Customers might be able to soon take a bigger bite out of the Apple Store at St. Johns Town Center.
That’s because there will be a bigger Apple Store.
Not only will it be bigger, at least twice the size, but it also will be updated with the company’s next-generation design.
And it also might lend itself to more parking.
The seller of iPhones, iPads, Mac computers, accessories and other products intends to relocate into the former Forever 21 building near J. Alexander’s restaurant. It’s a five-minute walk from the existing location.
Apple will move from 4712 River City Drive to 4835 River City Drive. It will sit between a Tory Burch clothing store and a Tesla Motors showroom in the renovated structure. Tesla also is relocating from a nearby smaller space.
Being near the restaurants means Apple will be close to more parking on the southeast and southwest end of the center.
Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple Inc. said Tuesday it has not made any announcements about the store.
St. Johns Town Center co-owner Simon Property Group said Tuesday it had no comment.
Information is contained in building plans, which show a $1.5 million construction project.
The move puts Apple into 9,141 square feet, about double its current space.
Apple was one of the first tenants at the Town Center when it opened its first phase in 2005.
As the only Apple store in the area, it’s a destination retailer.
Dakenna Development Inc. is doing landlord work in the space to prepare it for renovations. Canada-based Sajo Inc. proposes the build-out for Apple.
Plans show many of the features found in Apple’s “next generation” stores, such as a massive TV display on a back video wall; at least 17 tables for product display and personal training, including “Genius” tables; and “The Avenue,” featuring displays of products, services and accessories, such as speakers and docks.
USAToday in May described the new San Francisco store as morphing Apple’s Genius Bar to Genius Grove and adding “The Boardroom” area dedicated to small business customers.
At that time, Apple had four next-generation stores opened in San Francisco, Memphis, Tenn., Guilderland, N.Y., and Brussels. One also is planned in Oklahoma City.
USAToday.com said the in-store emphasis on enterprise clients was new to Apple and represented a shift from its core customer, forging partnerships to build its appeal to business.
“Some analysts suggest that Apple could once again revolutionize the retail space with an approach that encourages consumers to hang out as they might in a coffee shop, where interacting is perhaps more valued than buying,” the website reported.
There is no indication when the Jacksonville store might be completed.
Newsok.com said Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive and Angela Ahrendts, senior vice president of retail and online stores, designed the new stores.
A pending permit for the Town Center store shows tenant improvement work to include non-structural partitions, ceilings, finishes, furniture and heating, air conditioning, electrical and plumbing work.
A little more than half of the store would be for sales and the rest would be for back-of-house uses, including offices, stock and employee areas.
The architect is DH Architects of Alameda, Calif., and the engineer is TES Engineering of Cleveland, Ohio.
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