The 15 coolest Apple stores in the world, from New York's Grand Central Station to London's Regent Street

Meira Gebel

Feb 1, 2019, 02:27 IST

Apple

Apple operates more than 500 retail stores in 25 countries, with each location raking in millions of dollars every year - more revenue per square foot than any other US retailer
The company prides itself on each store's remarkable design quality. Many are located in historic buildings, like a once-famed opera house and New York City's Grand Central Terminal.
Here are the 15 coolest Apple stores around the world.

Apple's design is what has made it so successful: user-friendly and increasingly appealing, with sleek lines and crisp whites. That philosophy extends to its retail stores, too.

Inside, all of the stores look pretty much the same - Apple trademarked its store layout in 2013 - but each one offers its own unique look from the outside. Many stores are located in famed sites and historic buildings: Take, for example, Apple's location in an old bank building just across the street from a distinguished opera house in Paris, or its space in New York City's Grand Central Station.

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Angela Ahrendts, Apple's senior vice president of retail, has a vision for Apple stores: "A combination of experience and human connection," she told Vogue Business earlier this month. Ahrendts is the former CEO of Burberry and joined the tech company in 2013, a sign Apple has no plans to slow its retail ventures.

Apple now operates more than 500 retail stores in 25 countries, so it is likely wherever you go, there is an Apple store a short walk down the street.

Take a look at 15 of Apple's coolest spaces worldwide:

Apple opened its first store in Thailand in November 2018. The store is located in Bangkok on the shores of the Chao Phraya.

The store is connected to Bangkok's Iconsiam Center, a mixed-use mall.

Apple's Milan Piazza Liberty location is stunning. Just off the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, it is one of the most popular pedestrian streets in Milan.

Visitors see a dramatic glass fountain right when they enter the store, and a backdrop to the large outdoor amphitheater.

Apple's first store in Southeast Asia opened in Singapore in early 2017. The 120-foot glass facade blurs inside and out, and 16 trees add to the city’s already lush greenery.

The store's twin curved stone staircases are clearly the highlight of the space.

Steps away from the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is one of Apple's two Dubai locations.

The store features “Solar Wings” that respond to the city's hot climate, shifting to cool down the space when temperatures rise.

Apple reportedly paid $2.5 million to renovate space in New York's iconic Grand Central Terminal. That is on top of the $5 million it reportedly paid to buy out the previous tenant.

The store on New York's Fifth Avenue consists of a 32-foot glass cube that's entirely self-supporting. A glass staircase leads into the store below.

Apple opened a store in a refurbished bank building in Paris in 2010. The store is located just across the street from a famous opera house.

Inside, you will find a typical looking Apple store, but with a historic feel. White pillars stand strikingly tall, and black balcony railings cut through the space. Light shines down through a large-scale skylight.

In Beijing's Sanlitun district, a large stainless-steel structure makes an imposing impression.

In Berlin, Apple installed a store in an opera house that dates back to 1913.

On Regent Street, the most popular shopping street in West London, is one of Apple's largest stores in Europe.

It also includes a mezzanine level overlooking the store's open-plan layout.

Apple's Shanghai store is one of its most iconic: a glass cylinder leads to the main part of the store, situated underneath the courtyard.

In Chicago, Apple is beginning to dive into what it calls "a new generation" of its retail locations.

The building’s 111-by-98 foot, carbon-fiber roof was designed to be as thin as possible and is supported by four interior pillars that allow for 32-foot glass facades.

Apple opened its first store in Kyoto, Japan, last summer on Shijō Dori, the city's main technological and retail hub since the 1600s.

Apple's newest Paris location on Champs-Élysées is as lavish as the famed boulevard itself.

Apple's modern retail space is a refreshing, striking contrast to the famous design characteristics of France's architecture.

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