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Apple to Open New Flagship Store in Melbourne, Australia
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They are moving to another part of Fed Square because the space is too small for them. So as far as I have read they are happy about moving to a bigger space.
Where's the Apple Park like architecture? Melbourne deserves better (though it would be better to leave it as open public space, and make the Apple Part subterranean, like Apple theatre.)
[doublepost=1513763750][/doublepost]#applebox - Yuk!
Apple is planning to open a new flagship retail location in Melbourne, Australia, at Federation Square, a shopping center, public square, and mixed-use space located in the heart of the city.
The Federation Square website says the new location will be an "Apple Global Flagship Store" that will open up in 2020. It will be Apple's most significant store in the Southern Hemisphere, with workshops, classes, and live music events.
Apple's Melbourne store will create 500 square meters of new public space, connecting Federation Square with the Yarra River and Birrarung Marr. Apple will construct a new building to replace an existing Yarra building, and based on renderings shared by Federation Square, the store will have multiple levels with glass walls and a viewing deck that overlooks the Yarra River.
Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts told The Australian that the store will feature a "bespoke design concept" and "extensive landscaping."Construction on the new store, which will "enhance Federation Square's world renowned architecture," will start in mid-2019.
Article Link: Apple to Open New Flagship Store in Melbourne, Australia
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#applebox
Not at all. But by all means, keep telling yourself that
I am not from either city, but I can tell you Melbourne people are constantly carrying on about Sydney, while Sydney people just don’t care about Melbourne, or anyone else for that matter.
Melbourne people have issues about Sydney. The Jan Brady of Australian Cities.
Back in topic, the existing art gallery is ugly, most of the Square is ugly, typical architectural wankery. I doubt anything Apple will do can improve it. The only good thing about the idea is it is annoying the hipsters.
I guess it depends on the circles you keep. I'm from Melbourne and have the opposite experience.
Fed Square has been controversial, but it has grown on Melburnians. I'm not sure if your annoying hipsters comment would hold. Perhaps our hipsters are different from those up north?
Interesting anecdote, a shame it doesn’t gel with the quote you posted where in this very thread about Melbourne, someone brought up Sydney.
I used to live in Sydney and nothing can beat the city/harbour there. Melbourne sucks.
I expect it's a joke Joyce. I can't believe it was necessary to comment on.Not at all. But by all means, keep telling yourself that
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What award did anything in Fed Square get? I thought Melbourne lost a bet with that, but at least it opened the area a bit and dumped that ugly 60's edifice. I get losing public space for retail, but if I hear "installation" again, I'll lose it big time. At least the Apple Store will be a sort of public space, and you're not obliged to purchase anything, you get free, proper wifi, air con, as well as harass "geniuses".
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That ship sailed a long time ago. How many languages do you know?
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It'll be either overcrowded or hot. Btw, that's an "artists" impression.
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I remember seeing renderings of one at the corner of Toorak and Chapel on this very site.
Apple's new "town square" store design seems even more forced when inside an actual existing town square... people already gather in Fed Square to meet, attend free concerts, hang out....
Why is this store necessary in this precise location?
Why is this store necessary in this precise location?
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Federation Square is a public cultural space in Melbourne, Australia. The site and buildings were built and paid for by tax payers of Australia.
Apple plans to demolish the Yarra Building at Federation Square that houses the Koorie Heritage Trust which provides a unique range of programs and services to promote, support and celebrate the indigenous Aboriginal culture of South-Eastern Australia.
Apple is a company that engages in profit shifting to reduce the amount of taxes it pays in Australia. Apple’s very complex tax arrangements in Australia saw it only pay $118 million in tax although Apple’s income in Australia was $7.6 billion (2015-2016), an effective tax rate of 1.55%. The decision to build this new store in the culturally significant site is completely disgraceful. It’s a sick and poorly planned idea by Apple. It’s an embarrassing look for the Apple brand.
Apple, sure, build a store in Melbourne, expand, BUT DO NOT demolish public and culturally sensitive buildings in the process of expanding your stores. Do not build on culturally significant spaces such as Federation Square.
WRONG and stupid choice of location, Apple. Correct this mistake at once! Reverse your decision.
I've never seen so much opposition to an Apple store but Twitter is on fire with complete opposition to the new store in Australia.
https://twitter.com/search?q=apple+federation+square
Apple plans to demolish the Yarra Building at Federation Square that houses the Koorie Heritage Trust which provides a unique range of programs and services to promote, support and celebrate the indigenous Aboriginal culture of South-Eastern Australia.
