Apple Store Near Detroit Permanently Closing Today Ahead of All-New Downtown Location

[uiop.]

Was just in Downtown Detroit last week. Still pretty dead. There's a Nike store, a Lululemon and a couple random stores and restaurants... but to say Detroit is having a renaissance is a joke. I don't think the new Apple Store in Downtown Detroit will help the city much... I predict a 5 year max timeframe before that one closes too.

I'm from Grand Rapids and am rooting for Detroit, but they've been pushing the renaissance narrative for the better part of the past 20 years and every time I'm Downtown Detroit, I don't get it. I was surprised to hear Apple was opening a store there. Hope it works out long-term.

 

[iMac The Knife]

I guess that I am one of the few that likes going to the mall or a retail store. I just like the idea of being able to purchase and take home my new item instantly. But the biggest drawback for me to Apple or other retailers going strictly to an online storefront is that I live in an area where theft is kinda high. Having to schedule a delivery time when I am home is a big pain. As Apple and most retailers will not leave packages outside where I live because of the number of theft claims.

I don't mind ordering online, but I would rather Apple ship it to one of their stores so that I can pick it up on way home. I have an Apple Store two blocks from where I work so it is very convenient.

I would love to go to a mall or retail store, if no one else was there but me when I was doing my shopping. I don't even want employees who do nothing and know nothing there. Just let me try clothes on, or play around with the latest tech gadgets and I can check myself out when I'm done. Going out in public anymore just cements my view of humanity.

 

[russell_314]

As soon as the metrics point to increased profits, Tim Cook will be willing to go around the world demolishing every Apple store himself with his bare hands.

Yes, and any good CEO would do the same. His job is to make the company profitable. If Apple stores are causing losses in the company, then they need to go. I love the Apple Store, but you have to be realistic.

I suspect most Apple Stores are profitable. There’s been a few of viral videos of merchandise walking out of Apple stores. I’m sure Apple takes this into consideration, but if the store makes high sales numbers, then it may be worth the losses

 

[iMac The Knife]

"Employees will have the opportunity to continue working for the company?"
Wondering if they mean the employees will be transferred to the Detroit location or does it mean something else?
The drive from Partridge Creek to downtown Detroit is around 30 miles one way.

I wouldn't move to Detroit if you paid me $500k a year to do nothing. It is the armpit of the Midwest.

 

[bgillander]

That sounds good on paper, but won't that depend on when the next store is going to open? If say the downtown store won't be operational till later this year, that could be months without a job for some of these people and that just may not be an option?

Decades ago when i worked in retail; the shop I worked at closed down because they were going to open a new one across the road 6 months later. I had the option to temporarily relocate to another store 25 mins away, but in the end I chose to get a different job elsewhere.

The closed store is actually north of Detroit and is about 23 miles from the downtown, while it is only 17 miles from the Apple Store at the Somerset Collection in Troy, which has been open for many years and remains open.

 

[jlc1978]

That sounds good on paper, but won't that depend on when the next store is going to open? If say the downtown store won't be operational till later this year, that could be months without a job for some of these people and that just may not be an option?

Given the amount of effort and time Apple puts into hiring and training employees, I suspect they will send them to other stores and not hire seasonal employees or do what they did during Covid and have them work support lines until the store opens.

I suspect most Apple Stores are profitable.

From all accounts they are highly profitable.

There’s been a few of viral videos of merchandise walking out of Apple stores. I’m sure Apple takes this into consideration, but if the store makes high sales numbers, then it may be worth the losses

Given most of the expensive stuff is not on the floor I suspect the total loss is small relative to sales. Having staff ask customers if they need help while they browse also tends to cutdown on theft as well.

I suspect credit card fraud is a bigger problem than shoplifting.

 

[pierce1979]

"Employees will have the opportunity to continue working for the company?"
Wondering if they mean the employees will be transferred to the Detroit location or does it mean something else?
The drive from Partridge Creek to downtown Detroit is around 30 miles one way.

Somerset in Troy is the likely answer

 

[bgillander]

Going out in public anymore just cements my view of humanity.

I wouldn't move to Detroit if you paid me $500k a year to do nothing. It is the armpit of the Midwest.

I tend to find Internet forums more problematic than going out in public these days. Most people are actually more friendly in person, though I will admit I haven’t been to Detroit in quite a few years.

 

[kevinj85]

Apple's retail store at The Mall at Partridge Creek, in the Detroit suburb of Clinton Township, will be permanently closing at 7 p.m. Eastern Time today.

Apple Partridge Creek​

Apple did not provide a specific reason for the closure, but local news outlet WDIV last year reported that The Mall at Partridge Creek had been sold in receivership and was struggling to retain tenants at the time.

Fortunately, Apple said all affected employees at the Partridge Creek store will have the opportunity to continue working for the company.

Apple previously confirmed that its all-new store in Downtown Detroit will open later this year, so the company's total number of stores in Michigan will not change over the long term. Apple Somerset will continue to serve customers in Detroit's northern suburbs.

Apple's full statement, shared with MacRumors:Apple Partridge Creek first opened in 2007.

Apple also permanently closed its Northbrook Court store in a Chicago suburb earlier this year, along with stores in the UK and China last week.

All of Apple's permanent store closures this year are for specific property-related reasons that are unrelated to the company's overall performance. Apple just had a record-breaking quarter, and the company is opening many new and remodeled stores around the world.

Article Link: Apple Store Near Detroit Permanently Closing Today Ahead of All-New Downtown Location

This isn’t surprising to me. Downtown Detroit has been getting much nicer and more cool frankly and I’ve only been to Partridge Creek Mall once and it was to pick up an iPhone. It was a nice mall when I went but it’s definitely the most out of the way for most people in the Metro Detroit Area.
Very interested to see what the new Apple Store will look like.

 

[dumastudetto]

Yes, and any good CEO would do the same. His job is to make the company profitable. If Apple stores are causing losses in the company, then they need to go. I love the Apple Store, but you have to be realistic.

I suspect most Apple Stores are profitable. There’s been a few of viral videos of merchandise walking out of Apple stores. I’m sure Apple takes this into consideration, but if the store makes high sales numbers, then it may be worth the losses

I wouldn't say any good CEO would do it. Tim Cook isn't just good though, he's easily one of the greatest CEOs in the history of the world. Stepping in to fill Steve Jobs shoes would have been mission impossible for almost everyone. What Cook has done is extraordinary.