Rumors of Massive Apple Retail Store for Paris as Virgin Vacates Prime Location

[Diode]

Yes. AAPL killed the CD star.

Yes. AAPL killed music that sounds like music and compressed the bandwidth to a tin sounding representation of what used to be.

Buy CDs and burn them into iTunes, take your ear buds and crush them under your hob nail boot heel. Buy good quality head phones. Enjoy music.

Music is not background noise. Music is joy.

Hopefully HD music will change that I want 24bit audio from iTunes.

 

[MonkeySee....]

Seriously, do you really need that much space to display an iPod, iPad, Mac, and a couple of other things?

You're right. Everyone should pile in the store and use 1 of each item

 

[guzhogi]

Apple couldn't fill that location with unique products if it tried. 1 table, 1 iPhone, 3 laptops, and 3 desktops. Not to mention there is practically 0 software sold anymore at Apple stores in the USA. Even the Accessories are barely in the stores.

Now, maybe Apple wants to fill the location with 500 tablets or something...but overall I think it would be a waste of space/money unless the price was superb.

The past 3 Apple stores I've walked into (2 in MA 1 in CT) feel like I could drive a small truck between each table...nice layout, nice colors, very clean...but feels really empty in regards to products.

Apple certainly has the money to pay for the Paris real estate...but I wonder how empty it would feel product-wise.

Don't forget the genius bar & one one one stuff. But even then, not much. We'll just have to see how this all goes.

 

[Diode]

Don't forget the genius bar & one one one stuff. But even then, not much. We'll just have to see how this all goes.

I always thought it would be neat if they had a cafe. Hang out at the Apple store....

 

[Danoc]

Tim Cook was in Paris to :
The Champs-Elysées location sounds a little overrated. I don't think many Parisians shop on the avenue. I don't know any. More likely tourists from Asia and Russia. But there are Apple Stores in Asia now. So 7000 m² for Russian tourists seems a tad big imho.

True. For Parisians the Avenue is first a huge commuting avenue and hub, for car, subway and suburb trains. They prefer shopping in more quiet places, whereas tourists go to the Champs Elysées.

It remains an excellent location for an international brand. You have lots of offices around, with excellent paid jobs.

 

[nylonsteel]

re oroginal article

2 things

why not create another district in paris called district steve jobs

oh the good ol days of tower records and virgin mega store being the hot music stores of the day - time marches on

 

[GenesisST]

Kinda amusing they could be taking over the space of an industry they helped kill (record stores).

I do miss going to a record store and discovering new music. Just flipping through CDs, etc. I haven't discovered many good new music on iTMS like I used to by going in a store. I discovered Muse because Absolution was playing in the store and it hit me.

Singles of the week and top tens on iTMS, just don't appeal to me.

I guess I'm getting old...

 

[Ciclismo]

The entire Virgin store checks in at roughly 75,000 ... the space certainly would give Apple an opportunity to build by far its largest retail store in a very prominent location.

Mon dieu!

----------

Yes. AAPL killed music that sounds like music and compressed the bandwidth to a tin sounding representation of what used to be.

Buy CDs and burn them into iTunes, take your ear buds and crush them under your hob nail boot heel. Buy good quality head phones. Enjoy music.

Music is not background noise. Music is joy.

I'm guessing you've never heard of the loudness war, because the quality of music started to erode as a misguided attempt at marketing well before the invention of the mp3. Chances are, the CD you just bought has been mastered to be loud and awful, so ripping it yourself gives you no advantage. Especially if you only wanted a song or two but had to buy the whole album.

 

[guzhogi]

I always thought it would be neat if they had a cafe. Hang out at the Apple store....

That would be cool… until someone spills their drink all over a display computer. Plus, think of all the crumbs in the keyboards!

 

[Diode]

I do miss going to a record store and discovering new music. Just flipping through CDs, etc. I haven't discovered many good new music on iTMS like I used to by going in a store. I discovered Muse because Absolution was playing in the store and it hit me.

Singles of the week and top tens on iTMS, just don't appeal to me.

I guess I'm getting old...

That's what Pandora and Genius match are for - but I do see your point.

Record stores aren't going away anytime soon - there will always be a niche market for them. Gone are the days of the mega stores like this one though.

 

[kiljoy616]

I expect Apple to have a store at the LOUVRE and that is final.

Come on Apple make me proud!

 

[GenesisST]

That's what Pandora and Genius match are for - but I do see your point.

Record stores aren't going away anytime soon - there will always be a niche market for them. Gone are the days of the mega stores like this one though.

Pandora in Canada... no go...

As for genius match, doesn't it just match songs from my own collection?

