Apple’s Fifth Avenue retail store in New York City will soon be closing down for some time, as plans for renovating the iconic outlet begin to surface. Meanwhile, the retail store will be relocated to the FAO Schwarz toy store, as the oldest toy maker in the United States looks to vacate the premises.
The iconic Apple Store located in the base of the GM Building Plaza is an all-glass magical cube being described by many as the smallest skyscraper in the area. The store has been open for less than a decade, but is already one of the most successful retail sites in the world, and it goes without saying – it’s one the best-known as well. It also operates 24/7.
Apple’s renovation plan for the store has been timed in accordance with availability of a temporary space in the General Motors Building, as FAO Schwarz is due to vacate its ground-level store somewhere in July 2015. Apparently, the rising cost of the rent has forced the toy maker to make this decision, which seems to have benefited the Mac maker. This particular storefront is located just a few steps away from 58th Street and Fifth Avenue, so Apple customers, or for that matter store employees, will find this arrangement pretty convenient.
The last time Apple renovated the Fifth Avenue store was in 2011, which saw the iconic cube being treated with larger panels of glass that offered a seamless flow to the incredible structure that greets visitors to the Apple world below the GM Building. While Apple has not offered any timeline for the renovation, the time it took for previous renovation could serve as a rough estimate; the renovation project that started in June of 2011, ended somewhere in November 2011.
According to a report, some twenty existing Apple Retail Stores across the Unites States are being drafted into multiple renovation plans, with a focus on increasing room for walk-in-customers. Apple is beginning to feel that in-store customers have increased in the last few years, so much so that it is planning to double the size of some of its stores. Apparently, the Regent Street store in the U.K. will also be renovated, while the Union Square outlet in San Francisco is likely to be relocated.
(Source: AssociatedPress)
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