Apple could take over Dublin location for first Irish Apple Store

Posted:
in General Discussion edited April 2016
Apple could potentially sign a lease for real estate on Dublin's O'Connell Street, establishing its first-ever outlet in the country of Ireland, a report indicated on Friday.




Natrium -- a consortium which bought the former Clerys department store at the location for ?29 million ($32.6 million) -- is trying to pitch Apple on the idea, Independent.ie said. Negotiations have allegedly been ongoing for several months.

Apple told The Irish Times that it has not announced a store for the site, but the company is often secretive about its retail plans until a store is already under construction.

The closure of Clerys in June was extremely controversial, firstly because the store was an iconic fixture of Dublin. Its loss put 460 people out of work, some of whom had been with the company for at least 40 years. Protests arose over the way terminations were handled.

Apple does have a store in Belfast in Northern Ireland, but none in the independent nation, despite it being a focal point of Apple's business. Facilities in and around Cork handle the company's European operations, iMac manufacturing, and international revenue, exploiting Irish loopholes to pay a minimum amount of taxes -- something currently the focus of a European Commission investigation. Plans for a datacenter are awaiting approval.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    They missed out on the perfect building which was taken over by H&M just over a year ago. Nice size without being too large, much better location, nicer building with entrances on both sides of the block. This has historical pedigree, I guess. It's just out of the way in terms of Grafton Street which is the main shopping street in Dublin with more people with money walking around and a very busy pedestrian street. The north side has shopping streets too, so it's not like Cleary's is in the middle of nowhere. We'll honestly take any kind of store at this stage, even a fruit stand; anything!


    edited April 2016 jimble4599patchythepiratetallest skil
  • Reply 2 of 27
    This was the first purpose built department store in the world. Selfridges in London was based on it. So it really is an iconic place in Dublin. Meeting "under the Clerys clock" is a common phrase. Can't think of a better tenant than Apple for it.
    patchythepirate
  • Reply 3 of 27
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    This was the first purpose built department store in the world. Selfridges in London was based on it. So it really is an iconic place in Dublin. Meeting "under the Clerys clock" is a common phrase. Can't think of a better tenant than Apple for it.
    True, Apple would be the perfect tenant for it. 'Meet at the Spire' has replaced meet under Cleary's clock.
    jimble4599
  • Reply 4 of 27
    Could it be? Is it finally happening? Have all my Christmasses come along together? Etc, etc, etc

    However, the cynic in me says, "I'll believe it when I'm standing in the queue, ten minutes before opening, waiting for my new t-shirt". 

    Bring it on, Apple.
    jimble4599
  • Reply 5 of 27
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Could it be? Is it finally happening? Have all my Christmasses come along together? Etc, etc, etc

    However, the cynic in me says, "I'll believe it when I'm standing in the queue, ten minutes before opening, waiting for my new t-shirt". 

    Bring it on, Apple.
    You don't need to be a cynic to think that way, it's been 15 years now and the UK has 39 stores. And given the source (Independent) it could merely be some propaganda on the part no the owners to try to move Apple—not knowing it wouldn't work. Just look to that Thursday Night Football bidding war the NFL were trying to start: the media would have you believe Apple was bidding. Apple never placed a bid and probably had zero interest in doing so. Nor were they buying that hydrogen fuel cell company who was clearly trying to pump their stock. Trump apparently built that ice-skating rink. The reality is Trump didn't build anything for that rink, others built if free of charge and Trump swooped in with his political connections and claimed it for himself. No one bothers to investigate anything anymore. Well, 60 Minutes and Glenn Greenwald do. Most journalism is dead these days.

    Half-truth-journalism gets more clicks, so. Not blaming AI, they are just reporting what's written.
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 6 of 27
    ireland said:
    Could it be? Is it finally happening? Have all my Christmasses come along together? Etc, etc, etc

    However, the cynic in me says, "I'll believe it when I'm standing in the queue, ten minutes before opening, waiting for my new t-shirt". 

    Bring it on, Apple.
    You don't need to be a cynic to think that way, it's been 15 years now and the UK has 39 stores. And given the source (Independent) it could merely be some propaganda on the part no the owners to try to move Apple—not knowing it wouldn't work. Just look to that Thursday Night Football bidding war the NFL were trying to start: the media would have you believe Apple was bidding. Apple never placed a bid and probably had zero interest in doing so. Nor were they buying that hydrogen fuel cell company who was clearly trying to pump their stock. Trump apparently built that ice-skating rink. The reality is Trump didn't build anything for that rink, others built if free of charge and Trump swooped in with his political connections and claimed it for himself. No one bothers to investigate anything anymore. Well, 60 minutes and Glenn Greenwald does. Most journalism is dead these days.

