The speculation over where Apple will open a Vancouver (Canada) retail store is focusing sharply on the downtown Pacific Centre area. The Centre itself is operated by Cadillac Fairview, the same company that is handling mall leasing for three other known Canadian Apple retail stores. The multi-block, retail-office complex is the target for 8.5 million visitors a year, many from Asia, and is within a circle of big name hotels. The Centre would provide space only for an standard-size retail store, however, which is not consistent with the city’s location or size. But where would Apple install a street-level store, maybe even a flagship? Right now the focus is on two spaces at the intersection of Granville and Dunsmuir Streets, just across from Pacific Centre, and adjacent to The Hudson, a huge new retail-office development. The corner building is the heritage-tagged, former B.C. Electric building (c. 1928), whose façade was retained and interior renovated during construction of the square-block development. Next door is a newer-style, 45,000 s.f. retail space that sprung up after demolition of older buildings. It’s not clear if either of the storefronts could legally or technically be massaged into an appropriate Apple design, but both offer the combination of location, visibility, accessibility and size that larger Apple stores require and deserve. [architect's rendering]
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