The Midsummer Place (UK) retail store grand opening is set for Saturday, December 8th. The store, in Milton Keynes about 55 miles northwest of London, will be the 14th store in the country.
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It’s Milton Keynes (pronounced keens)!
Keep up the great work.
I’ll be there! Do we know yet which unit it occupies? 141 was mentioned early on but I haven’t see any activity there though I’ve not been over for a couple of weeks, however the store opposite 141 did look like an Apple Store in the making…
BTW, it’s Milton Keynes not Milton Keyes! [IFO -- I knew that! Corrected.]
Wasn’t the Princesshay store the 13th store in the UK? [IFO - My bad...corrected.]
The store is in unit 407 which was previously the ‘Games’ unit. The unit next door is also being developed and they share a common hoarding, but the Apple half is plain white with no markings (as of last weekend)
Cant wait for this.
Robin, the white half is the new Puma store and the Apple half is now completely black.
What time are people getting down there?
According to an employee of the new store the opening will be delayed and will not open on the 8th.
Yep It is not open today, went there at half past ten in the morning and it was just a block of black boarded up cube! Disappointing! even the new Puma store next to it is open!. Maybe it will open up later or in a couple of weeks. AARRRGGGHHH!!
it opens next saturday the 15th putting new stock in as we speak!
I had a chance to pop into the shopping mall at Central Milton Keynes today and have a look at the new store. I was very surprised.
Inside the basic construction was still taking place - there was a carpenter’s table with circular store, lots of hammers etc, and it was nowhere near ready for opening. FWIW, my guesstimate for opening would be mid to late January given the Christmas break. The real question is why? Is it just taking longer to construct another store in UK or, as the rumours say, is staffing a problem leading to a slow down in construction?
Time will tell.
No doubt staffing problems shouldnt be an issue.
they are probably just running behind on construction or something
Well the 15th has been and gone and no sign of opening. How long before a store opens is the formal announcement on apple.com normally? [IFO -- Usually Monday for a Saturday opening.]
Actually staffing is a problem in Milton Keynes. It has ‘very’ low unemployment so finding even competent staff is a nightmare. My friend works for Tesco’s and they have real problems getting decent staff for the entry level positions. they have to take what they can get which isn’t ideal.
Could really do with it opening though. looking to get a new MacBook Pro in the new year and would rather not trek to ‘Mecca’ on Regents Street.
New Year’s gone, still no sign of a new store but a big, black box outside, next to the new Puma store. OMG, when is it acctuallly going to open….
Hi,
Went to CMK to get an update on the Apple Store. Work is still well behind and, according to a reliable source, the opening has been put back to end of February, probably the 23rd. The reason they gave was that some of the glass needed to fit out the store arrived from Germany the wrong size, so it had to be re-ordered….
Mike
Hi,
Had another walk past the "soon to be" Apple Store at CMK yesterday. It looks like an opening towards the end of February looks about right - it certainly won’t be much earlier. The Store is still in a fairly bare state with work progressing real slowly.
Mike
Just back from CMK no work on new store no apple logo on black box. Maybe open by the summer ?
Originally the store had a big white box on the Outside. This changed to a big black box towards the end of 2007.
In November and December each time I walked past and peeped between the cracks I could make out workmen using tools and drinking tea (mainly drinking tea).
Each time I’ve walked past in 2008 it’s been in darkness inside save for what looks like a fire exit sign.
Hope it opens soon. I can’t find anywhere that sells a case the right size for my new MacBook.
Visited the CMK store-to-be again yesterday. Work continues albeit very slowly, I doubt very much that it’ll be open on 23 February (as suggested by me a few weeks ago).
Two things are new which make it look like the store will be two floors: firstly, a grey curtain has been hang over what would be the upper floor’s glass windows; and secondly a staircase has appeared in the certain rear of the store - it didn’t look like the typical flagship glass staircase but a more regular one.
My money’s now on a late March opening - I decline to suggest a year though!
Mike
Went passed again yesterday. The glaziers were in and beavering away and this on a Sunday. Empty display units were all up and in place.
The staircase might be glass with protective packaging still in place.
I guess its feasible that it could be open with the next two weeks but I’m not holding my breath!
The new store is on two floors. The packaging is off the glass staircase in rear of the store. could be open by easter this year.
The covers are off now, the store looks amazing from the outside. Not open yet but I could see it opening before the weekend.
Finally!
Well it is now on the Apple UK website that it will open this Sat 1st March
C U there!