Almost two years after the site of a future Apple store in Basel (Switzerland) was spotted by local bloggers, blueprints have now been discovered that confirm the two-level store. The plans not only show a storefront and building configuration that is typically Apple, they also show the placement of tables and other furniture that is identical to Apple stores. As reported by MacPrime.ch, Apple’s architect has been revising its original plans over the past year in accordance with city regulations. Originally, Apple proposed a 30-foot tall glass curtain wall for the storefront, spanning the ground floor and mezzanine level. However, the latest proposal submitted last October includes demolishing the current building at Freie Strasse 47 and building a single-level glass façade, MacPrime says. The upper levels would be behind standard windows. The store will have a 48-foot wide storefront, and span about 7,500 square-feet of retail space, and another 2,800 square-feet of offices and stock in the basement. A glass staircase connects the two levels at the rear of the space, the plans show. The project will cost about $6.3 million could be completed in early 2013.
One of the most unusual and amazing architectural designs for an Apple store will reportedly appear in Aix en Provence (France), featuring a nearly all-glass structure enabled by new technology developed by Apple’s glass suppliers. According to AixEnProvence.fr magazine, the current tired-looking tourism office on the south side of Place du General de Gaulle will be demolished and the Apple store will be constructed at the site. A rendering posted by the magazine shows a one-level structure set back on a broad stone plaza, with a tan-colored rear wall, and all other encompassing walls made of glass. A second rendering shows the store is an extension of a design roughly based on the Upper West Side (NYC) store. Typically for Apple, the rendering does not show any Apple-like features and there are no visible Apple logos. According to the magazine, the city required Apple to build to new earthquake standards, and harmonize with the surrounding picturesque streets. The city is in the south of France, and is favored by good weather and thousands of tourists each year. The area to the west of the future store has been recently reconstructed with many upscale shops from international retailers. According to the magazine the store could open by late 2012 or early 2013. rendering
Last June tipsters pointed to a future Apple store in Sydney (Australia), and now a black construction barricade on the third level of the Broadway Shopping Centre confirms the information. Passersby say that the company’s traditional black-painted plywood now covers units 303 to 307, a space totaling nearly 6,000 square-feet. The mall is adjacent to a technical college with 10,000 students. It is also about 1½ miles from the existing George Street Apple store, and three miles from the Bondi Junction store. Based on construction schedules, this store could open this fall. photos
If tipsters are correct, Apple threw a dart at the map of North America to locate a new store, and it nearly landed in the Atlantic Ocean. Instead, the dart stuck in the Halifax Shopping Centre (Nova Scotia), where the future store will become the eastern-most location in North America. In fact, it’s 350 miles further east than the next-closest Maine Mall store. According to the allNovaScotia.com Web site (sub.), the future store will appear near the Sears store, in an area that’s been under construction since mid-November. Workers are reportedly relocating an escalator and building a mezzanine level where the Apple store will eventually appear. The mall was renovated in 2007, and recently has been adding several upscale retailers to serve the province’s one million residents. There are already 22 Apple stores in Canada, with possibly another four opening during 2012. mall plan
A painted image on a Düsseldorf (Germany) construction side barricade has sparked speculation that the future Kö-Bogen development will include an Apple retail store. The development is currently under construction, and is scheduled to open in 2013 with many upscale, international retailers on the ground level, and offices in the upper floors. The 432,000 square-foot development was designed by noted architect Daniel Libeskind, who has worked on several other high-profile projects, including the Ground Zero site in New York City. His design for Kö-Bogen includes a roof terrace, green courtyards and parking structure, all connecting the various buildings over two city blocks. During construction, passersby noticed a rendering of the development painted onto a construction barricade. Within that rendering, they say, is the image of iPods inside a store, leading to the speculation Apple could become a tenant at the site. However, architects and developers commonly include specific retailers in their renderings to make them more realistic, even if the retailers haven’t signed leases. Apple has eight stores in Germany, and a ninth store is under construction in Berlin. The nearest store to Düsseldorf is the CentrO store, 25 miles north in Oberhausen. renderings
Apple will continue its expansion in Canada with a store at the Masonville Place mall in the city of London (Ont.), filling in coverage between existing stores in the Toronto (Ont.) and Detroit (Mich.) regions. According to real estate sources, Apple will move into the upper-level space that Eddie Bauer will vacate this week as part of its earlier bankruptcy filing. The nearly-square space covers about 6,176 square-feet next to a Gap store, with a 73-foot storefront. As confirmation, city records indicate that planning officials are reviewing a $3 million construction project for the mall that includes an Apple logo. The store would be about halfway between the existing Conestoga store in Canada and the Partridge Creek store in Michigan, and could open in fall 2012. read more…
