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “The mini store’s small size will allow us to place stores in a variety of interesting new locations, while retaining innovations like the Genius Bar that have made Apple’s retail stores such a hit.”

An interesting idea. Smaller square footage means lower overhead for Apple in terms of maintenance and lease costs. But it also means less inventory as well, which has both its good and bad points. What's really interesting is that more than half the store is devoted to iPod, which shows just how vital that product is to Apple's product line.

[MoelBrain]

Wow, too articles about Santa Rosa that I've read online in two days. First it made the DEA's website, and now we get an apple store.

[dean_shan]

That is one clean looking room. You could do heart surgery in there.

[cmchavez]

Looks like the kind of store you would see in an airport, ala an airport bookstore or music store.