Amaya Toman Apple Carrousel du Louvre, Apple's first French retail store, is closing after nine years of operation and two days of selling the new iPhone XR. But French fans of the bite-sized apple and visitors to Paris have no reason to be sad - a new store is opening practically around the corner. Let's take this opportunity to take a nostalgic look back at the history of the first apple store in Paris.
The first Apple Story was inaugurated in the United States already at the beginning of this millennium, but France had to wait until 2009 for its first store. Rumors and conjectures about where the new Apple Store could be located had been circulating for several years before the opening. In June 2008, Apple finally confirmed that a two-story store would be built in the Carrousel du Louvre shopping center near the famous museum.
The store was located west of the famous Louvre pyramid. The store was designed by architect IM Pei, who also designed, for example, the famous "floating" staircase at the former headquarters of NeXT Computer in Redwood City, California. When Apple officially opened its first French store in 2009, its decor was in the spirit of the iPod nano of the fifth generation - the store was matched to the colors of the player. Apple imaginatively combined iPod-style decorations with the symbol of the inverted pyramid, which was found on souvenirs and in shop windows. Following a curved glass staircase, customers could walk up to the unique L-shaped Genius Bar. The first customers even received a pyramid-shaped souvenir package. On the occasion of the grand opening, Incase created a special collection consisting of a bag, a MacBook Pro case and an iPhone 3GS case.
On opening day, November 7, 2009, hundreds of people lined up outside the Apple Carrousel du Louvre, and were waited on by Apple's 150 store employees, each with a well-defined role, according to Apple. Some of these employees, present at the grand opening, were also there when the Paris Apple store closed.
Apple Carrousel de Louvre also has other firsts: it was the first store where Apple introduced a new cash register system, and a little later EasyPay, a system that made it easier for customers to buy accessories with their iOS device, made its debut here. The Paris store was also among a handful of select locations where Apple sold its limited edition gold Apple Watch. Tim Cook visited the store in 2017 as part of his trip to France.
A lot has changed in the nine years of the existence of the Paris Apple store. iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch began to enjoy the greatest interest of customers, which also affected the equipment of the store. But over time, the Apple Carrousel du Louvre was no longer able to provide customers with an adequate experience when visiting the store. The branch on the Champs-Élysées, which should open its doors in November, will soon begin writing a new chapter of Parisian stores.
Source: 9to5 Mac
