Global tech giant Apple has revealed plans to open its first floating retail store at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands.
According to a Monday announcement, Apple Marina Bay Sands – the company’s third Singapore store – will open its doors “soon” in a giant waterfront dome previously occupied by Avalon nightclub.
It will be Apple’s 512th store globally but its first to boast a spherical design.
According to Apple, “Apple Marina Bay Sands is a dramatic departure from the design of any Apple Store before it. An elevated boardwalk and underwater passage connect the pavilion to the shore and The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. The structure’s shape informs an entirely new store layout.”
The opening of Apple’s latest store follows the launch of its first Singapore outlet, Apple Orchard Road, in 2017 and Apple Jewel Changi Airport in 2019.
It also comes just two months after Marina Bay Sands began reopening its tenanted retail outlets in mid-June following a 10-week closure due to COVID-19.
However, even the world’s ninth biggest company can’t escape the ongoing reach of COVID, with Apple revealing its MBS store will include the same measures found at Singapore’s other Apple Stores.
“Apple will limit store occupancy to ensure that opening day stays safe,” it said.