Apple to Open Retail Store on Champs-Élysées in Paris in 2018 or 2019

[MacRumors]

Apple is planning to open a retail store on the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, reports French site MacGeneration [Google Translate] citing information shared by French newspaper Le Figaro. Rumors about a store on Champs-Élysées have been circulating since 2012, but it appears Apple has finally secured a lease for a storefront on the famous avenue.

Google Maps view of prospective Apple Store location, via MacGeneration​

Apple is said to have signed a 12 year lease for a building at 114 avenue des Champs-Élysées in December of 2015. The store will reportedly encompass an area of 6,200 square meters, with offices located above the retail space.

At the current time, 114 avenue des Champs-Élysées is home to several shops and a law firm, but Apple has leased the entire building. According to Le Figaro, Apple will not open the Champs-Élysées store until 2018 or 2019 because it needs time to create a building plan with architectural design partner Norman Foster and obtain authorization for a remodel.

If a store does indeed open on Champs-Élysées, it will be the 20th Apple retail store in France.

Article Link: Apple to Open Retail Store on Champs-Élysées in Paris in 2018 or 2019

 

[Danoc]

Great location. I have always been expecting Apple to be on this avenue.

 

[bradl]

How many flagship stores does Apple have in France?

I ask, because the Champs-Élysées has been a tourist trap for ages, and for the most, flagship Apple stores have been on or near major tourist traps, if not in major tourist trap cities..

BL.

 

[garirry]

Nice of Apple to open new Apple stores, but it would be nicer if they opened Apple stores in new areas instead of populating countries that already have a ton of them available.

 

[chriscrk]

How many flagship stores does Apple have in France?

I ask, because the Champs-Élysées has been a tourist trap for ages, and for the most, flagship Apple stores have been on or near major tourist traps, if not in major tourist trap cities..

BL.

I went to one that was in the Louvre... Or that shopping area under it.

Anyway, them opening in Champs is big. Very important street.
I find it kind of exciting how they're powerful enough to open up a store pretty much wherever they wish

 

[macs4nw]

Money is just no object for Apple, is it? What other company can just go ahead and lease an entire building at such a super expensive and prestigious location without the possibility of getting any ROI for at least the first 3 years of that 12 year lease, not to mention the no doubt huge cost of coming up with and implementing an architectural design that will satisfy the local respective French authorities. But no doubt another 'goldmine' will result.

Very curious to see the end result of that (already) gorgeous building when all is said and done.

 

[manu chao]

How many flagship stores does Apple have in France?

I ask, because the Champs-Élysées has been a tourist trap for ages, and for the most, flagship Apple stores have been on or near major tourist traps, if not in major tourist trap cities..

BL.

They have two stores in Paris itself (one in an underground shopping area below the Louvre, and one near the opera which is their flagship store for Paris). They have another six stores in the greater Paris region (but they are all mall-type stores). Of the remaining eleven stores in France, four could be called flagship stores (in that they have high ceilings and have a nice storefront to the street): Lille, Strasbourg, Aix-en-Provence, and Bordeaux. You can see the full listing at: www.apple.com/fr/retail/storelist (a URL in which you can substitute the country code for France with that of other countries to get respective lists, eg, www.apple.com/de/retail/storelist).

 

[DanielSw]

Nice of Apple to open new Apple stores, but it would be nicer if they opened Apple stores in new areas instead of populating countries that already have a ton of them available.

Apple's not running a charity. They put stores where there are markets to support them. For other less desirable areas they sell through Walmart, Best Buy, and Target.

 

[firewood]

Money is just no object for Apple, is it?

Money is the object. Apple mints more revenue per square foot than the high end jewelry and fashion stores in the same neighborhoods. Just another investment with a positive return.

 

[macs4nw]

Money is the object. Apple mints more revenue per square foot than the high end jewelry and fashion stores in the same neighborhoods. Just another investment with a positive return.

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/money+is+no+object

 

[Kajje]

Myeongdong Seoul, Causeway Bay Hong Kong, Fifth Avenue New York, Regent Street London, Bahnhofstrasse Zurich, Ginza Tokyo and now Champs Elysees Paris.

Every single one of these are worlds absolute top and most expensive shopping locations on level of rental prices.

While @firewood is correct indeed on the fact that Apple stores are generating a huge load of revenue per sq foot, these locations are not about revenue.

Quoting Damian Lewis on Showtime's Billions: What's the point of having so much FU-money if I never can say FU?

These are statement locations, a reinforcement of Apple's plan to market fashion products rather than anything else.
People should buy an iPhone for the fashion statement. The fact it's just a fantastic device with great technology is just a bonus.

 

[KnighsTalker]

When are they going to open the Disney theme park Apple Stores?

 

[peterjames.org]

When are they going to open the Disney theme park Apple Stores?

They easily could do stores in Disney Parks, specifically the "Downtown Disney" concepts in Anaheim and Orlando. I know they abandoned mini-stores some time ago, but a smaller footprint store just for iOS and Apple Watch would work well in areas that are geared solely to tourists. Airport stores in only the biggest international hubs also would follow those top tier retailers that chase the duty-free crowd as well. 1000 or so branded stores of a few different formats wouldn't be unreasonable in the next 8-10 years...