[MetroMan]

The new Apple Eaton Centre is open and it gives us hints about what's next for Eaton Centre's ongoing renewal.

The most telling detail is how they framed the store. The stock room and other back of house operations are along the side, leaving the back open to a future expansion. The back wall of this store is set away about 10 feet from the perimeter of the outside wall along James Street. This back wall is built with modular panels that can be easily removed. This lines up with my hunch that Cadillac Fairview is planning a big western facade redevelopment of the Eaton Centre in coming years.

In 2024, Old City Hall will vacate the courts and be turned into a City of Toronto Museum. James Street will be closed to traffic, creating a new public square between Old City Hall and the Eaton Centre. It'll make sense to open these stores to the outside, opening directly onto this new square. The Apple's new store is built in a way that makes this easily done, even without having to shut down the Apple Store for renovations. They can build the outside facing addition having that 10 foot buffer to work inside of and then they just have to remove the panels overnight and voila, the Apple Store suddenly has outdoor access into a public square.

It'll be interesting to see how future stores along this stretch are redeveloped in the coming years. If my hunch is correct, Banana Republic, Pink and Bailey Nelson would be redeveloped into flagship stores. Smaller stores like Jack & Jones, Cath Kidston, Geox, Sunglass Hut and Godiva could be consolidated into a bigger tenant, probably a restaurant, merging into Duke of Richmond with both mall access and an Old City Hall square outdoor patio.

 

[AndreaPalladio]

At least the new Apple Store location within the Eaton Centre is open just over a week from Christmas.

Saw it this afternoon. Looks like the upstairs store, just bigger. Cool doors tho.

 

[condovo]

Opening day

(Click on pic)

 

[Lenser]

Man, there's something weirdly church-like about the way Apple typically lays out their wares. Like pews for the faithful.

 

[raptor]

Are those tables from IKEA?

 

[Northern Light]

Opening day

(Click on pic)

View attachment 220230

So Sterile, So Clinical, So Dull.

For a company that puts a fair bit of thought into the visual look of their product; it amazes me how poorly they design the spaces in which they sell said product.

Of course, the crowds filling the space may imply my opinion is out of step with many.

Then again....many people like Justin Bieber............ I prefer my sense of taste.

 

[slicecom]

So Sterile, So Clinical, So Dull.

For a company that puts a fair bit of thought into the visual look of their product; it amazes me how poorly they design the spaces in which they sell said product.

Of course, the crowds filling the space may imply my opinion is out of step with many.

Then again....many people like Justin Bieber............ I prefer my sense of taste.

Apple Stores bring in the most money per square foot of any stores in the world by quite a huge margin IIRC, so you are well out of step with most.

The sterile, clean, minimalist design makes sense to me. They want all the attention to be on the product. I do hate the smell of Apple Stores though. Not sure what causes it. It smells chemically and rubbery to me? It's not a "new store" smell, even the old Apple Stores have it.

 

[Northern Light]

Apple Stores bring in the most money per square foot of any stores in the world by quite a huge margin IIRC, so you are well out of step with most.

I'm well aware of the financial performance of the stores.

Though, I would suggest that this is driven by host of factors other than store design.

Relatively few stores drive up the numbers, as does exceedingly expensive product that consumes relatively little space.

Comparing Apple to a clothing retailer or food store just wouldn't be fair. $1,000 of inventory in most stores takes up a hell of a lot more room.

There are a mere 7 Apple stores in the entire GTA.

By comparison there are about 37 'The Source' stores; and even more Bell locations; so Bell is arguably dividing its per sq ft figure by something like 11 vs Apple.

Interesting note; if you cut Bell's sq ft to the same as Apple's and hold their sales steady, the per sq ft numbers would not be far apart.

The same would be true of Rogers etc.

In the end, while Apple sells a desirable product; I would argue their sales per sq ft are not driven by store design; rather they succeed in spite of it.

