Apple's Grand Central store to open this week, report says
Apple's new retail store in New York's Grand Central Terminal could open as soon as this week, if a new report has it right.
Apple's Grand Central Terminal location, still under wraps.
(Credit: Roger Cheng/CNET)Apple's latest retail store in New York's iconic Grand Central Terminal may have its opening date announced tomorrow, with a launch by the end of this week, a new report says.
Without citing sources, 9to5mac says that Apple plans to literally take the wraps off the store's opening date tomorrow by uncloaking a massive sign affixed to its exterior (pictured above). The company is said to be stocking up the store with products in time for a launch as early as this Friday, to coincide with start of holiday-shopping season on Black Friday.
When reached for comment on the report, an Apple spokeswoman said the company had nothing to announce.
The space, which Apple is reportedly paying in excess of $1 million a year to rent, is more than 23,000 square feet and stretches between two balconies. By comparison, Apple's Regent Street store in London is 25,000 square feet, 22,000 square feet of which is accessible to the public.
Perhaps more impressive is the potential foot traffic. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reports that roughly 750,000 visitors come through the station each day--and up to a million a day during the holidays.
Murmurs that Apple was seeking a spot in the iconic transportation hub began in February with a report from Cult of Mac that Apple planned to open one up in time for the 10th anniversary of its retail efforts, which took place in May. The rumor surfaced once again in late May with a Wall Street Journal report that the MTA was looking to fill up a 15,230-square-foot space, and that Apple had "expressed interest" in it. By July, more details emerged, including renderings of the store. Apple has yet to acknowledge that it's got a store on the way for the location.
Apple currently has 358 retail stores, most of which are located in the United States. The company already has four stores within New York City, including its Fifth Avenue "cube," which re-opened earlier this month after undergoing a multi-million dollar overhaul to make its glass exterior more seamless.
