“Today, China’s largest Apple store officially opens its doors in Shanghai,” Chris Chang reports for M.I.C. Gadget.
“Previously, we’ve got a sneak peek inside the store, and now there’s a grand opening,” Chang reports. “300 Apple employees and over 500 hundred people were there to celebrate the grand opening.”
Chang reports, “This is the fifth and biggest store in China on Shanghai’s busiest shopping street — Nanjing Road. The five-story retail store contains 300 employees to serve 40,000+ Chinese customers each day.”
Many more photos in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
Ni hao, ping guo!
Wasn’t it yesterday that we were shown the long empty lines at Chinese stores for the 3G iPad launch? I’m not sure what that was all about, but it would appear that the Chinese still love their Apples!
I was thinking the same thing and soon realized the rest of the place looked mostly empty too so that must have been before actual opening.
The real surprise is how much they love Apple products where relatively Apple products costs much more to the individuals because of the lower average personal income.
I guess value of Innovation and everyone will find a way of paying for quality.
I pointed out in the comments that the store hadn’t even had its official opening yet.
Naw, this crowd is just there to see the layout & products so they can scurry back to the other cities and copy them.
If Apple seriously thinks of Chine, then they have to build there no less stores than in USA; Like 250 or something.
However, the speed rate of building new stores is really slow. Apple always had the money to built the stores much faster, like hundred per year or even more. But they could not do it since the staff and materials that needed to do really good store are limited.
Apple lacks resources — not monetary, but personnel and materials.
True to every company entering Chinese market; how do you turn employees to champs when their parents were chimps.
… is that a line from an old Ronald Reagan “actor era” war film?
Very mean.
but very true. I recently interviewed a woman with MBA in Shanghai, her current job is a clothing sales woman, because she has English skills. The required background to understand modern world by having grown up in it is missing.
The rate of build is not slow, it comes down to finding the best locations as always. Just like in the US, some large cities didn’t get stores until a specific iconic, high-traffic, location became available. This location on Nanjing Street is Shanghai’s historical pedestrian shopping street. It’s taken all this time to wait for a large enough location to become available. You get only one chance to make a first impression, and the Chinese are particularly impressionable, so Apple is doing it right with special stores. That’s why second and third tier cities are opening copycat stores, because Apple Stores are worthy of copying. Do you really think Apple’s mall stores are iconic? And, as long as the copycat stores are high-end, and don’t promise anything in Apple’s name, then where’s the harm to the brand? They are making real Apple sales that benefit Apple.
although I agree with you that Apple should increase it’s rate of building in China, it did announce (if I remember correctly) near half it’s world’s total of Apple stores is for China (about 20) .
Also some months ago Hon Hai said they are planning 500 stores selling Apple stuff.
Although on one hand I want Apple to build faster around the world on the other hand I’m wary as too many companies expanded too quickly and got burnt (Gateway for example). Apple chooses very carefully.
They are mostly Communist spies.
It looks like Apple Stores have been a bust in the rest of China.
Baby Chinese Android be kicking Steve Job’s Apple Butt in China.
Whoo Heee Haaa!
@ Android Rules
Android does not only NOT rule but is demonstrable peasant geek crap. Only in your anti-alternate universe is Apple not successful, a place where tech crap and the bottom tier experience is embraced and held to only the highest regard. Wake up troll! Apple is kicking Android butt (as are others in the courts).