Apple’s first retail store in China will open this summer at the Village at SanLiTun (Beijing) development, inside a prominent space that faces the open courtyard of the huge new development that will also host Nike, Adidas, Montblanc, Sephora , Esprit, Lacoste and Levi’s. According to sources, the store will cover 10,700 square-feet over three levels. The 19-building site is owned by Hong Kong-based Swire Properties, and will also include a boutique hotel, an eight-screen, 1,700-seat cinema, along with 30 restaurants and bars. The first phase of the complex is set to open in May. Apple originally intended to open its first store along of Qianmen Street closer to city center, but constrution delays forced it to switch sites. As a result, it’s not clear if the Apple store will be finished when the Village location opens.
A visit to the site shows that workers have erected scaffolding in front of the future Apple store, apparently to remove the generic façade that had just been installed. When they’re finished, Apple’s contractors will reportedly begin installing the now-standard all-glass façade, and then continue to refit the interior.
The development will bring a radical change to an area that has been know for its rowdy bars and shady street dealings. Located at the corner of Workers Stadium North Road and Sanlitun Road, the development is just one in the area that will transform the area, yet by design will try to maintain the character and charm of China.
The area north and east of the new development is home to about 30 embassies of other countries–but not the United States embassy. The Apple store site is about four miles southeast from the main Olympic Games venue, which itself is due north of city center. The location is also near the Nongzhanguan subway station, with the #10 line running in an arc from southeast Beijing, past the Olympics venue, and on to the city’s northwest side.
An aerial photo of the SanLiTun complex.