After a year of discussion, Madrid (Spain) building officials have announced the approval of renovation plans for an historic building on the city’s main plaza, including construction of a high-profile Apple store. As reported by TeleCinco.com today, deputy mayor Manuel Cobo said at a press conference that the Puerta del Sol #1 project will retain the 1860-era building’s exterior and make substantial technical upgrades. More importantly, he said, “It is one more link in the process of downtown revitalization, which will contribute to increasing commercial and tourist attractions of Madrid.” The approval is now subject to public comment for one month, and will then become final. Apple’s store plans were rumored in 2010, and the building was confirmed by tipsters last January. It’s believed Apple will occupy the ground floor and first upper level, along with some portion of the basement. The store could open in fall 2012. rendering
A proposal to build an expanded Lincoln Road (Fla.) retail store that Apple withdrew last summer has now sparked a political battle between business interests who are encouraging commerce and preservationists who object to demolition of an historic building. The Miami Herald reports that city planning board member Jonathan Fryd has proposed eliminating two two seats on the city’s historic preservation board, seats occupied by preservationist groups that objected to Apple’s proposal. Perhaps not coincidentally, Fryd is a partner in the development company that owns the building where the larger Apple store would be built. The existing Apple store opened in July 2006 along an upscale pedestrian shopping lane in Miami Beach, but was crowded into a relatively small, 30 foot-wide space. Earlier this year Apple proposed demolishing the building at 1001 Lincoln Road, about 1,000 feet from the existing store, and constructing a larger store with a glass storefront and tall stone side wall. But when heritage groups objected to the removal of the 1926-era building, Apple withdrew its proposal. Business leaders are fearful that if the Apple project isn’t approve, the company will close the current store and move to another city, taking thousands of shoppers with them. Preservationists say the proposed store building is historic, although critics point out it’s an unremarkable cinder-block structure that has been altered many times since its was built. The Lincoln Road expansion is part of a long-term project to remodel and enlarge smaller stores, increasing their size from about 3,000 square-feet t about 6,000 square-feet.
In a rare public admission, an Apple spokesperson has confirmed construction of a replacement retail store in Palo Alto (N. Calif.), which building plans indicate will include a vaulted glass roof identical to the design of the Upper West Side (NYC) store. It will be the second store to re-use the UWS design, after the Highland Village (Tex.) store opens some time next month. Retail spokesperson Amy Bessette told a reporter for the Palo Alto Daily News that the existing Palo Alto store has been “incredibly popular.” The store opened in 2001 as the ninth location in the chain, serving the surrounding affluent region south of San Francisco, and nearby Stanford University. In the story Bessette said, “We are planning a beautiful new store just a few steps away.” In fact, the new store at 340 University Avenue will be two blocks (600 feet) from the existing store, and will provide over twice the square-footage. The new store was first revealed by IFO in January 2010, and city officials recently gave final approval for the $3.1 million project. Construction could begin in the coming weeks, with a fall 2012 grand opening. Bessette’s confirmation of the store is remarkable, since the company has only ever confirmed a handful of new stores before construction was begun. Traditionally, new stores are only confirmed by a Web posting about five days before they open. Read the original IFO story on the move for more details on the future store’s location and store design.
Nearly a year after tipsters pointed to a building along Berlin’s (Germany) main shopping street as a future Apple retail store, the company seems to have confirmed the location by posting job listings for a full complement of store employees. No location is given in the listing first noticed by ifun.de and Macerkopf.de, but black barricades and construction at Kurfürstendamm 26 indicate the likely site, a three-level former cinema. IFO scouted the street for potential store sties in 2005 and noticed the building was vacant. There was no activity until last January, when the glass entrances to the building were covered in black material, a traditional Apple color. The building dates to 1913 as a stage theater, and survived World War II with little damage. The interior has been extensively renovated over the years, but the 70-foot wide exterior retains the original Doric columns holding up an 87-foot wide ornate cornice. The ground floor and upper level are about 7,000 square-feet each, with nearly 10,000 square-feet on the third level, the location of the former theater. The basement could provide another 9,300 square-feet for back-of-house space for the Apple store. Based on construction schedules, the store could open by mid-2012.