But that's supposition.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

In 2024, Old City Hall will vacate the courts and be turned into a City of Toronto Museum. James Street will be closed to traffic, creating a new public square between Old City Hall and the Eaton Centre. It'll make sense to open these stores to the outside, opening directly onto this new square. The Apple's new store is built in a way that makes this easily done, even without having to shut down the Apple Store for renovations. They can build the outside facing addition having that 10 foot buffer to work inside of and then they just have to remove the panels overnight and voila, the Apple Store suddenly has outdoor access into a public square.

I agree with the idea you lay out here and the rumblings I've heard support it, but you are talking like this stuff is all but confirmed to happen.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I'm well aware of the financial performance of the stores.

Though, I would suggest that this is driven by host of factors other than store design.

Relatively few stores drive up the numbers, as does exceedingly expensive product that consumes relatively little space.

Comparing Apple to a clothing retailer or food store just wouldn't be fair. $1,000 of inventory in most stores takes up a hell of a lot more room.

There are a mere 7 Apple stores in the entire GTA.

By comparison there are about 37 'The Source' stores; and even more Bell locations; so Bell is arguably dividing its per sq ft figure by something like 11 vs Apple.

Interesting note; if you cut Bell's sq ft to the same as Apple's and hold their sales steady, the per sq ft numbers would not be far apart.

The same would be true of Rogers etc.

In the end, while Apple sells a desirable product; I would argue their sales per sq ft are not driven by store design; rather they succeed in spite of it.

But that's supposition.

I think whether Apple Store works or not depends on the personality of the customer - the design is explicitly intended for extroverted customers who enjoy the revelry of tech shopping as a performative act. The sheer pandemonium is a draw for said target group, not a push. The product in and on itself isn't what they are trying to show through the stores - what they are trying to show is masses of people engaging their tech - and that's the sell.

For those who aren't into that - well, isn't that why online shopping exists?

AoD

 

[Lenser]

I find it almost claustrophobic in their spaces precisely because they tend to be so mobbed with people. That said, I appreciate how it's all laid out and I agree that the stark minimalism is nothing if not deliberate . The vibe just feels more than a bit cultish. Been using Macs as my main drivers for over thirty years now, but when I'm in one of their stores I tend to get in and out very quickly.

 

[MetroMan]

I agree with the idea you lay out here and the rumblings I've heard support it, but you are talking like this stuff is all but confirmed to happen.

I’m talking about how the design of this Apple Store goes out of its way to ensure that this will happen. Back of house in Apple mall stores is literally at the back of the house, maximizing width along the mall frontage. In this store, Apple sacrificed about 15ft of width and 1500 sq/ft along the side to keep the back open.

In addition, a space has been left empty behind the display, matching Apple’s Union Square layout.

And finally, the false wall at the back was deliberately framed to be easily disassembled in the segments that would be open on either side of the display to access this sun room open to the future City of Toronto museum.

When the highest per square foot grossing tenant builds something this deliberate, it’s a very good assumption that they’re doing it in tandem with Cadillac Fairviews’ future plans.

 

[gabe]

Hopefully the Yonge and Bloor Apple store will be better.

Chicago has an amazing Apple flagship store. ? This is what Toronto needs.

Apple Chicago: Don't Call It a Store, It's a Town Square

“A store's probably not what you should call this,” Apple CEO Tim Cook says about new Chicago flagship

www.brandchannel.com

 

[DavidCapizzano]

I was in today to get my iPad looked at and I really like how they've treated the store. It still feels small, even compared to Yorkdale which I'm not sure is larger vs taller. The material on the outside and interior walls is a really finely textured solid surface like quartz or corian, and the floors are white terrazzo. With the bright ceiling and light wood furniture it feels a lot more fresh vs other Apple stores in the area. Like MetroMan pointed out, it feels like this location was designed to have its rear wall pushed out for another entrance to the exterior which should help with the general flow of people while giving another option for people who are just coming for service/to pick something up vs those who are browsing and visiting other shops in the mall.

On a side note, is this photo a glimpse at the future of the facade of 1 Dundas?

View attachment 219291

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Are those tables from IKEA?

Absolutely not. Those are custom tables that likely cost as much as a typical person makes in a year