Harrods of London 'Apple Shop' debut to coincide with new iPad launch
Upscale U.K. department store Harrods of London announced on Thursday that its new 'Harrods Technology' department, which includes a so-called 'Apple Shop,' will open its doors on Friday to launch the third generation iPad.
The official opening of the Harrods Technology department is set to take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 16, and is meant to coincide with the worldwide launch of Apple's new iPad, according to the store's official Twitter feed.
Apple's store-within-a-store will join other electronics manufacturers like Sony, LG, Samsung and others on the third floor of Harrods' world-famous Knightsbridge store. The department will also feature standalone boutiques for high-tech brands such as Bang & Olufsen and Porsche Design.
It is unclear whether Apple will get its own separate retail space, or if it will be akin to U.S. Best Buy locations where the iPad maker has a relatively undefined area for its products. In the Thursday announcement, a Harrods spokesman referred to an "Apple Shop," which is not the official "Apple Store" name that the Cupertino, Calif., company uses for its retail outlets.
Quote:
The new Harrods Technology department opens tomorrow morning complete with an Apple Shop, so come and get your ipad from 10am. #HarrodsTech— Harrods (@HarrodsofLondon) March 15, 2012
The new Harrods Technology department opens tomorrow morning complete with an Apple Shop, so come and get your ipad from 10am. #HarrodsTech— Harrods (@HarrodsofLondon) March 15, 2012
Apple Stores worldwide are expected to open their doors at 8 a.m. on Friday to throngs of customers hoping to nab a new iPad. The rollout will take place in ten countries including the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and the U.K. It will also be available in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In a Thursday announcement, mega-retailer Walmart said that it would be selling the tablet from 12:01 a.m. at its 24-hour U.S. locations.
[ View article on AppleInsider ]
Comments
ooooo how posh
Most of the UK's departmental stores are basically a collection of concession stands, renting floor space from the store. Not dissimilar to the model used by Amazon et al.
Only poor people, tourists and Hollywood think that Harrods is posh.. It lost it's "exclusivity" once the masses stopped doffing their caps to people wearing top hats
Bottom line, it's like an Apple reseller. It's no where near like the experience you get in the larger Apple Stores (like the ones in Regent Street or Covent Garden in London), but if you want to buy a product from someone who vaguely knows what they are talking about, it's a much more positive experience that before they got the in house Apple branding and the general floor staff knew zero about Apple products.
On the Shop vs Store front - in the UK s "Shop" is the usual term used to describe what the American English speakers generally call "Store". The word "Store" to describe "Shop" is a recent thing, last 10 - 15 years I'd say, and usually refers to US chains or very large "Super Stores" which are built on trading estates on the outskirts of towns and cities.
Actually, Harrods Technology department is PC World rebranded...
For those on the other side of the pond, PC World is the UK technology version of the furniture store IKEA, which in turn is Swedish for HELL.