Apple has reopened on London's Regent Street

In a world where shopping is as simple as a click of a button, sitting in your pyjamas on the sofa, shops have to go above and beyond to really get us out. Apple, the revamped central London branch of Apple Stores will reopen on Regent Street on 15th October at 10am. So what can you expect from the new-look store?

The design is something else. Foster + Partners have created a relaxed environment laden with greenery in what looks more like the conservatory of a deluxe botanical garden than a retail store. Space is the theme here. The grand hall is double-height and vast, the ceiling plays host to the longest Luminous Ceiling Panels in the world, which absorb ambient noise and emit a pure and natural-feeling light, and the stone handrails bring craftsmanship into the 21st century.

With all that space, the first thing you'll notice won't be the products, it's the long grove of Ficus Ali trees which line the hall. Having said that, you can hardly miss The Forum, the learning environment where shoppers can congregate aside a huge video wall which forms the backdrop to the store. There's your usual hands-on array of Apple products to try, of course, and upstairs you'll find the Geniuses and the start-up friendly Boardroom.

Apple have gone above and beyond to ensure that the shopping experience on Regent Street goes far further than retail alone. This is shopping for the 21st century, it's nature meets tech, it's minimalism meets must-haves, it's consumerism meets community. It's cool and Californian, and it really is very, well...Apple.