Here’s how Apple plans to give stores a next-gen makeover

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Apple store istanbul
Apple Stores are about to look like this inside and out.
Photo: Apple

Memphis will be one of the first cities in the U.S. to get a ‘next generation’ Apple Store, as part of Apple’s big retail revamp that’s expected to start later this year.

Apple has applied for a $1.5 million building permit for a new storefront and interior renovation at 2031 West St, according to a new report that claims the store will be one of Apple’s first new stores with the next-gen design. It’s unclear what kind of layout the new stores will have, but Apple’s application does reveal a few details on how the company plans to gussy up the new retail locations.

Plans for the new Memphis store include modifying the current brick facade to a three-panel glass front, reports Memphis Daily News. Rick Millitello, who presented Apple’s plan to the design commission, says the store will also include matte granite reinforced panel on the exterior.

Natural oak tables will be used in the interior for product displays and hands-on areas. The store will also boast a changeable store front display that will feature living plants, TV displays with rotating artwork, and other advertisements.

The new store design is part of new retail boss Angela Ahrendts’ premium makeover of Apple Stores. The former Burberry CEO revealed this summer that Apple plans to renovate 20 existing stores in the U.S., including Apple’s iconic Fifth Ave store in New York. The company is also planning a new iconic store on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

Apple already has a store in Memphis at 7615 W. Farmington Blvd., in the Shops of Saddle Creek North. The new store will be relocated to 2031 West St., within the Shops of Saddle Creek South. Millitello told the design commission that the new retail design is rolling out to some overseas stores this fall, with Memphis being part of the first US rollout later in the year.

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