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Apple appears set to open store inside World Trade Center for 2015 grand opening

Last fall, reports indicated that Apple was in talks to open up a store inside of the upcoming New York-based World Trade Center shopping mall. Now, a pair of reports are indicating that Apple has, in fact, signed a lease with the mall and that the store is scheduled to open with the new mall in 2015.

The NYPost first reported last month that a deal was struck:

Apple, Canali, Hugo Boss, John Varvatos, Mont Blanc and Breitling have all signed deals for the WTC’s main hall, according to sources.

TheRealDeal reported some additional details behind the deal this week. According to the publication, Apple was unhappy with the design of the lower-level of the mall in which its store will be located:

Computer and iPhone giant Apple — which is expected to take space in the project — was frustrated by the giant “ribs,” or columns, that Calatrava included throughout the underground portion of the site. The arching structures are spaced roughly 11 feet apart along the front portion of each store, which has put off some retailers who want to use that space for signage, branding or product display, sources said.

Apple even sought a design variance, but was turned down, said one retail source, who asked not to be identified.

“Do you think [fashion designer] Karl Lagerfeld will be ok with playing second fiddle to an architect?” another retail insider said. “It is all about clashing egos. Those brands [that object to the columns] are not going to open a flagship Downtown and have Santiago Calatrava’s ribs obstructing the view.”

Nonetheless, Apple has struck its deal and will be a launch partner alongside several other high-profile brands in the major new shopping center:

Screen Shot 2014-05-06 at 1.48.08 PM

As can be seen in the purported store map compiled by TheRealDeal, the Apple Store will be situated in the center of the lower level of the mall. The store will be sandwiched between other big brands like Hugo Boss, Victoria’s Secret, Swarvoski, and Disney.

[vimeo 64416657 w=700 h=394]

This major New York initiative is said to have space for 160 stores in total, and mall’s occupants are pushing for high-profile brands to take center stage. In addition to a shopping mall, the facility will be home to offices, restaurants, and transportation hubs. A video concept of the mall can be viewed above.

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Comments

  1. Oflife - 10 years ago

    That internal architecture looks amazing, very futuristic!

  2. wouldn’t want to be in this building when the government needs another excuse to go to war.

    • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

      Where’s the “permanently ban from the website” button…

      • fugu (@fuguapp) - 10 years ago

        Where are the studies you mentioned the other day?

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        Sorry, what studies?

      • If there was a permanent ban button you would’ve been banned years ago.

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        Yes, I’m well known for my conspiracy theories implicating the government for the deaths of 4,000+ Americans.

        Ah, wait, no, I’m not a psychopath.

      • iPadCary - 10 years ago

        What’s it to YOU?
        The guy’s saying the truth.
        FACT: THERMITE RESIDUE WAS FOUND IN THE REMAINS.
        No, AGAIN, go crawl back under your AI rock, you dope.

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        Good to see that psychopaths stick together.

      • hippypotamus - 10 years ago

        There’s the matter of the 6000+ servicemen who died in the desert since 2001…

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        Okay… and?

    • weakguy - 10 years ago

      Just shut the F up you a-hole. Now, how do we report a person again?

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        Doesn’t seem we can. WordPress fails again.

    • FACT: Thermite residue was found in the remains.
      FACT: Numerous government agencies had secure classified information facilities in the WTC for storage of classified documents.
      FACT: Thermite would have been on hand in sufficient quantity for emergency destruction of those classified documents.

  3. Adagio in D minor, and Derezzed… Not very original.

  4. Alex (@Metascover) - 10 years ago

    That video is the summum of first world problems. So pretentious and totally ridiculous.

  5. exm144 - 10 years ago

    headline tomorrow on 9to5 Google:
    “Samsung appears set to open store inside World Trade Center for 2015 grand opening”

    • fugu (@fuguapp) - 10 years ago

      or maybe: “Samsung appears set to open store inside World Trade Center for 2014, BEFORE grand opening” twice as big as apple’s but non funtional filled with 10,000 different phones all named Samsung Galaxy

  6. jakexb - 10 years ago

    That video was so weird. So very weird. Why are they showing photos of some pod-car-monorail transportation system? That’s not a real thing is it?

    • iPadCary - 10 years ago

      Not only is not real, but given the MTA’s (the division that runs the subways) MO,
      you won’t even begin to see anyhting even remotely resembling that kind of a train
      for, quite literally, a CENTURY.
      No, I’m not joking or exaggerrating.

  7. Winona Winkler Wendth - 10 years ago

    Silly beyond comprehension—Did “The Onion” produce this? Where, or where is Don Draper when we need him?

  8. Laughing_Boy48 - 10 years ago

    Yeah, boi. Apple’s retail store will become the anchor store for all the World Trade Center.

  9. chasinvictoria - 10 years ago

    That video is hilarious. I’m sure the mall will be beautiful, but I just don’t see a shopping centre — no matter how lovely — heralding the next Age of Mankind, sorry.

  10. iPadCary - 10 years ago

    What a load of horse hockey that video is!! lol
    Those whizbang future trains ….
    Do they know the MTA? They use trains trains made in the 50s!!