Future Shop gets an Apple Store
Thanks to a tip from Kevin, I went to the Park Royal Mall Future Shop location to check out the renovations that are almost complete.
It looks like some Future Shop locations are getting the Apple Store within-a-store treatment:
This is part of an expanded deal between Apple and Best Buy (Future Shop’s parent company) and has been going on for awhile now in the US and in some Canadian Best Buy stores.
It’s interesting to note that this mini-store-within-the-store is right at the mall entrance of the newly renovated Future Shop within a fairly upscale mall in West Vancouver…a pretty high profile location for Apple’s products. There was even an ‘Apple Specialist’ on hand to help answer questions. It also appears that Future Shop’s renovations have also changed their customer service counter (for computer returns/repairs) into a wannabe Genius Bar (not pictured).
Update: They didn’t just get an Apple Store, they also got a full makeover! I was invited to their re-opening event and got to roam around taking photos. Seems they are trying to position the Future Shop brand as the higher end store over Best Buy (think The Bay and Zellers – same company, different product lines and target market). I actually thought it was the other way around. Derek has an excellent writeup of the event and store changes. Here’s some photos from the event:
Weird that they have an Apple Store inside FutureShop. But whatever eh? Cartering to the WestVan crowd is never a bad idea! That’s the store I bought my Canon XSi package at and it’s nice to see the renovations nearing completion, the store was horribly messy.
The Metrotown Best Buy has had a similar mini-Apple Store inside since it opened earlier this year, sometimes staffed by Apple specialists. Makes it easy to find the key Mac stuff in this neighbourhood, though London Drugs also does a decent job.
U.B.C. Bookstore has a similar set-up. We are a large Apple academic re-seller maybe the largest in Canada. We also have the advantage of academic pricing so if you’re a student or taking courses that’s a bonus. Took some photos will attempt to put them on flickr and send you the link.
It was an “Apple Store” per se, but when I was with Computer City, there were separate Apple departments in the Lower Mainland Future Shops. And then one day they all got pulled out. There was speculation as to why, but no one would confirm it. When I later moved to FS for a couple of months, no one I worked with would talk about it.
Nice to see that they’re moving back in.