Apple to open first retail store in Europe on London’s Regent Street this Saturday

Apple’s first retail store in Europe will open on Regent Street in London’s West End shopping district Saturday, November 20 at 10:00 a.m. The Apple Store(R) Regent Street will offer the first opportunity to experience Apple’s unique retail stores in Europe, where customers can shop for and learn about the company’s innovative products and solutions.

“We’re bringing the world’s most amazing retail experience to London on November 20 with the Apple Store Regent Street,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO in the press release. “This new store will provide millions of people the opportunity to experience Apple’s newest products like iPod photo and the iMac G5, and get help from the most knowledgeable Mac experts around.”

The Apple Store Regent Street pairs the building’s original stone facade with a modern retail interior of stainless steel, glass and stone. The Apple Store Regent Street also features:

— two floors where customers can shop for and learn about the latest Apple products and solutions, including dedicated sections for music, movies and photography;
— a 14-metre long Genius Bar, one of the most popular sections of Apple’s retail stores, where visitors can ask a Mac Genius questions or receive product service;
— a new innovation to Apple’s retail stores, The Studio. The Studio is the creative hub of the store where customers can get free one-on-one help with their creative projects from highly trained Apple Creatives who specialise in photography, publishing, movie-making and music;
— two specially equipped studio classrooms offering hands-on technical instruction for Mac beginners and professionals alike, led by Apple Experts;
— a 64-seat state-of-the-art theatre where customers can attend workshops, watch demonstrations of Apple’s latest products and attend special events;
— more than 250 free customer events during the first month, including a live performance by Steriogram on Sunday, November 21; and
— a Kids section with eight computers running educational software and games.

At the Apple Store Regent Street, knowledgeable sales people are available to help customers learn about all the latest products from Apple including iLife ’04, Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications featuring GarageBand, Apple’s revolutionary new music application that turns a Mac into a recording studio. The hands-on Apple store experience provides visitors with a chance to test-drive Apple’s entire product line including the new iPod photo, the newest member of the iPod family that lets you take your entire music and photo library with you wherever you go, as well as the full line of Apple notebooks and desktop computers. Customers can also visit the Genius Bar where they can get their Mac questions answered by an Apple “Genius.”

With 99 retail locations worldwide, Apple stores have hosted more than 51 million visitors since the first store opened in May 2001.

A complete schedule of Regent Street store events and classes is available at http://www.apple.com/retail/uk/regentstreet