Apple to begin work on Montreal flagship this winter (photos)

[AppleInsider]

Apple Inc., which plans to turn an existing Montreal storefront into Canada's first high-profile Apple flagship shop, will have to hold off renovation efforts until the current tenant vacates the premises later this fall.

The Cupertino-based Mac maker has secured a lease at 1321 Ste-Catherine Ouest in the heart of Montreal's shopping district, currently occupied by a MENS fashion retailer. Once MENS vacates the premises this November, Apple will begin to heavily alter the site, which it plans to turn into a two-story flagship retail store spanning some 9,300 square feet.

Among the planned renovations, as AppleInsider exclusively reported on Wednesday, are a new roof and stainless steel facade. Apple also plans to relocate some structural columns, raise the ground floor, and install a trademark glass staircase joining retail floors 1 and 2.

Photos of the existing MENS fashion retailer (below) show Apple to have chosen a location for its first Canadian flagship shop that is already reminiscent of some of its higher-profile stores, complete with a spacious interior and large window displays on both floors.

The site of Apple's future Motreal flagship retail store | Photo by Chris Erb

The site of Apple's future Motreal flagship retail store | Photo by Chris Erb

The site of Apple's future Motreal flagship retail store | Photo by Chris Erb

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[city]

It doesn't look that big to me.

[danielchow]

Originally Posted by city

It doesn't look that big to me.

if you look closely at the interior around the stairs, i think you might notice the space extends into the next building.

[hansning]

if only you've been inside

[trevc]

Hopefully the tenants 'KNOW' they're leaving!? No closing out or moving signs.

Maybe they know now.

[Lafe]

Originally Posted by trevc

Hopefully the tenants 'KNOW' they're leaving!? No closing out or moving signs.

Maybe they know now.

Time to buy a suit at a discount.

[guiness]

We're still waiting on an Apple store to arrive in Vancouver...common Apple, get with it.

[Kasper]

Originally Posted by trevc

Hopefully the tenants 'KNOW' they're leaving!? No closing out or moving signs.

Maybe they know now.

The manager is aware. They have to be out in Nov.

Best,

K

[pixeljump]

So the store "MENS" in these photos sells high end menswear with brands like Hugo Boss, Diesel, J. Lindberg (spelling?), etc. -- The owner of this store has two other stores (with different names) in the same vicinity:
1) Hugo Boss (a franchise) on Crescent at Ste-Catherine; and
2)Another store (name escapes me) on Peel near Sherbrooke (inbetween BMO "Bank of Montreal" and Mikasa Japanese Steakhouse/The Best Western... across the street from the prestigious MAA health club.

Anyway, my guess is the clothing from the MENS location will be filtered into the two other locations which carry the same brands/have the same store clientele.

Now... to the immediate left of MENS is TAG- a cigar shop. And to the right is Ogilvy's which caters to high end men and women as it recently (maybe two years ago) expanded its Louis Vuitton boutique. The windows of Ogilvy's from left to right showcase the beauty department, MAC cosmetics mini-boutique and Louis Vuitton's mini-boutique.

This area garners a lot of foot traffic as you can imagine because it is on Ste-Catherine street which is already a street lined with stores for several blocks, but also it is at Crescent (street to the left in these photos)- which is heavily populated by tourists (there is a Hard Rock Cafe there).

Apple definitely chose a dominant location for their Canadian flagship location. It's too bad I no longer live in Montreal- but Toronto has an Apple store that suits my needs.

[city]

Originally Posted by pixeljump

So the store "MENS" in these photos sells high end menswear with brands like Hugo Boss, Diesel, J. Lindberg (spelling?), etc. -- The owner of this store has two other stores (with different names) in the same vicinity:
1) Hugo Boss (a franchise) on Crescent at Ste-Catherine; and
2)Another store (name escapes me) on Peel near Sherbrooke (inbetween BMO "Bank of Montreal" and Mikasa Japanese Steakhouse/The Best Western... across the street from the prestigious MAA health club.

Anyway, my guess is the clothing from the MENS location will be filtered into the two other locations which carry the same brands/have the same store clientele.

Now... to the immediate left of MENS is TAG- a cigar shop. And to the right is Ogilvy's which caters to high end men and women as it recently (maybe two years ago) expanded its Louis Vuitton boutique. The windows of Ogilvy's from left to right showcase the beauty department, MAC cosmetics mini-boutique and Louis Vuitton's mini-boutique.

This area garners a lot of foot traffic as you can imagine because it is on Ste-Catherine street which is already a street lined with stores for several blocks, but also it is at Crescent (street to the left in these photos)- which is heavily populated by tourists (there is a Hard Rock Cafe there).

Apple definitely chose a dominant location for their Canadian flagship location. It's too bad I no longer live in Montreal- but Toronto has an Apple store that suits my needs.

Looks conservative in size for a new "Flagship". Perhaps they should of taken the Hardrock Cafe spot.

[gigi]

Hope they will improve the french experience. French is important for Quebec consumer.

