After years of buying exclusively through authorised premium reseller (APR) networks across the country, local tech fans will finally be able to fully immerse themselves in the Apple retail experience when doors to the company’s first official retail store in Malaysia this June.
Of course, eagle-eyed Klang Valley denizens would most likely have seen the property when visiting The Exchange TRX, what with its pride-of-place prominence in the al fresco park located just along the mall’s outdoor dining terrace. Given its noticeably more avant-garde stylings, as indicated by a tiered white pyramid capping its top, there’s little doubt as to who the tenants of this structure would be.
Apple to officially open its first Malaysia retail store on June 22 in The Exchange TRX
With that said, the local rumour mill has been abuzz with chatter as to when exactly the wraps will be taken off the first Apple store in Malaysia, given how the retail space had already made its initial appearance alongside The Exchange TRX‘s grand opening last November, but remaining cordoned off. Early photographs purportedly taken from within the store, showing a large Apple logo hanging from its centre atrium, seemingly confirmed the brand’s commitment to a physical retail outpost in Malaysia, alongside a slew of vacancies that were sighted online.
All will now be confirmed, as Kuala Lumpur’s very own Apple store will be set to welcome customers come June 22nd. This will mark the Cupertino tech giant’s sixth flagship in the Southeast Asian market, following three stores in Singapore and another two in Thailand.
Chances are, you’d be wondering just what exactly makes the official Apple retail experience different from the authorised premium resellers (APR) that Malaysians have been accustomed to after all these years. While the pricing remains the same, the Apple Store offers a more comprehensive retail journey that extends beyond shopping. This is achieved through the relative size of each Apple consumer outpost, which as you can imagine, is usually larger than that of a conventional APR store.
Serving as a means of engaging and educating their customer base, every Apple Store is fully equipped with facilities unique to the company’s retail spaces, most notably the Town Hall area where free learning sessions dubbed Today at Apple are led by authorised Apple experts known as Creatives. These topics include everything from photography, art and design, as well as coding, music and video editing, and even business skills.
Then of course, there is the renowned Genius bar staffed by Apple’s technical experts offering a complete selection of aftersale services and support. Having trouble installing a new piece of software on your Macbook, or need to have your iPhone battery replaced? This is the place to do it, without fear of leaving your devices in the hands of strangers.
But as to how the store looks within, all will be revealed in the coming weeks. So you’ll definitely want to watch this space.
Feature and hero image credits: Apple
Tags
Written by
Benjamin Wong
Senior Editor, Fashion and Dining
Armed with an Advertising major from Lancaster University, Benjamin is a senior editor who has spent his time oscillating between the social media and digital media landscape since 2018. With a keen interest in haute fashion and gastronomy, he has written for publications such as ERROR Digital, WORLD OF BUZZ, and KL Foodie. Beyond the keyboard, you can find him arms-deep in a thrift pile.
