Apple to Accelerate Global Store Renovations, Removing Video Walls and Reviving Wooden Genius Bars

Apple will carry out one of its largest retail store renovation programs in recent years, accelerating the refurbishment of Apple Stores worldwide over the coming years. According to information disclosed so far, Apple plans to readjust store interiors, remove the large video walls found in many locations, reintroduce a standalone Genius Bar, and create dedicated areas for online order pickup and Today at Apple sessions.

A central element of the adjustment is the gradual removal of the large video walls that have become a signature feature of many Apple Stores in recent years. These giant screens were originally part of the retail concept promoted by former retail chief Angela Ahrendts.

The new store design places greater emphasis on service, product delivery and everyday shopping needs. After the video walls are dismantled, the reclaimed space will be repurposed, with a substantial portion used to build new wooden Genius Bars. The new Genius Bar design will differ markedly from the open Genius Grove used in many Apple Stores today, hewing closer to Apple's traditional Genius Bar, with wooden finishes, service counters at different heights and extensive storage drawers at the rear, along with large product images on the walls. The service counter will have two different heights to accommodate customers of different statures and those with limited mobility. The storage area at the rear can hold repair equipment and other items.

Apple also plans to redesign the "Avenue" areas along both sides of its stores. This is Apple's term for the display zones on either side of the interior in its newer stores, currently used mainly to showcase accessories and various services. In future, these will gain several smaller dedicated areas, known internally as "bays." The online order pickup area will have its own space, roughly 10 feet, or about 3 meters, wide under the current design, built entirely of wood. An Apple logo will be integrated discreetly above, with lockable drawers below for storing products customers ordered online. Staff will hand over purchases at a counter in front of the pickup area, so customers collecting orders no longer share the same counter with other services.

Today at Apple sessions will also receive a dedicated area, similar in overall design to the pickup zone, likewise built of wood, with a large television-like display above and drawers below for storing iPads, MacBooks and other teaching equipment. The session area will also feature a fixed instructor's desk and nearby stools, giving Today at Apple events a clearer, separate teaching space. In the past, order pickup and Today at Apple events often shared counters and seating areas, but the new design separates the two completely. Apple wants these additions to look like part of the store's original design rather than features bolted on later. Accordingly, both the new Genius Bar and the Avenue areas will match the stores' existing materials, structures and visual language.

The adjustment does not mean Apple has fully rejected the retail philosophy of the Ahrendts era. The Apple Store overhaul she led had a profound impact on Apple's retail business. Apple gradually removed prominent sales counters from traditional stores, displayed products on open tables, and used large video walls, Today at Apple sessions and public event spaces to turn Apple Stores into places where customers could linger. But as Apple's retail business enters a new phase, the company believes stores need to re-emphasize practical service capabilities. Particularly as more Apple product sales are completed through online channels, the primary role of physical stores has gradually shifted from simply selling products to product experience, repairs, technical support and online order delivery.

Some Apple Stores have already begun adopting elements of the redesign. Alongside the retail redesign, Apple is also raising discipline requirements for store employees. Apple has tightened rules for staff conduct during pre-opening meetings, requiring employees to stand more strictly, put away phones and drinks, and stay focused. When doors open, employees are also required to greet the first customers in a more uniform manner. Under the new arrangement, stores will actually open about five minutes before their published opening time, and all staff on shift are required to applaud as the first customers enter.

Based on renovation cases seen so far, Apple will not complete the redesign of all stores at once, but will proceed gradually as stores are built or refurbished. If the plan is fully implemented, the giant video walls that have accompanied customers for years will gradually fade from the Apple Store. They will be replaced by more functional service spaces, signaling that Apple's physical retail strategy is shifting from making stores urban public spaces back toward making them efficient product service centers.