Apple claimed in 2004 that over 100 million people in the U.S. were within 15 miles of an Apple retail store, and a population analysis seems to confirm their statement. The location of new stores is carefully analyzed, taking into consideration available spaces, registered Apple product users, population and other demographics. How well do the stores reach out to everyone? Take a look at a Cenus Bureau map of population density overlaid with the location of Apple’s retail stores.
![]()
Continuing with the pre-holiday push to open new stores, Apple will open at the Renaissance at Colony Park (Ridgeland, Miss.) and The Forum Shops (Las Vegas) this Saturday at 10 a.m. The former is the first in the state, and will occupy a key location to fill a 233,000 square-mile black-out zone for residents of four southern states. The latter store will open at 10 a.m. each day and, befitting a store just 750 feet from slot machines, will close at either 11 p.m. or midnight (Fri./Sat.). The new store also grants Las Vegas the honor of having the second-largest concentration of Apple stores: three locations within 4.2 miles (Manhattan is first with three stores within 3.4 miles).
![]()
The Sydney (Australia) store grand opening back in June was a rare event: an early, enthusiastic crowd, a prominent sidewalk location with thousands of passersby, good weather and a wide, glass-fronted store. All of those elements combined to create one of the most social and crowd-gathering openings in Apple’s history. Now, you can experience some of that camaraderie through an extraordinary 360-degree panoramic photo taken by Peter Murphy. The photo depicts the employees pressed against the glass inside, the crammed sidewalk in front, and the crowd of curious across the street. Check the upper floors of the building across the street for even more gawkers who witnessed the grand opening.
![]()
It’s not often that passersby are able to see a half-finished Apple retail store–it’s usually covered up by construction barricades. But at the future Colony Park (Miss.) store the construction is in full view, including the partially-installed stainless steel siding, leading to a “half-baked” back-lit logo. Thanks to Mike for the photo.
![]()
Construction on the future Royal Hawaiian Center (Honolulu) retail store has been in-progress for over a year, and yet the store is still not ready for a grand opening. Mainland and island sources confirm that the delay is due to the storefront siding, which Apple’s architect specified as lava rock to complement the tropical setting. However, Apple’s contractor bumped into a problem with the nearly-black, rectangular stones that were installed last May–there weren’t enough available from the island of Oahu to finish the enormous exterior walls. Since it’s taboo to move native rocks between islands, Apple couldn’t bring in additional rocks and was stuck with a partially-finished outer wall for the store. The alternatives were not attractive: change to a more artificial material such as concrete, or bring in lava rock from Guam or the Philippines. The installed siding was removed, and tipsters say a replacement shipment of lava rock is now enroute, but won’t speculate on how soon the store will open. Meanwhile, the hired and trained staff is working at the island’s other two stores until their own store opens. read more…
![]()
The University Park Village (Forth Worth) store will open this Saturday at 10 a.m., the first Apple store in the city, but the fifth in the metroplex. The mall is tiny by Apple’s usual location standards, with just 172,000 square-feet of space and 37 stores. But the mall is conveniently located just off Interstate 30 and a mile away from Texas Christian University (TCU) and its 8,800 students.
![]()
The crowds and traffic attracted to the SoHo (NYC) store special events has begun to wear on neighboring residents and businesses, prompting a district association to call the Apple store “the worst neighbor in SoHo.” As reported by the Curbed Web site, The SoHo Alliance has written for help from the Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer, saying that, “No bar, nightclub or construction site comes close to ruining continually our quality-of-life like Apple SoHo has.” In the letter, Alliance director Sean Sweeney said the “final straw” was the August 12th appearance of the Jonas Brothers at the SoHo store that attracted “thousands of young teenage girls who screamed incessantly.” Sweeney cited other acts of “irresponsible corporate behavior” by Apple, including night construction without a permit, and “Apple employees during their breaks lounging, eating, smoking, littering–in effect trespassing–on nearby people’s stoops.” He asked for the borough president’s help in solving the situation.
