Apple is gradually redesigning its stores, and Australia is getting its first location with the new design. The redesigned Chadstone Apple Store in Australia will be the first one in the country done in the “Town Square” concept unveiled to the public by Senior VP of Retail Angela Ahrendts a couple of months ago after sneak peeks were offered last year.
Redesigned Chadstone Apple Store in Australia
Chadstone already has an Apple Store in a different location, although the new location on Melbourne’s east side is approximately three times as big as the previous store. Apple apparently has big plans for Australia, as Ahrendts told the Herald Sun that they’re looking forward on “continuing to build on” all 22 of their stores in Australia. The store is currently covered in a black shroud, which is pretty typical because Apple likes to make an entrance, no matter what it’s doing. However, the signage is up at the new location, so there’s no doubt that Apple is setting up shop there.
The old Apple Store in Chadstone opened with 69 workers in 2008, but the new store will have more than 240 employees. Only seven of the original store employees will work at the new location.
Rebranding to “Town Squares”
Many say that Apple has probably shifted to the “Town Square” concept as a way to combat online shopping, although this doesn’t really make much sense. People visit an Apple Store to play with the gadgets and try them out, so the stores make the most of the “showrooming” trend, a concept Best Buy has been battling for years, but in Apple’s case, it makes sense.
For Apple, rebranding its stores as “Town Squares” is all about marketing and creating a destination people still want to visit even if they don’t want to play with Apple devices or get their iPhone or iPad fixed after their kid drops it.
Features planned for the first redesigned Apple Store in Australia
The redesigned Chadstone Apple Store in Australia will include features such as a “Genius Grove,” which is basically an upgrade to the Genius Bar where Apple users take their devices for help with them. According to the Herald Sun, those waiting for help with their devices will be sitting “among native ficus trees” while they wait, which of course makes he “grove” part of the new name make sense. Other major new features of the redesigned Chadstone Apple store include 4.2m bronze doors and a “boulevard” of windows featuring seasonally relative displays.
The new Chadstone store will also have what Apple calls “The Boardroom,” where the company’s business specialists will meet with representatives from small businesses, developers and entrepreneurs and offer training. The redesigned Chadstone Apple store in Australia is scheduled to open on November 24 at 9 a.m.
Also in Australia, Apple also announced recently that it will partner with RMIT University for a university course aimed at teaching adults coding for apps.
