Apple Europe boss Pascal Cagni revealed some new retail set-ups from the company during Tuesday's Showtime keynote, but it now seems the firm plans to launch new in-store designs as soon as later this month. Shortly after Apple CEO Steve Jobs launched new music products Tuesday, company senior vice president of retail Ron Johnson talked shop at the ThinkEquity Partner's conference.
He confirmed the company plans to introduce new design features in future shops "later this month". They will be visible September 23 at two new US shops, he added. These new designs will be inspired by some new features found in the firm's flagship New York retail outlet on Fifth Avenue, an undrground complex topped-off with an eye-catching glass cube at ground level.
Johnson also offered another gem of data that illustrates just how far Apple has come since the launch of the first iMac in 1998. The Apple Store is the fastest-growing retailer in the US. A new shop opens every nine days, Johnson said. It plans to open 40 stores each year in future, he added.
Cagni this week confirmed that nine Apple retail stores will open across the UK before the end of this year.
In other Apple retail-related news, an Apple spokesperson this week confirmed the company plans to reintroduce its successful "Live from London" series of live artist appearances at its Regent Street store. These live gigs were temporarily stopped while the company had the builders in to extend and transform its exisiting public seminar theatre, where the Live from London gigs take place.
News source: Macworld UK
