Apple is getting aggressive with its retail strategy, opening a new store on New York’s Upper West Side this weekend and planning 40 to 50 new stores in 2010. The first 2,500 visitors to the new store will receive a limited edition, commemorative T-shirt.
Apple’s latest Manhattan Apple Store is located at 67th Street, just minutes from Lincoln Center and Central Park. The store features an all-glass arched roof on the outside, and more Macs, iPods and iPhones than any store in the world. The store showcases a 45-foot Genius Bar on the lower level for personal training and technical support.
“We opened our first store in Manhattan seven years ago, and the response has been incredible,” said Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of retail. “We hope our new store on the Upper West Side will become as much a part of the community as our stores in SoHo, the Meatpacking District, and on Fifth Avenue.”
The Apple Experience
Apple will employ more than 200 people at its Upper West Side site. All are trained to offer free advice and expert tech support to consumers. Alternatively, customers who buy a Mac there can join the One to One program for $99 and get personal set-up service and training.
Just in time for the holiday shopping season, store visitors can get free tips from Apple specialists to help find the best product for themselves or someone else. Shoppers can also reserve an Apple product online and pick it up at any Apple store Dec. 15-24. Apple will even gift wrap any iPod or portable Mac for $5.
The Apple Store Upper West Side is the company’s fourth in Manhattan and Apple’s 15th in the New York metro area. Apple also has stores in SoHo, West 14th Street, and Fifth Avenue. In all, Apple now operates…