Nokia's Flagship Stores

Nokia Flagship Store: Moscow

The Nokia Flagship Store concept was launched in December 2005 with its first store in Moscow. The original plan was to create some 18 stores around the world. Yesterday there were twelve. Very soon there will be just eight. As Reuters reported earlier today, Nokia will be closing its Flagship Stores in Central London, New York, Chicago and Sao Paulo. Like several other publications, Reuters made parallels between Nokia's retail strategy and Apple's store concept. In Central London, the contrast is all too visible as an Apple Store and Nokia's store stare at each other across Regent Street. But while Apple's store in mostly full to bursting, Nokia's store is usually close to empty.

Microsoft Stores

Back in February, we posted a note on the appointment of David Porter as Microsoft's Corporate VP of Retail Sales. Well, now it looks as if we're moving ever closer to the opening of Microsoft's first stores in the US.

Earlier this week, Gizmodo revealed a leaked slide deck from Lippincott - a design and brand strategy consultancy. Within the body of the deck, Lippincott explained that it has been asked to assist Microsoft and its 'approved partners' with the development of a new company owned retail store that "provides a transformative customer experience, shifts current perceptions of the brand, and supports the functional operating requirements of the business groups".

As Gizmodo explains: "Essentially, Microsoft is taking the best elements from the Apple Store, Sony Style and other 'flagship' stores." There will be a Digital Media Wall which wraps around the entire store. There will be 'stage areas' for Windows 7, Windows Media Centre, and Windows Mobile. And there will be an Answers Bar or Guru Bar or Windows Bar - well, something very similar to Apple's Genius Bar.

We now learn from CNET that two stores have already been identified - one in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the other in Mission Viejo, California. It is understood that the store in Mission Viejo will be in the same mall as the local Apple Store.

Apple Brighton

This Saturday, Apple opens its 21st Apple Store in the UK. It's located in Churchill Square, Brighton on England's south coast. The store opens at 10.00, and as usual, the first 1,000 visitors will receive a free Apple T-shirt.

Elsewhere in Europe there are just 6 Apple Stores - that's 1 in Italy [Rome], 3 in Switzerland [2 in Zurich, and 1 in Geneva], and 1 in Germany [Munich]. There are rumours of further openings in Europe later this year.

Apple Q3/09

Earlier this week, Apple posted its Q3 09 results. Sales at Apple Stores increased by some 4% year-on-year, mostly due to increased iPhone revenues, and partially offset by a decrease in revenues from iPods and Macs. Apple ended the quarter with 258 stores compared with 216 stores at the end of Q3 08. Average Q3 revenues per store declined from $6.8mn in 2008 to $5.9mn in 2009. And Apple ended the current quarter with approximately 15,600 full-time equivalent employees working in their retail segment.

Apple Remodels Stores

Ron Johnson, Apple's SVP of Retail, has been talking to USA Today. He says that Apple will be opening 25 stores this year. This is down a little from the forecast of 35 - 40 given by CFO Oppenheimer at Apple's Q1 conference call. We are told that three of these store openings are to be in Europe - one in France, one in Italy, and one in Germany.

Johnson also explained that Apple plans to remodel some 100 of its stores this year, to make room for more customer training and more display space. The Genius Bar space is going to be increased by some 50%, and new display tables will enable 'twice the amount' of Macs and other products to be on display.

Despite this on-going investment in remodelling their stores, Johnson acknowledged that the recession has affected Apple's retail footfall. He says that while it is still strong, traffic is certainly down on last year.

Apple Retail Update

Apple announced its Q1 2009 numbers yesterday. During the subsequent conference call, Apple expanded on some of its activities in the retail channel.

Tim Cook, Apple's COO, explained that there are currently 286 Apple store-in-store sites in Best Buy stores in the US, but this is going to more than double to around 600 in the next six months.

Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO, said that Apple expects to open between 35 -  40 of its own stores in the current fiscal year. The majority will be outside the US, including a first Apple Store in China.

