They have a great article on Apple’s success with retail. When they got into the retail game in 2001, industry experts where extremely critical of their approach and didn’t think they would succeed. I think the opening paragraph is worth repeating here:

“Sorry Steve, Here’s Why Apple Stores Won’t Work,” BusinessWeek wrote with great certainty in 2001. “It’s desperation time in Cupertino, Calif.,” opined TheStreet.com. “I give [Apple] two years before they’re turning out the lights on a very painful and expensive mistake,” predicted retail consultant David Goldstein.

The Apple Store’s sale per square foot, a key measurement of success in retail, was $4,032. That’s unheard of! Tiffany& Company, the next closest was $2,666 followed by Best Buy at $930, Neiman Marcus at $611 and Sak’s at $362. Apple Stores reached a billion in sales faster than any other retailer in history. Not bad for a company that was supposed to fail inside of two years.

You can go on and read the entire article but the thing that really strikes me is how Steve Jobs approached Apple’s entrance into retail. He did not look to what everybody else in retail was doing. He certainly pulled in some top talent for advise (Mickey Drexler from the GAP and Ron Johnson from Target) but he approached retail from an experience perspective. He wanted the stores to create the same kind of experience that people had with Apple’s products. The store concept was built with the same energy and meticulous attention to design and user experience that Apple’s products are known for. Jobs broke the mold on traditional retail models. It’s more of a sit and play like environment with only a demo model on display and plenty of staff on hand to answer all of your questions. Sales associates are very well trained and versed on the products and features. And of course, the stores are beautifully designed.

Being a former retail executive myself, I watched Apple’s efforts with great interest the past few years. I remember thinking that it didn’t matter whether or not the Apple Stores were profitable. In my opinion this effort was a way to extend the Apple brand and expose more people to their incredibly designed and user friendly products. As long as it drove over all demand for Apple’s products up and the stores didn’t lose money, then the retail venture would be a success. Oh what a success story they have created. Job’s turned the traditional retail model on its head. Its time that many other retailers took a step back and thought more about experience vs. sales per square foot.