Will Amsterdam Host Apple Store?

The move of 40 Apple Inc. employees to a five-story building in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) has sparked speculation that the building’s ground floor might eventually house a retail store. According to the Dutch-based One More Thing Web site, the employees are being relocated from the suburb of Bunnik, about 33 miles southeast. Amsterdam is a major tourist destination, making it a logical location for an Apple store. The employees are moving to the historic Hirsch Building at Leidseplein 29, which dates back to 1909, and originally belonged to an international fashion house. It sits at a prominent and very visible corner, overlooking a huge intersection where the city’s tram line passes by. The building is topped with a 124-foot copper dome that made it the tallest retail building in The Netherlands at the time. Inside, a huge atrium and other architectural details give the building a spectacular appearance. According to lease documents, office space on the upper floors is offered starting at about $47 per square-foot annually. Presumably ground-floor retail space would be more expensive. There’s no timeline for when an Apple store would open in the building.Read more information about the Hirsch Building here. Download (pdf) the ground-floor and first-level floor plans.

Apple may occupy the ground floor, first-level and mezzanine space indicated by the arrow. The other ground floor spaces are leased as part retail and part offices, while the entire upper-floor space is leased as offices.