Apple Regent Street
London (united kingdom, europe)
Apple Regent Street (London, United Kingdom) was the first Apple Retail Store in Europe and opened in 2004, three years before the launch of the iPhone.
Apple Regent Street old store design (photos from Yelp) and new store design (photos from Apple and Foster + Partners)
03/17/23 - 03/20/23
Apple Regent Street opened as the first European Apple Store in November 2004. When it first opened, the store had a completely different design. It reminds me of the older Apple Store design with glass stairs, low ceilings, and more stainless steel and aluminum accents (like Apple Jungfernstieg in Hamburg, Germany). In October 2016, Apple Regent Street reopened after the renovation to transform the store into a new design language with a new layout including Forum, Avenues, and trees. Entering the store, you will be greeted by a bright central atrium under the sky of treetops with avenues on the wall featuring photography, music, and more. The re-imagining of Apple Regent Street in London marks the continuing evolution of Apple, going beyond retail to create richer, more dynamic experiences for visitors. Characteristic of the new Apple Flagships, the interior space is a 7.2-meter double-height grand hall – forming a 'town square' like flexible and welcoming space. This retrofit design enhances transparency from the street and floods the store with natural light, dramatically improving the visual connection between the two levels. The interior front facade, with its full-height arches clad in Portland stone, can be appreciated in its full extent. The store also features the longest Luminous Ceiling Panels in the world that cover the entire ceiling. The custom-made lighting panels emit pure, even white light and can absorb ambient noise.
"We are delighted to be a part of Regent Street and excited to be again serving our community by offering a place to learn, to be inspired and entertained, where customers can get support from our staff and from each other," said Angela Ahrendts, Apple's senior vice president of retail.
Using a warm palette of materials including stone, wood, and terrazzo that is sympathetic to the historic nature of the building, the store has a calm setting, with the increased height allowing for the addition of twelve Ficus Ali trees on the ground level, bringing nature to the interior spaces. The groves of trees have planters that double as comfortable places to sit and rest. The signature Apple display tables are set against the backdrop of the new Avenue. This completely redesigned wall display allows people to touch, feel and try out Apple products and accessories in an engaging and hands-on way. Located in the middle of the space, The Forum is a new learning environment where experts from various fields can come to entertain, inspire and teach. It occupies a prime position in the store with a vast video wall that acts as an animated backdrop for the entire store.
Along the side walls, a staircase on either side of the screen draws one up to the new mezzanine level set amongst the treetops. The walls and staircases are made from sandblasted stone, while the balustrade – seemingly carved into the wall – has a smooth, curved, and honed finish that is pleasant to touch. The stone walls and balustrade were created by combining handcraftsmanship and CNC robotics. They were dry-assembled at the manufacturing site to ensure each piece fit perfectly before installation. Overlooking the grand hall, the mezzanine hosts Apple's Geniuses, where visitors can get assistance to set up their device or answer any product-related queries, and the Boardroom – a place for meetings, conversations, and partnerships that can be used by app developers, digital entrepreneurs, and other small start-ups to become part of the Apple family.
In close partnership with Foster + Partners, Apple preserved the building's Grade II-listed exterior facade of Portland stone, Carrara marble, and hand-cut Venetian-smelt glass tile. The remodeled mezzanine features an open-plan layout and a double-height grand hall, bringing in more natural light and transparency from the street. Twin staircases of sandblasted and honed Castagna stone handrails carved into the stone walls draw visitors to the new mezzanine level set in tree tops above the grand hall.
"On Regent Street, we preserved the incredible exterior facade while opening up the interior of the store to enhance the transparency and flood the space with natural light," said Jonathan Ive, Apple's chief design officer. "By choosing materials sympathetic to the historic nature of the building, we're able to modernize the space while remaining authentic to its surrounds."
The store team grew more than 500 % over the last 12 years thanks to more exciting and innovative product introductions, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and immersive services like Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, Apple Arcade, and AppleOne. The 512 employees span more than 20 nationalities and speak over 30 languages. Of the 100 employees who originally opened the store, more than a quarter remain at Apple. Regent Street, Apple's first store in Europe, welcomed more than 60,000,000 visitors from 2004 to 2016. The European Apple history goes back 36 years.