Apple continues to fill in coverage of its retail stores in the United Kingdom, this time picking a big shopping centre in a small town near a busy motorway. Apple will locate inside Midsummer Place in the town of Milton Keynes. The mall is a 430,000 square-foot expansion to the existing gigantic thecentre:mk mall that draws 600,000 visitors a week from a wide region of the UK. The town is strategically located on the country’s main M1 highway, mid-way between London and Birmingham. Apple may be locating in space #411 at the mall.
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Yippie! Now I can relocate to Milton Keynes and enjoy my retirement years.
On the morning of the very day this was anounced I was having computer problems and I was ranting away, if only we had an apple store in Milton Keynes, it’s perfectly placed near the M1, is in between the London Store and the Birmingham one, that way I could just pop over to buy the latest disck warrior or drive genius (as well as all the other advantages this brings). So when I got this bit of news you can imagine how I felt.
All these nice, shiny, new Apple Stores… but have Apple not thought about covering the South West of England? Nice new development in Exeter, Princesshay, and an Apple store would make the shopping experience much better, especially for me.
Please can we have an Apple Store in the South West of England. Exeter would be brilliant.
Apple aren’t thinking much of us who live up north – ie Newcastle, Cubmria etc – are they?
What about an Apple Store in Edinburgh? There’s lots of nice buildings round there and Apple could style the store to be like the NY SoHo store.
Anyone from Apple listening?
I had a look around Midsummer Arcade in CMK yesterday and I can’t find a vacant unit that would accomodate what I imagine the needs of an Apple Store to be – the only one that’s available (at present) is too small.
However, the fact that Apple is planning to open a store in the UK’s fastest growing and most progressive city in the UK is not only good news – but a logical one as well!
Excellent news. Now why my wife asks me if I want to accompany her whilst shopping, I’ll have a very good excuse to say “Yes dear. Of course I will, dear!”.
Midsummer Place, not Midsummer Arcade – that’s in the old part.
Midsummer Place has a couple of sizeable units that could accomodate Apple and are vacant, although their stores outside of huge cities aren’t that big – the Brent Cross store for example. The unit referenced in the story is close to Abbey and is currently vacant, formerly occupied by one of those make your own bear shops and a tiny tiny bit bigger than the Brent Cross store I think.
Rob
i work in Midsummer Place, and had it confirmed that it is going where Mexx used to be as it is being converted into two units. Apple will be placed next to Schuh and then the other side a new Puma store which is located next to a Footlocker.
Please could I know date of opening of Milton Keynes store. Need to replace desk top, considering Apple, would like to go to a store and have teaching after possible purchase. Have not used Apple before. Thanks. [IFO -- Expansion plans for The Centre:MK were put on hold in early June, 2007, so it's not clear when the additional retail space will become available for Apple or other retailers.]
Trudi Blamires
the apple store is planning on being opened mid october 2007 as they are currently inputing the store as we speak.
I was in the Apple store in Southampton yesterday and saw the manager there training guys and he kept saying “its pretty much like this in all stores so I’m sure it will be for you in milton keynes” (the things you learn whilst sitting at the genius bar, eh. Didnt realise at the time – should have asked when they were opening sorry! Apparently they’ll be hanging out in Soton all week (tho I won’t be, so cant ask, sorry) Guess they’ll be opening quite soon tho if they are training what seemed to be either creatives or geniuss about that stuff already.
I can confirm the location, and that they’re fitting up the store now – my other half has personally spoken to the person in charge of the store opening.
Normally fitting takes ~2 weeks, but with Apple’s particular requirements plus the fact that it’s a large store (it doesn’t look massive from the front – perhaps it’s deeper than most?) it is likely to take longer.
In a recent conversation with an Apple representative, the rep. said that while he can’t confirm anything openly, Apple is “fully aware” of the timing coincidence of this opening and a certain other event (which given the context of the conversation was undoubtedly the UK iPhone sales launch on the 9th of November).
I think its more likely to coincide with the launch of Leopeard than with iPhones launch.
Is there a date for leopards launch yet?
Macexpolive begins on Oct 25th so I imagine that might be a good date.
It’s quite possible that the unit is quite deep as it is located close to the large Debenhams store. Conincidentally (with the iPhone launch next month), it’s also diagonally opposite a large O2 store.
Is there any news on the store opening date yet?
Was there today.
Snuck a peek through the hoarding and it is nowhere near ready yet.
Just a shell full of workmen drinking tea!
The security man told me they had another 4 weeks work left to fit it out, but no official opening date yet.
The location is shown on the Midsummer Arcade website http://www.midsummerplace.co.uk/forShoppers/storeGuide/storeMap.asp?mapID=O&storeName=Apple&storeCategory=
Opens on the 8th
hi all, the apple store is opening this saturday, and yes the store is quite deep as i work in one of the units near it and its planned to be a double story store, with a new concept being used for the first time in the u.k. they have never done anything like it apparently. well only 4 days left. All exciting times!!!
The 8th has come and gone and still no Apple shop, they have just changed the hoarding colour from white to dark grey.
An Apple rep. working in John Lewis at the other end of the Centre told me that they didn’t stock cables, but ‘a new Apple shop has just opened up the road and you can get one there’. I explained it had not opened.
Why the secrecy? Is this usual?
Still no actual sign of the store opening + no media annoucements as far as I am aware.
However I have it on reasonable authority that it will be open before Easter.
The new MK store opens on Saturday 1 March.
It’s taken a really long time to fit out; hope it was worth it.