![]()
The University Village (Seattle) store is operating at half-size during construction that may involve more than just an interior design make-over. Like the Eaton Centre (Toronto) store, plywood walls were erected last week to allow construction workers access to the side walls, ceiling and rear wall of the existing store. But for this store, there have been persistent rumors that the work involves adding second-floor access to the store, either for retail space or storage. See photos after the jump. read more…
![]()
The Eaton Centre (Toronto) retail store has been reduced to less than one-half its original size as construction crews work behind the walls to overhaul the interior to the most current version. The store walls are now white-painted wood instead of the usual stainless steel, and the busy store is crowded with visitors. With the smaller store, some employees have reported been shipped off to the Yorkdale and Sherway Gardens stores to keep working. Check photos on after the jump. read more…
![]()
Construction on the future Victoria Square (Belfast) Apple store has taken major strides since it was first identified by tipsters last November. The interior of the store is nearing completion, and behind a construction barricade the all-glass façade has been erected. The store occupies space U5, on the upper ground-floor of the complex in the Northern Ireland capital of half a million residents. The store will be the first in Northern Ireland, and will open before the holidays, 2008. read more…
![]()
The pressure is on to finish several future Apple stores around the country–there are at least 15 stores scheduled to open before September 1st. One example is at the Renaissance at Colony Park mall in Ridgeland (Miss.), the first Apple store in the state. A tipster noted workers at the store long after sunset, illuminated by a portable light tower shining on the as-yet unfinished façade of the store. There is black material covering the upper part of the storefront, with the location of the future backlit Apple logo conspicuously marked. read more…
![]()
In the rush to have 242 stores by the end of October, Apple will open two more stores this weekend, at The Forum (Carlsbad, Calif.) and the Altamonte Springs (Fla.) mall. The stores bump up the number of stores in the two states, which will now lead the rest of the country with 40 and 15 stores respectively. The grand openings will leave Apple to open 15 stores within 76 days to meet the schedule announced by CFO Peter Oppenheimer last month during a financial conference call.
![]()
The future Apple store in the historic Covent Garden (London) district will occupy a spectacular space inside an historic building, according to planning and architectural documents just filed with the city of Westminster. The flagship location at the corner of James Street and The Piazza is one of the most historic and architecturally distinctive areas of the city. The district includes the London Transport Museum, Royal Opera House and the glass-covered Covent Garden Market, along with scores of smaller shops and eateries. The building Apple will occupy dates back to 1876 and its façade is considered a protected heritage structure. Inside, the store will be on three levels, connected by a spiral glass staircase, and will sit behind an impressive eight-arch pedestrian arcade, with an entrance on The Piazza side of the building. The store will be about a mile and one-half east of the existing Regent Street store. The collection of planning documents provide a rare inside view of Apple’s planning for a flagship store, and the how an historic space can be upgraded to fit Apple’s retail requirements. read more…
![]()
A Columbus (Ohio) police officer shot at burglary suspects who smashed the window at the Easton Town Center Apple store early Monday morning and began taking merchandise. According to press reports, the two suspects rammed the front of the store with a black Lexus about 1 a.m., and began loading Apple products into the trunk of the car. The suspects apparently left the scene, but when a CPD officer spotted them on a highway, the suspects’ vehicle rammed the patrol car, prompting at least one officer to fire his weapon. The vehicle and suspects escaped, and it’s unknown if either were injured by the gunfire.
![]()
There have been persistent rumors of a future Apple store in Mexico City, but now a confirmation seems to have been posted on-line at a mall developer’s Web site. In a listing of tenants at the TorreMayor building, the tallest in Latin America, there is an entry for “Apple Computers.” The 55-story building is mostly office space, but a large part of the ground floor is reserved for retail businesses. The city qualifies as a ”mega-city” from its estimated population of 19.4 million residents, in second place behind only Tokyo with 35.2 million. Although the country has made some economic strides, especially after a landmark trade agreement with the United States in 1994, it’s still well behind other countries with current or planned Apple stores. The common comparison figure of per-capital GDP shows that Mexico is from 22 percent to 84 percent lower than other countries where Apple has already located retail stores. Even so, the Mexican census agency estimates that 32.6 percent of citizens over 6 years-old are computer users, and 22.2 percent are Internet users. Check the next page for a chart of pertinent facts. read more…
![]()
Loading ...