[markenvoyage]

Any speculation as to why Apple chose Montreal instead of Toronto for it's Canadian Flagship?

[slowereastside]

Lots of universities/colleges, other large tech firms (EA, Ubisoft, etc.), cheap real estate...

[myamid]

Originally Posted by markenvoyage

Any speculation as to why Apple chose Montreal instead of Toronto for it's Canadian Flagship?

Well I'm not sure how that's held-up over time, but historically, there always have been higher than average Mac usage in Quebec than elsewhere in North-America (not unlike the fact that we're one of the few places where there are more Pepsi drikers than Coke drinkers). It was arond 20% of the market in the mid 90's when the Mac had about 10% elsewhere...

Choosing Montreal in that respect makes alot of sense... And yeah, there are ALOT of university students in that part of town which certainly makes alot of sense (much more than the oddball Laval store).

I personally can't wait. It really is a great high-end spot to setup shop in, and as some have said, it's deceptively big inside (the facade doesn't do it justice).

[Fawzi]

Originally Posted by gigi

Hope they will improve the french experience. French is important for Quebec consumer.

If the French AppleStore or the availability of french products on the refurb store on the Apple.ca site is any indication I wouldn't hope for too much...

But lets wait and see...

[Sekio]

The store is much bigger than the pictures make it out to be. It's kinda dwarfed by the Ogilvy building and Ste-Catherine buildings tend to be very long from facade to back. It's definitely a good spot and they chose a good building to put a flagship store in.

[Shaun, UK]

It looks like a good size and location from the photo's.

I went to Montreal and Toronto a few years ago and loved it. Great places to visit.

[JavaCowboy]

As a Montrealer who actually lives downtown, I was able to visit the site above on my return walk from work, so I'll give you a true insider's perspective:

The place is BIG. It's actually 2 1/2 floors, with the 1/2 floor being a short strip between the stairways leading from the top and bottom floors. Both full floors are very roomy, about 30-40 feet wide for the bottom floor, and maybe about 50-60 feet deep. The top floor isn't as wide, so maybe about 20-30 feet. It's much larger than the Apple store in Laval, which I saw last Saturday.

I tried to picture the store with Apple merchandise instead of men's clothing. It seemed to be a very natural fit. Still, I have no idea what renovations Apple has in mind.

I can't wait until this store is open. Among other things, I'll be able to see, first hand, new Apple products immediately (ex new iMac) instead of waiting a month for the non-Apple retailers to get them. Also, I'll be able to more easily shop for games for Mac (since the Apple store won't carry Windows games).

P.S. I went to the Laval store this weekend, and it was a long trek even with somebody giving me a lift. The store is quite small, but still offers a great Apple experience. It's set up to entice impulse buying. I wanted to walk out with an Airport Extreme, but I held myself back

[bryand]

Any idea if Montreal has any other Apple stores? Toronto has three, I think, but they're not on this scale. Perhaps cheap real estate was a consideration, since Montreal's economy has been chronically depressed for the last thirty years. But high costs didn't stop Apple from building big stores in New York City, so hopefully they will bring a new "flagship" store to Canada's economic centre soon. There's about three times as many consumers and 5 times as much money in Toronto as Montreal, so it would be a smart move for Apple.

[Zipzot]

I wonder how far away the closest strip club is from this store.....the street has a ton of them?

[nicleT]

Originally Posted by bryand

Any idea if Montreal has any other Apple stores? ...

Nope, Montreal hasn't any Apple Store yet. Sure, you can point out Laval's one but you'll be wrong, Laval is far another city (and a way of life!).

So, see you there at the "Grande Ouverture" guys

[Sekio]

I'm pretty sure it's across the street from a strip bar.

[ajmas]

Originally Posted by bryand

Any idea if Montreal has any other Apple stores? Toronto has three, I think, but they're not on this scale. Perhaps cheap real estate was a consideration, since Montreal's economy has been chronically depressed for the last thirty years. But high costs didn't stop Apple from building big stores in New York City, so hopefully they will bring a new "flagship" store to Canada's economic centre soon. There's about three times as many consumers and 5 times as much money in Toronto as Montreal, so it would be a smart move for Apple.

None by name, though there is MicroBoutique which does a good job in specialising in Mac hardware.

As to location, I think Montreal is much of a tourist oriented city than Toronto. Beyond the CN tower I am not sure what other attraction the place has? Montreal has festivals, the F1 GP, Indy GP, an old town, an active down-town, night life that is accessible on foot, four universities, IT industry, pharma industry and other stuff too. Also where it is in Montreal puts it next to Crescent street, which is an "in place" for clubs and restaurants. BTW It makes more sense to be on Ste-Catherine, since the street is considered a shopping street and you get all the foot traffic, whereas Crescent is more about dining and clubbing.

BTW If you are interested: General statistics on tourism in Montréal

[bryand]

Originally Posted by ajmas

None by name, though there is MicroBoutique which does a good job in specialising in Mac hardware.