 

[unlinked]

I want one in Ireland

Maybe they could have used the Virgin Megastore in Dublin if it hadn't been turned into apartments.

 

[mrxak]

The picture isn't great, but based on that alone, it doesn't look all that suitable, and there's a million reasons why Tim Cook would be in Paris. I doubt he goes and visits each store location anyway, he's got people for that.

 

[doelcm82]

Apple couldn't fill that location with unique products if it tried. 1 table, 1 iPhone, 3 laptops, and 3 desktops. Not to mention there is practically 0 software sold anymore at Apple stores in the USA. Even the Accessories are barely in the stores.

Apple could fill the store with people.

Part of the appeal of the Apple stores is being able to play with the merchandise, so yes, they could have 500 tablets on blonde wood tables with plenty of room to mill about.

Apple's product line is relatively small, and all Apple stores carry basically the same items. Based on those facts, all Apple stores could be exactly the same size. The reason some are bigger than others is that the big stores accommodate more customers at one time.

 

[Mad-B-One]

Nice location!

I bought a MaxiCD from Phil Collins (Both Sides of the Story) there as well as a vintage edition of L'Etranger for my upper devision French class... memories! Next time I cross the Atlantic, I might as well buy some Apple toy there, who knows. I love Paris. Definitely have to go there a 10th time!

 

[Gasu E.]

Yeah, ALL state side stores suck compared to the ones overseas. The one closest to me is 1/10 that size and smells like feet and dirty laundry

C'mon, Maryland is 1/10 the size of regular states. I don't know about the smell.

 

[Diode]

Pandora in Canada... no go...

As for genius match, doesn't it just match songs from my own collection?

If you look at the right column when a song is highlighted it will suggest similar artist and link you to the itunes store.

 

[copykris]

It's a beautiful building inside. Very Apple. I used to shop there all the time when I lived in Paris. It's a local landmark and situated in a very prestigious location.

why would you shop on the champs elysées when you're living in paris?

i mean i can understand tourists going there but

much better record stores in les marais and the quartier latin

 

[rovex]

Tim Cook was in Paris to :
- attend hearings in a legal case between Apple and French Apple Premium Reseller eBizcuss
- probably discuss Kiosk issues with major newspaper

The Champs-Elysées location sounds a little overrated. I don't think many Parisians shop on the avenue. I don't know any. More likely tourists from Asia and Russia. But there are Apple Stores in Asia now. So 7000 m² for Russian tourists seems a tad big imho.

You should have seen Louis Vuitton packed to the rafters with japanese/chinese/russians almost exclusively.

Truth be told, the French aren't really interested in what makes up so much of their exports - niche apparel, accesories and other such high end gear. That's partly due to their disposable income being relatively low given the high costs of living. I'm sure the demand for Apple products is there, but I think the bases of this reported Champs-Élysées store is very much tourist focused.

 

[weckart]

Apple couldn't fill that location with unique products if it tried. 1 table, 1 iPhone, 3 laptops, and 3 desktops. Not to mention there is practically 0 software sold anymore at Apple stores in the USA. Even the Accessories are barely in the stores.

This is the impression I get with the Regent St store in London. A lot of repetition of displays on both floors with the majority of space given over to freeloading websurfers. Fair enough, footfall is all it seems.

The Covent Garden branch works better as it is more compartmentalised allowing enough room for each particular product line without looking cluttered. That Virgin store looks like a monolithic space so possibly more than Apple is looking for in another flagship store location.

Having said that, it is a pretty space and in a good location. Apple has money to burn. Who knows?

 

[brianbauer04]

If they really wanted the location and building but the size is too great, Apple could always dedicate some portion of it to other uses.

Perhaps a co-working space for app developers.

 

[TRONgK]

Update: Virgin is denying wanting to leave its Champs Elysées spot:

http://lexpansion.lexpress.fr/high-...amps-elysees-a-la-place-de-virgin_285285.html

English translation

 

[SBlue1]

Apple certainly has the money to pay for the Paris real estate...but I wonder how empty it would feel product-wise.

i have been at the paris store at the opera and i can confirm apple needs more room for the paris stores. they are packed!

 

[louis Fashion]

War, what is it good for?

Mon dieu!

----------



I'm guessing you've never heard of the loudness war, because the quality of music started to erode as a misguided attempt at marketing well before the invention of the mp3. Chances are, the CD you just bought has been mastered to be loud and awful, so ripping it yourself gives you no advantage. Especially if you only wanted a song or two but had to buy the whole album.

Yes, yes. The loudness war. I have an answer to that:

Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd, SACD.

Yamaha S-2000 Amp, Vintage AR 3a speakers.

-- Keep on Rock'n