Apple Accelerates Global Retail Store Redesign With Dedicated Genius Bars

That communal approach is on its way out. Apple retail sales efforts continue to treat stores as more than just a place to buy hardware, using them as local and physical representations of the brand. However, Apple is now putting more emphasis on service, fulfillment, and practical shopping.

The company is picking up the pace on a chain-wide retail refurbishment, shifting strategy from rapid geographic expansion to upgrading existing footprints. Rather than widening its reach and bringing stores to new places quickly, Apple will instead be more selective about where it opens them. Over the coming years, Apple’s renovation program will accelerate, with the refreshed design reaching most upgraded and newly opened locations over time. The blueprint centers on restoring the traditional Genius Bar as a permanent, visible counter while carving out purpose-built side bays for order pickups and hands-on demonstrations.

Tear Down the Video Wall, Bring Back the Service Counter

The most visible architectural casualty in this rollout is the massive video screen that long anchored Apple’s flagship interiors. These large screens supported the community-focused store concept introduced during Angela Ahrendts’ retail leadership, where they were used for Today at Apple sessions and marketing videos. Under the reported plan, those large video walls will be dismantled across many locations so Apple can have more space for more traditional retail elements.

In their place, Apple is installing dedicated, all-wood Genius Bars. These counters feature two distinct surface heights to ensure accessibility, framed by a background of storage drawers and large product posters behind the service area. As reporting on the retail changes from AppleInsider detailed, the prototype was visible during the 2023 refurbishment and reopening of the Tysons Corner store, which serves as an exemplar of that strategy. A photo from that 2023 refurbishment shows the Genius Bar constructed as a fairly long wooden line along one wall.

Replacing the screens with service counters signals a shift toward shorter, more functional visits built around repairs, order collection, and guided product help. The shift solves a recurring friction point: clear navigation. The return of a clearly marked, dedicated Genius Bar could make support easier to find, while side bays may free the center of the store for products and customer movement.

Avenue Bays for Online Orders and Today at Apple

Beyond hardware repairs, the revamp focuses on three areas of the Apple Store itself, including updates to the perimeter sections on the sides of the stores known as Avenues, which traditionally house accessories and Apple Services. Rather than using the current store layout of a dedicated pick-up table and a large seating area, two new 10-foot Avenue bay configurations are entering the layout:

• Online Pickup Bays: Made completely from wood, the upper half features an Apple logo, while the lower section contains secured drawers to hold customer orders. A dedicated table sits in front for retail employees to actually conduct the handoff to customers.
• Today at Apple Bays: Also constructed from wood, this bay features a top section styled to look like an oversized TV. The lower section again uses secured drawers to hold equipment, while a fixed table sits in front for the instructor alongside a few surrounding stools.

Apple’s retail website already presents Genius Bar help, product pickup, and Today at Apple as three core store services, and the reported layout brings each function into a more permanent zone. According to coverage of the retail plans by MacObserver, Mark Gurman notes the new pieces are designed to look fully integrated with existing store designs, appearing as though they were always meant to be part of the original structure rather than added later. By tucking order pickups and workshops into side bays, Apple clears the center floor for browsing traffic while isolating quick-turn transactions.

Back-of-House Renovations and Stricter Morning Rules

The operational pivot extends well beyond the public sales floor. Changes will also affect staff-facing areas, with back-of-house spaces and employee break rooms receiving updates in many locations as part of the store refreshes.

Store personnel will also navigate stricter workplace protocols during morning team meetings. Staff members face stricter morning meeting rules, including not drinking or using devices and staying standing throughout the gathering. In addition, all store employees will be expected to applaud the first customers who enter the store each day.

Multi-Year Global Rollout Without a Public Schedule

The broader retail strategy reflects a pivot in capital allocation following several years in which Apple opened stores more selectively and focused on renovations, relocations, and closures. Instead of continuing a rapid expansion and bringing stores to new places quickly, the company is picking up the pace on store renovations around the world in the coming years.

Before Apple’s September presentation, rumors circulated that Apple was preparing a store refresh intended as a way to promote Apple’s smart home devices; however, those devices were not announced during the September presentation, though these physical changes could arrive alongside new products in the future. MacObserver also noted that it previously covered Apple’s AI Live Notes test for Genius Bar sessions and its AI shopping assistant test, showing that the company is altering both physical and digital retail.

Gurman writes that some of these physical changes have already been used in a small number of stores, involving testing concepts internationally. The plan now is to roll out this complete design chain-wide and faster than originally planned. Apple has not published a store list or completion schedule, but the global rollout will take place more broadly around the world over the next few years, transforming the Apple Store from a sprawling town square back into a streamlined repair depot and retail hub.