A vigilant Apple store enthusiast in Houston (Tex.) have learned that the future Highland Village retail store will be a down-sized duplicate of the Upper West Side (NYC) store, including its remarkable arched glass roof. Tracy Evans noted the similarity on his blog and had a friend whip up a sketch. The Texas store is nearing completion on the city’s west side, and could open by next month. Like UWS, the store will feature an all-glass storefront, glass roof and Tennessee limestone side walls. Unlike UWS, the rear of the store will also be all-glass, similar to the design of the Scottsdale Quarter (Ariz.) store. Bu in this case, there will be an entrance at both ends. Back-of-house space is apparently provided in an adjacent space, not a basement. The future Palo Alto (N. Calif.) and Third Street Promenade (S. Calif.) stores—both expansions of existing stores—will also feature the UWS design, according to renderings submitted by Apple to city planning officials. However, the scale of the stores will be smaller than the original Upper West Side store that opened to rave architectural reviews in 2009. photo comparison
After the announcement that Apple had filed legal papers to formalize its corporate retail presence in Sweden, tipsters have been searching for the location of the first store, and have now settled on Hamngatan 15 in the upscale shopping district of central Stockholm. The seven-level building dates to 1881 and has recently been renovated by a new owner. It was formerly a department store, with 12-foot ceilings on the ground floor totaling about 2,000 square-feet, and another 1,400 square-feet in the basement. The building overlooks a large plaza that is busy with pedestrians. Stockholm is the capital of Sweden, with over two million residents in the metro area—about 22 percent of the entire country’s citizens. If the speculation is true, the store would be the first Apple store in Scandinavia, but not the most-northern store in the chain—that honor belongs to the Fifth Avenue Mall (Anchorage) store. details
A legacy of books and music has followed the building at the corner of Burrard and Robson Streets in downtown Vancouver (Canada), where Apple will reportedly open a two-level store by the end of 2012. According to real estate insiders, when the HMV megastore at 750 Burrard Street closes down in January, Apple will begin renovations on 16,000 square-feet, creating the city’s first street-level store. The future store would occupy a conspicuous corner that is the subject of tourist and architectural highlight tours, in a city that attracts 9 million tourists a year. The six-level, mostly-glass building was constructed in 1957 as the city’s second public library, and its modern architecture won many awards and gained it heritage status. In 1995 the city decided to move the library, so Sir Richard Branson took over the retail space in 1996 for a Virgin Megastore, selling music music albums, tapes and CDs. In 2005, Virgin moved out and retailer HMV moved in to sell CDs, DVDs, video games and other electronic media. Ironically, the music retailer has also held live music sessions in the store. Earlier this month HMV announced it was closing the location in the wake of financial problems, vacating the basement, ground and second floors. Other levels of the building are occupied by Canadian TV and smaller retailers. The Apple store would be three blocks from the existing Pacific Centre retail store, hidden away on the second level of the city-center mall. Three other Apple stores are in the near suburbs of Vancouver. details
A pair of real estate investment firms has paid a reported $75 million for the property and building occupied by Apple’s SoHo (NYC) retail store, a move that will not affect the existing lease Apple signed in 2001. The property in lower Manhattan was previously a neighborhood post office, and opened as Apple store #32 in July 2002. Apple owns very few of its street-level store properties, preferring to lease from real estate investors. In this case, Apple’s original 18-year lease was with Ingersoll Realty, according to a New York Post newspaper story. Now the remaining eight years of the lease will be paid to Crown Acquisitions Inc. and Centurion Realty LLC. The investors purchased the property for its reliable revenue stream, sources said. Apple store properties are considered very attractive for investors, since Apple is an excellent tenant and provides excellent maintenance of its stores, and no stores have ever closed. The SoHo store is now undergoing an expansion, and store operations have been moved to a nearby temporary on Greene Street.
Apple’s expansive plans for new international store locations in 2012 will begin in France and Spain, according to job openings posted on the company’s Web site. The new stores will be among about 30 the company will open outside the United States during fiscal 2012, out of a total of about 40 new stores. According to job listings a new store will open in Paris, although the exact location of the store isn’t stated on the job listing. There is speculation the store might be located in the shopping area of La Défense, northwest of city center. There are already five Apple stores in the greater Paris region. The second store will open in the city of Murcia, with a population of about 450,00 along the southeast coast of Spain. Like the Paris store, the exact location within the city isn’t known. The store would be about two hours south of the Valencia store that is expected to open next month, and 400 miles north of a future store in Marbella. Since the economic down-turn that began in 2008, Apple has emphasized international expansion, opening about twice as many locations outside the United States as within.