Simply Mac stores closing amid apparent corporate restructuring

AppleInsider

Well known Apple product purveyor Simply Mac is shuttering brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S., with conflicting reports claiming the move is either the result of corporate restructuring or a decision by Apple to end its nationwide sales agreement with the firm.

According to a statement from West Acres Mall in Fargo, N.D., Simply Mac is closing multiple locations across the country because Apple recently ended its distribution deal with the Premiere Partner, reports West Valley News. Without a deal in place, Simply Mac can no longer continue operations, the statement reads.

Simply Mac, which calls itself "the greatest Apple partner in North America," refuted the report on Twitter. A representative for the GameStop subsidiary said it has not, in fact, lost its deal with Apple.

Still, outlets in other states are apparently closing up shop. The Billings Gazette reported a Simply Mac location in Montana was shuttered Wednesday, oddly confirmed by former employees loitering outside the store today. Other recent closures include outlets in Illinois and North Carolina and Texas, among other states.

According to a statement sent to the publication, GameStop "continues to focus on the execution of our business transformation plan, which includes growing our non-gaming businesses and right-sizing our global store portfolio across all our retail brands. This involves evaluating and closing non-productive locations. The closure of this Simply Mac store is part of that strategy." GameStop recently reported dismal financials, with sales dropping 16.4 percent over the holiday quarter.

A separate report from local Texas publication the Midland Reporter-Telegram notes a Simply Mac mall location there will close its doors on Sunday. Employees at the store were notified of the impending closure earlier this week.

The development comes six months after another high profile Apple Authorized Reseller, Tekserve, shuttered its longstanding Manhattan shop after 29 years of service.

radarthekat

Meanwhile, here in the Philippines there's a great Apple reseller called iStore.  The stores exclusively sell all things Apple, the entirety of the main product lines and plenty of accessories.  There are, I think, just eight in the country, each looking like an actual Apple Store with curved glass walls and clean product tables/presentation.

http://www.istore.ph/iStore_Web/Home.html

A pic of store

edited January 2017

9secondkox2

radarthekat said:

Meanwhile, here in the Philippines there's a great Apple reseller called iStore.  The stores exclusively sell all things Apple, the entirety of the main product lines and plenty of accessories.  There are, I think, just eight in the country, each looking like an actual Apple Store with curved glass walls and clean product tables/presentation.

http://www.istore.ph/iStore_Web/Home.html

A pic of store

That store "gets it."

The open, clean, uncluttered, and clear presentation with just a dash of whimsy is where it's at.

the colors, the shapes, and the un-look-at-me! Of it all.,

For some reason, so many struggle to come to terms with saying to more for the sake of more.

Sometimes less is indeed more.

europeradar

Hello,

In Europe, Apple adopted another strategy to kill the local existing Apple reseller channel.

While opening Apple stores in major countries, Apple simply drasticaly reduced its deliveries to regular partner, forcing them to bankrupt.

In France (Ebizcuss - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/06/25/ebizcuss_french_apple_reseller),or in Nethelands icentre http://www.macg.co/2013/06/un-réseau-de-34-apple-premium-resellers-en-faillite-aux-pays-bas-71367

So if your read between the lines one might guess that Apple is'just killing some US partners to gain more marketshare sold direcly by the brand, it brings more margin and control on the sales process

ireland

"corporate restructuring"

ireland

EuropeRadar said:

So if your read between the lines one might guess that Apple is'just killing some US partners to gain more marketshare sold direcly by the brand, it brings more margin and control on the sales process

Sounds bad the way you've written it, but it could be important to the brand to not have these stores operating. Just goes to show if you focus fully on selling one company's products the rug can be pulled.

jesusfreak

Apple has made it almost impossible for third party resellers. It's a shame, because they do a very poor job servicing vertical sectors and educational institutions themselves. They've left a lot of money on the table and many customers wanting because of a greed to take it all themselves. Oh and I personally think the customer service in most Apple stores is horrendous. If you like mingling with hordes of tire kickers and half witted sales folks, it's your place. Otherwise, not so much.

edited January 2017

zroger73

Good riddance.

I once took a pristine, out-of-warranty iMac that was covered under an Apple hard drive replacement program to a Simply Mac location. Initially, they refused to perform the repair because the hard drive was working properly at the time. I had to point out that this was a proactive measure by Apple regardless of whether or not the drive had failed. They eventually agreed to proceed with the repair. Days later, they called stating that the logic board and RAM were faulty and required repair at my expense. Funny - the computer worked just fine when I dropped it off! After some strong conversation, Apple stepped up and agreed to replace these components (even though it wasn't their responsibility). After the repairs were complete, my iMac was returned to me with scuff marks on the aluminum and fingerprints and dirt on and behind the display. When I dropped the iMac off, it was indistinguishable from a new unit. I was LIVID. I filed complaints with the corporate office, Apple, the BBB, and wrote multiple, negatives reviews on my experience. I found Simply Mac's employees to be defensive, arrogant, unhelpful, and incompetent and never went back.

I'm perfectly fine with Apple's exclusivity when it comes to physical locations - I just wish they had more of them. The closest one to me is a five-hour trip.

boredumb

Hmmm...drive 25 miles in either of two directions to go to an actual Apple Store, or 450 miles, to the nearest Simply Mac...?
Somehow, I'll carry on.

strangedays

jesusfreak said:

I personally think the customer service in most Apple stores is horrendous. If you like mingling with hordes of tire kickers and half witted sales folks, it's your place. Otherwise, not so much.

Poor service? Half witted staff? Are we in the same stores?

unicron

That's a shame because where my mom lives (Wichita, KS), the nearest Apple Store is either three hours away (Kansas City) or 2 1/2 hours away (OKC). SimplyMac was the only local place I could take her iMac in for AppleCare repair over the holidays.

macgui

jesusfreak said:

Oh and I personally think the customer service in most Apple stores is horrendous. If you like mingling with hordes of tire kickers and half witted sales folks, it's your place. Otherwise, not so much.

Are we even in the same UNIVERSE??

I travel a lot and make it a point to visit Apple Stores whenever possible and only once out of maybe 100+ visits have I had a less than great experience. I confidently call billsh!t on your assertion.

I don't doubt others have had a bad time, but half-witted sales folk? Yeah, right.