As to location, I think Montreal is much of a tourist oriented city than Toronto. Beyond the CN tower I am not sure what other attraction the place has? Montreal has festivals, the F1 GP, Indy GP, an old town, an active down-town, night life that is accessible on foot and other stuff too. Also where it is in Montreal puts it next to Crescent street, which is an "in place" for clubs and restaurants. BTW It makes more sense to be on Ste-Catherine, since the street is considered a shopping street and you get all the foot traffic, whereas Crescent is more about dining and clubbing.

BTW If you are interested: General statistics on tourism in Montréal

I could easily argue the relative merits of Toronto and Montreal for tourism, but it would be besides the point. Tourists don't go on vacation to buy a computer. The main market has got to be local for a computer store, and Toronto is simply a much bigger place with a bigger market for Apple computers. I have a feeling that the people in Cupertino chose Montreal without a full understanding of the Canadian market.

Anyway, at least we already have three Apple Stores in Toronto. I'm just a bit disappointed with them. They are very small and offer little else besides a display of Apple products. A big flagship on Bloor Street, or Yonge would be great.

[ajmas]

Originally Posted by bryand

Tourists don't go on vacation to buy a computer.

Not necessarily, but I have seen plenty of European visitors buy electronics hardware when they come over to North America, since it is cheaper over here. There may be other factors that Apple took into account that we aren't fully aware of.

This would be the first branded Apple store for the city.

[Rich-Myster]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

The Cupertino-based Mac maker has secured a lease at 1321 Ste-Catherine Ouest

i was about to say it's ouest not quest but for some reason it says ouest in the quote D:

Originally Posted by slowereastside

Lots of universities/colleges, other large tech firms (EA, Ubisoft, etc.), cheap real estate...

real estate isn't cheap, it's expensive as heck. especially downtown montreal.

[Abster2core]

Originally Posted by myamid

Well I'm not sure how that's held-up over time, but historically, there always have been higher than average Mac usage in Quebec than elsewhere in North-America (not unlike the fact that we're one of the few places where there are more Pepsi drikers than Coke drinkers). It was arond 20% of the market in the mid 90's when the Mac had about 10% elsewhere...

I understood that Toronto held that distinction.

[Sekio]

I imagine it has a lot to do with "cool factor". I may be a bit biased being from Montreal but this city is generally considered to be the "hip" and cool city where Toronto is considered to be more about business. Despite Toronto being larger and richer, the whole concept of an Apple Flagship opening in Montreal before Toronto sends a message that Apple is more of a "cool" company than one that is strictly motivated by profit. I'm sure there are plans for a Toronto store in the near future but the Montreal store being first I'm sure is being done to send this message.

[berkowit28]

"Yes, it's true, Montreal already has one Apple Store. It's located in the "Carrefour" shopping centre on the north shore (Laval)." (last thread)

Laval is to Montreal rather like Mississauga is to Toronto, plus a river separating it. Not the same thing as beingin Montreal at all.

It makes sense to put a big flagship store in downtown Montreal precisely because there are no Apple stores there yet - overdue. There will be a market. Plus the "cool" factor will especially attract a lot of traffic in a city like Montreal, as others have said

It also made sense to put the first Apple store in Toronto - most people, most money, and even to add other stores to fill the demand. Toronto will get a flagship store in due course, but it's less urgent tahn in Montreal, since there are three stores already there. maybe in 2 or 3 years.

Vancouver and Calgary will get Apple stores, but not flagship stores. At least not as long as they are so selectively placed as at present.

[markenvoyage]

I imagine it has a lot to do with "cool factor". I may be a bit biased being from Montreal but this city is generally considered to be the "hip" and cool city where Toronto is considered to be more about business.

I can just imagine a TV commercial that starts with a cool hypster and business geek saying "Hi, I'm Montreal..., and I'm Toronto"

[JuilletteQuatorze]

To all the frustrated torontovites :

Have you actually ever been to Montréal? I went to Toronto several times and I gotta say it’s nowhere as an international capital as Montréal... Sorry to say this, but if you tell someone anywhere on the planet your from Toronto it’s like sayin your from Cincinati or Detroit. Bland...

Montréal is up there with the world’s most appealing cities like; Berlin, Rome, Paris, NYC, Tokyo, London, Geneva, Sidney, Barcelona and so on.

Have you ever had the summer olympics? NO
Any universal expos? NO
How many stanley cups? Ok maybe that’s unrelated...

Fact is Toronto will NOT have an Apple Flagship store. End of story...

Of course, Toronto is richer and has about 1 million more citizens, but in the end of the day it’s just not up there with NYC, London and Tokyo in terms of international glamour and appeal.

[montrealer]

According to this article (French) <http://technaute.cyberpresse.ca/nouvelles/texte_complet.php?id=81,12399,0,092007,1379391.htm l&ref=nouvelles>, the city of Montreal denied the request of Apple to remove some parking meter panels. Apple had offered to pay 35000$ for 5 years, but the city refused, citing that a parking space is public property.

You can see what the parking meter signs look like at the bottom right of the third image.