Apple Store Openings

Reliable AppleStore blogger, Gary Allen, predicts the opening of four new Apple Stores in Europe in the first half of 2009 - Brighton [UK], Paris [France], Reading [UK] and Zurich [Switzerland]. There are currently 20 Apple Stores in the UK, 1 in Germany [Munich], 1 in Italy [Rome], and 1 in Switzerland [Geneva].

Apple Store Paris

AppleInsider reports that work may soon start on the first Apple Store in France, close by I. M. Pei's Pyramide du Louvre in Paris. Yet another design statement from Mr Jobs.

Specialists v Generalists #2

And now we learn that Apple's iPhone will be available in Wal-Mart stores before the end of the year...

Apple Store Munich

Germany's first Apple Store opens in Munich on Saturday at 10.00 CET. The AppleInsider site includes pictures of the yet to be unveiled store with a 'wrapper' presumably chosen to mirror the ever-present Bavarian flag...

AppleShack

Seems as if RadioShack is going to be the first electronics retailer to try copying the Apple Store format. Forbes suggests that Radio Shack will be testing a small number of new concept stores in the last quarter of 2008.

Pomegranate

Apple will open its first store in China on Saturday. It will be Apple's 219th store worldwide. And Ron Johnson, Apple's Retail SVP, says that there are plans for other store openings in China.

Apple Opens in Oz

Thanks to a recent interview with Apple's Ron Johnson, The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that Apple will open its first store in Australia late next week. This flagship store - one of the biggest so far for Apple - is opening in Sydney's CBD [Central Business District], but later in the year it is understood that two smaller stores will open, one in the North Sydney suburb of Chatswood, and the other in Melbourne.

Apple Shops

The Apple shop-in-shop concept, called Apple Shops [not to be confused with Apple Stores - Apple's own retail outlets], is growing strongly around much of Europe. Right now, the number seems to be about 75. Going by Apple's various country web sites, there are four Apple Shops in Austria, three in MSH group stores, and one in a Cosmos store; there are two Apple Shops in Denmark; there are eighteen Apple Shops in France, all in FNAC stores; there are twelve Apple Shops in Germany, all in MSH group stores; there are eight Apple Shops in Italy; there are four Apple Shops in The Netherlands; there are nine Apple shops in Spain, six in El Corte Inglés stores, and three in FNAC stores; there are two Apple Shops in Sweden; and there are sixteen Apple Shops in the UK, all in PC World stores.

Apple Stores in Europe

Apple's largest retail store in the world is in London. This month, Apple opened two more stores in the UK - one in Milton Keynes, and another in Cambridge. But what about Continental Europe? About one year ago, Apple opened a store in Rome, but so far that's it. The UK's 15 stores, plus this one store in Italy are the sum total of Apple's retail store interests throughout Europe. There are, however, rumours of new store openings later in the year in Munich, Geneva and Zurich. But as the company only publicises new store openings a couple of weeks before they actually happen, we'll just have to wait and see.

Apple Stores

Apple Store: One Stockton Street, San Francisco

About one year ago, Fortune described Apple as the best retailer in America. Has anything changed since then? No...

Handset Flagships: London

It seems to have become fashionable for the world's leading mobile handset manufacturers to launch a Flagship Store in London. Back in November 2004, and way before the launch of the iPhone, Apple opened its first UK store in London, and its first store outside of the US. In November 2006, Sony Ericsson launched a Flagship Store in Kensington High Street, London [although this is operated and managed by The Carphone Warehouse]. One year later, in November 2007, Samsung launched a Flagship Store in Tottenham Court Road [owned and operated by Shasonic]. And now, in February 2008, Nokia has launched a Flagship Store just across the road from Apple in London's Regent Street. So we're missing one major handset manufacturer - Motorola. In July 2006, Motorola launched its first Global Flagship Store, in Shanghai. Then in October 2006, it launched its second Global Flagship Store, in Moscow. Since then, we've seen and heard nothing about Flagship Stores from Motorola. Anyone out there know why?

Apple Conflict

In August 2007, Apple opened it's tenth store in the UK, and its first in Scotland. The store in Buchanan Street, Glasgow has clearly been a success.  So much so, that the local independent store in Glasgow, run by Scotsys, part of the Adventi Group, was closed just six months later.