Selfridges Apple Watch Pop Up Shop Shuts Down

[MacRumors]

Amid rumors that the Galeries Lafayette Apple Watch pop up shop will be shuttered this month, Apple also appears to have shut down its Apple Watch shop at the high-end Selfridges department store in London, England.

The Selfridges retail store listing, which previously showed the Selfridges store front along with store hours and location, has been removed from Apple's website and now redirects to a list of UK stores.

Apple's Selfridges pop up shop was first introduced in 2015 alongside the launch of the Apple Watch. It was located in the iconic Wonder Room, which is a 19,000 square-foot hall that houses a number of luxury jewelry and watch brands.

There was no warning that the Selfridges pop up shop would be shut down, but rumors have suggested Apple is planning to close the Galeries Lafayette Apple Watch pop up shop this month due to poor sales.

At this time, the Galeries Lafayette Apple Watch page is still intact, as is the Isetan listing for Apple's luxury pop up shop at the Isetan department store in Tokyo, Japan.

There's no word on whether the Isetan shop is shutting down, but Apple has reportedly been reducing the number of employees at Galeries Lafayette ahead of its closure.

If poor sales are the reason behind the end of the Galeries Lafayette pop up shop, it's likely the Selfridges store suffered from similar problems. Both stores were originally set up to sell the high-end Apple Watch Edition made from 18-karat gold and priced up to $17,000, but Apple discontinued that model in September of 2016, replacing it with the lower-priced ceramic Edition models.

Article Link: Selfridges Apple Watch Pop Up Shop Shuts Down

 

[Pbrutto]

And I was just planning to visit.....

 

[ProjectManager101]

Pimps do not go to those stores.

 

[radiology]

Hype: it can only take you so far.

 

[Dormammu]

Not surprising. Not an item most would buy on a whim, IMO.

 

[Jsameds]

Hype: it can only take you so far.

Pop up stores: They're not permanent.

 

[applegeek97]

"Pop-up retail, also known as pop-up store (pop-up shop in the UK, Australia and Ireland) or flash retailing, is a trend of opening short-term sales spaces that started in Los Angeles and now pop up all over..."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop-up_retail

 

[prowlmedia]

Funny thing is the solid gold Apple Watches have been selling at auction for upwards of $30K.

Such is the power of discontinuing something high end

 

[dannyyankou]

A pop up Apple Watch store was destined for failure to begin with. It's a big investment, pop up stores make more sense for Auntie Anne's and macaroons.

 

[Brookzy]

Shame. Nice store, nice staff, and seemed to be the start of a much-needed vision of separating retail from repairs and service with its lack of a Genius Bar.

 

[Soni Sanjay]

But I thought everyone wanted more Watch bands?

 

[fitshaced]

I think ego took over here. The Apple Watch is a nice watch but a pop up shop for it is to sell three watches in two sizes with many bands. Not exactly the variety even a pop up shop would need.

Watch people want variety.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

It was always empty. Never a good idea to put a shop next to a sushi bar.

 

[KPOM]

Since Apple's approach to the Watch has changed, this makes sense. The aluminum models seem to be what drives most of the revenue, and they don't really fit in at high-end stores.

It was worth a shot, though.

 

[a.gomez]

because a gadget made in Taiwan that lose half its value in a year is not a high end item. Especially not a High-End watch

 

[stickmansean]

this would also be part of the wider 300M£ renovation that the store is undergoing too.

 

[Naraxus]

Doubtful it's poor sales. More likely it's due to Apple now focusing the Watch as a "Fitness" gadget as opposed to a "Fashion" gadget which is something they should have done in the first place

 

[Born Again]

sad to see this go. jk

 

[fitshaced]

Doubtful it's poor sales. More likely it's due to Apple now focusing the Watch as a "Fitness" gadget as opposed to a "Fashion" gadget which is something they should have done in the first place

Actually I think they were right in market Ng it as jewellery first, utility second. The other way around makes it too geeky and not likely to replace your regular watch full time. I guess the transition was always part of the plan.

 

[OutSpoken]

As a gadget fan the apple watch grabs my attention. I don't reeeally have a need for one, but drop the price to about £50 and i may part with my cash.

 

[macduke]

The biggest problem with Apple today is that they have a fundamental misunderstanding of their customers.

 

[Vjosullivan]

Funny thing is the solid gold Apple Watches have been selling at auction for upwards of $30K.

Such is the power of discontinuing something high end

Can you provide any links to these auctions?

 

[NMBob]

The biggest problem with Apple today is that they have a fundamental misunderstanding of their customers.

Yup. They thought those rich people would buy dozens of watches each.

 

[merkinmuffley]

A pop up Apple Watch store was destined for failure to begin with. It's a big investment, pop up stores make more sense for Auntie Anne's and macaroons.

I'm not sure I'd call it an "investment"....

 

[redman042]

One thing is for sure: Apple is willing to keep tweaking their Apple Watch game plan at a fast pace until they hit the sweet spot.

Since the first watch was released, they have significantly modified the strap offerings, the tone of the advertising, the way the OS works, the naming of the collections, the price points, the watch case colors, and the price/material of the Edition line. They have deemphasized some features and emphasized others.

Whether we agree with all their choices or not, the competitors are going to have a hard time catching up.