Apple Is Opening Pop-Up Shops for Apple Watch Launch

To prepare for the Apple Watch’s big launch, Apple is allegedly setting up pop-up shops in high-end department stores to display and sell the Apple Watch. There will be one in London at Selfridges and one in Paris at Galeries Lafayette. In addition, there are rumors Apple will also set up shop at this year’s South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

According to MacRumors, London’s Selfridges has a section of the store that’s been under construction since the beginning of February. This section is located near the Wonder Room, which is home to Selfridges’s jewelry and watches. MacRumors says Apple is recruiting employees from its surrounding London retail stores for this pop-up shop location.

Mac4Ever was the first to claim that Apple would be setting up shop at Galeries Lafayette in Paris. FashionMag.com reported a hidden construction site in the department store near the Celine Saint Laurent and Miu Miu stores.

Apple Watch. Source: Apple.

Apple is certainly positioning the Apple Watch to be a fashion product, but the Austin Statesman mentioned a possibility that Apple would show off their new smartwatch at SXSW. The annual music, film, and technology conference was home to an iPad 2 pop-up shop back in 2011.

However, it’s worth nothing how Apple is marketing this wearable–as a luxury smartwatch. Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Sales Angela Ahrendts is said to be overseeing the pop-up shop project. Ahrendts is the former CEO of fashion powerhouse Burberry, so a fashion-product angle isn’t out of the question.

The Apple Watch is going on sale this April, starting at $349 for the Apple Watch Sport. Apple has neither denied nor confirmed any pop-up shops.

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