France—1 Confirmation, 1 Surprise

Apple has confirmed this year’s opening of two stores in France, a long-known store in Paris, and a surprise location in the southern provincial capital of Montpelier, along the Mediterranean coast. Both stores could be open by late summer and will be the first in the country. The Paris location was identified in mid-2007 as being inside the underground shopping mall known as Carousel de Louvre, adjacent to the famous art museum. Apple will occupy about 7,700 s.f. of the former Lalique and Résonance stores, spaces #15 and #33. Those tenants moved out last December and construction has been spotted by passersby. The store will officially be called the “Île de France.” location. The big surprise is the store in Montepellier, an off-the-radar location that is home to 225,000 residents, and another 225,000 in the metro area. The city is home to the University of Montpelier, one of the world’s oldest, and is along the TGV high-speed rail line. The store’s exact location isn’t know. However, the city-center Place de la Comédie seems to be the retail hub of the city, with plenty of large, old-style buildings for an Apple store.

Update: Several additional scouts and tipsters point to the Odysseum indoor shopping mall now under construction along the tram line southwest of city center. The 2.1 million square-foot complex will include an Ikea, H&M, a planetarium, aquarium and other attractions. The mall will open in September 2009.

Surf The Green Room Web site for early February photos of the Carousel de Louvre space construction.

These photos of the Place de la Comédie in Montpellier show that it’s the central focus of the city, and that it attracts locals and tourists both day and night. The plaza could be the location of a future Apple store.