When Apple first launched the Apple Watch back in 2015, it positioned the device as more of a fashion accessory than a conventional smartwatch. The company opened up pop-up stores at three posh department stores, one each in London, Paris, and Tokyo to market its first smartwatch ever to the fashionable crowd. The London and Paris pop-up stores have already been closed and the last remaining Apple Watch pop-up store in Tokyo will be closed for good next month.
The pop-up stores for the Apple Watch were located at Selfridges in London, Galeries Lafayette in Paris, and Isetan Shinjuku in Tokyo. Not only did these stores market the Apple Watch to high-end shoppers, they were some of the first third-party locations where the Apple Watch was available for purchase.
Apple decided to close both pop-up stores in London and Paris back in January last year. The company has shifted focus from the fashionable side of things to capture the hearts, minds, and dollars of the more fitness-focused customers.
The store at Isetan Shinjuku was kept around for another year likely because it may have been doing well, Japan is one of Apple’s biggest markets as it is. Apple may have kept the store at Isetan open had it not opened a full-fledged retail store of its own literally right across the street from Isetan.
やっぱり伊勢丹のApple Watch Storeは閉店か… pic.twitter.com/moYjXCfYRp
— Shotaro Akiba (@ShotaroAkiba) April 21, 2018
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