Apple is a company that engages in profit shifting to reduce the amount of taxes it pays in Australia. Apple’s very complex tax arrangements in Australia saw it only pay $118 million in tax although Apple’s income in Australia was $7.6 billion (2015-2016), an effective tax rate of 1.55%. The decision to build this new store in the culturally significant site is completely disgraceful. It’s a sick and poorly planned idea by Apple. It’s an embarrassing look for the Apple brand.
Apple, sure, build a store in Melbourne, expand, BUT DO NOT demolish public and culturally sensitive buildings in the process of expanding your stores. Do not build on culturally significant spaces such as Federation Square.
WRONG and stupid choice of location, Apple. Correct this mistake at once! Reverse your decision.
I've never seen so much opposition to an Apple store but Twitter is on fire with complete opposition to the new store in Australia.
https://twitter.com/search?q=apple+federation+square
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They will just relocate! I think Apple paid very well for the building!
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Because theres people there. And its a store that will add to the landscaping
The new Apple store adds nothing to Federation Square in Melbourne. In fact, many would argue, this Apple store would completely degrade the area entirely.
The Yarra Building at Federation Square houses the Koorie Heritage Trust which provides a unique range of programs and services to promote, support and celebrate the indigenous Aboriginal culture of South-Eastern Australia.
The location is completely wrong. It's a public cultural space, not a commercial multinational retail space. Whether or not Apple payed for it is irrelevant. In fact, Apple won't disclose the arrangement of the transaction.
Apple can not just come along and demolish a publicly funded building in a public area. There has ben ZERO consolation according to the reports.
Its seems the people there are ready to fight this and stop the current building being demolished and stop Apple constructing the new building in that area.
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I've visited both cities and both are actually equally really nice in their own unique way, they are quite different in my opinion. I know the Federation Square area well, and an Apple store there would really rubbish the area completely. The space is not retail or corporate, it's a public community space. Someone at Apple has not done due diligence on the area when planning this.
There you go
"The Koorie Heritage Trust moved into the Yarra Building just two years ago.
But its chief executive Tom Mosby said it was already outgrowing its current space and had been assured there would be a new, larger site within Federation Square."
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Again research before you say things
The Koorie Heritage Trust moved into the Yarra Building just two years ago.
But its chief executive Tom Mosby said it was already outgrowing its current space and had been assured there would be a new, larger site within Federation Square.
I've done my research. See #39
And so what exactly? The Koorie Heritage Trust is currently there. Whether or not it moves again is irrelevant. If it does move, another community focused organization will move in to replace it, not the McDonald's of the tech world.
Apple should not be demolishing a publicly funded building. Apple should not be planning a new store in a cultural precinct. Federation Square is a cultural hub focused on arts and community. Apple plainly is a multinational corporation focused on profits. Apple should set up shop somewhere else in Melbourne. The central retail and business district is just one simple idea for Apple to investigate further.
Completely dumb plan by Apple.
They will generate 200 new jobs! And bring in more income for the population! And they add more than just a store! it's a gathering place, with classes and pocket shows and a new observatory deck.
It's nothing like mcdonalds who just subtracts from a persons life.
Apple can move to the central business district and still bring in those "new jobs" and "more income" or whatever is claimed about this new store.
Respectfully, that's very incorrect. Apple is not more than just a store. Apple is simply a retailer, focused on profits. All the other "community" engagement and events Apple holds at its stores, also known as marketing, are all geared towards supporting the Apple brand and promoting Apple branded products and services.
Apple is not a gathering place either. Federation Square is already Melbourne's gathering place. The art galleries, theatres, performance spaces currently at Federation Square are truely community focused. Believe it or not, Apple is the McDonald's of the tech industry and the community in Melbourne according to the reports do not want an Apple store in Federation Square. The community there do not want Apple to demolish a public funded building.
Apple should shut down its planned Federation Square store and consider opening somewhere in the central business district.
The planned store in Federation Square is a public relations disaster for Apple.
The fact that it's a busy square would be of benefit to Apple, but not to the people of Melbourne, and pretty buildings do little to enrich people's lives.
I am not against Apple's right to sell its products, but this location stinks. There are surely other commercial locations on busy streets in Melbourne that Apple could choose to build on. This one already has a use - it's public space.
[doublepost=1513797374][/doublepost]I also find it kind of absurd that Apple, extreme tax minimisers, are somehow free to purchase land paid for by Australian taxpayers and replace it with a faux-public space to sell expensive gadgets
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The Facebook page for the Premier of Victoria https://www.facebook.com/DanielAndrewsMP/posts/1620421274689069 shows what happens if you do a secret deal with a "tax dodging" multinational company that "peddles flimsy Chinese junk, made with slave labor, repackaged Samsung parts and resold to morons who are impressed by marketing" to take over public space, without public consultation.