    Half-truth-journalism gets more clicks, so. Not blaming AI, they are just reporting what's written.
    Well no other country of Ireland's size has an Apple Store yet outside of Asia. So think of it that way. We'd be getting one before Norway, New Zealand and Denmark which all have a similar GDP PPP per capita and similar 4-5 million populations. The Irish spend more per capita on Apple products though. So if this is happening it could be the beginning of a wider rollout in small countries. The fact that Apple actually commented is what intrigues me. There's been speculation about a Dublin Apple Store for years and they've never commented. So this could be the real deal. Especially with the booming economy and the influx of American retailers over the past 5 years.
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 7 of 27
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Well no other country of Ireland's size has an Apple Store yet outside of Asia. So think of it that way. We'd be getting one before Norway, New Zealand and Denmark which all have a similar GDP PPP per capita and similar 4-5 million populations.
    Yes, but Ireland gets far more tourists than those countries (who need service) so those population figures aren't completely relevant.
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 8 of 27
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member

    The fact that Apple actually commented is what intrigues me. There's been speculation about a Dublin Apple Store for years and they've never commented. So this could be the real deal. Especially with the booming economy and the influx of American retailers over the past 5 years.
    Are you sure they've never commented? You think our economy is booming? Our national dept: €184,622,041,664 Where are you located? As my uncle said (he was head of business in an Irish university) 'Germany now own us and they never even had to go to war with us'.
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 9 of 27
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    ireland said:
    Well no other country of Ireland's size has an Apple Store yet outside of Asia. So think of it that way. We'd be getting one before Norway, New Zealand and Denmark which all have a similar GDP PPP per capita and similar 4-5 million populations.
    Yes, but Ireland gets far more tourists than those countries (who need service) so those population figures aren't completely relevant.
    Denmark gets more: http://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284416899
    davidw
  • Reply 10 of 27
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    crowley said:
    ireland said:
    Yes, but Ireland gets far more tourists than those countries (who need service) so those population figures aren't completely relevant.
    Denmark gets more: http://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284416899
    Page won't load for me. I'd like to see the 2014 numbers for both countries.
  • Reply 11 of 27
    ireland said:

    The fact that Apple actually commented is what intrigues me. There's been speculation about a Dublin Apple Store for years and they've never commented. So this could be the real deal. Especially with the booming economy and the influx of American retailers over the past 5 years.
    Are you sure they've never commented? You think our economy is booming? Our national dept: €184,622,041,664 Where are you located? As my uncle said (he was head of business in an Irish university) 'Germany now own us and they never even had to go to war with us'.
    Come on. Our national debt is 93.8% of GDP. High, but close to the UK and lower than the United States. Down from 123% of GDP. It was actually Ireland's low national debt in 2007 (25% of GDP) that saved us from an all out Greek situation. I know there's a populism around economics but the fundamentals of the economy are absolutely booming. GDP annual growth rate ranged anywhere between 7.2% and 9.2% last year (5th in the world and 1st in developed countries). Unemployment fell from 15.1% in Q1 2012 to 8.5% today. High by historical standards but not far above Sweden and lower than Finland. We had a 21% trade surplus last month (and have posted similar figures since 2013). Government now has a primary surplus and a deficit of 1.3% if you include debt servicing. The UK by comparison has a nearly 5% deficit. The EU commission's limit is 3%. Dublin airport saw 25.5 million passengers last year and is on track to see 28 million this year --up from 19 million in 2012. Now you can do the typical thing and point to the influence of multinationals but clearly there's more going on in the diversified economy. I'm not defending the government here. I'm saying Ireland's gotten very lucky in that favourable demographics (the youngest population in Europe), a weak Euro, open economy, etc. have played in our favour in the wake of that mess the last shower caused and all of the companies opening up stores here are taking advantage by getting in at the bottom. Figures: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/ireland/indicators
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 12 of 27
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Come on. Our national debt is 93.8% of GDP. High, but close to the UK and lower than the United States. Down from 123% of GDP. It was actually Ireland's low national debt in 2007 (25% of GDP) that saved us from an all out Greek situation. I know there's a populism around economics but the fundamentals of the economy are absolutely booming. GDP annual growth rate ranged anywhere between 7.2% and 9.2% last year (5th in the world and 1st in developed countries). Unemployment fell from 15.1% in Q1 2012 to 8.5% today. High by historical standards but not far above Sweden and lower than Finland. We had a 21% trade surplus last month (and have posted similar figures since 2013). Government now has a primary surplus and a deficit of 1.3% if you include debt servicing. The UK by comparison has a nearly 5% deficit. The EU commission's limit is 3%. Dublin airport saw 25.5 million passengers last year and is on track to see 28 million this year --up from 19 million in 2012. Now you can do the typical thing and point to the influence of multinationals but clearly there's more going on in the diversified economy. I'm not defending the government here. I'm saying Ireland's gotten very lucky in that favourable demographics (the youngest population in Europe), a weak Euro, open economy, etc. have played in our favour in the wake of that mess the last shower caused and all of the companies opening up stores here are taking advantage by getting in at the bottom. Figures: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/ireland/indicators
    Every economist has a different opinion on economics. The real danger in being part of Europe and being run by a shower of self-serving cunts is everything ends up being privatised in the end.
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 13 of 27
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    ireland said:
    crowley said:
    Page won't load for me. I'd like to see the 2014 numbers for both countries.
    2014 numbers aren't there, but for each of the three preceding years Denmark had more tourists.  Possible that Ireland had more in 2014, but doubtful that it would be by much.

    You're right about Norway and New Zealand though, they're way behind.


    2011 2012 2013
    Denmark 8,744 8,443 8,557
    Ireland 7,134 7,550 8,260
    Norway 4,767 4,375 4,734
    New Zealand 2,435 2,473 2,629

     
    Figures in 000s.

    Interestingly, despite their numbers being the lowest, New Zealand's tourist industry earns the most revenue of the four. It's all in the UNWTO doc.
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 14 of 27
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    crowley said:
    2014 numbers aren't there, but for each of the three preceding years Denmark had more tourists.  Possible that Ireland had more in 2014, but doubtful that it would be by much.
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 15 of 27
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    This bloody comment UI is killing me. Surprising numbers!!
  • Reply 16 of 27
    dr_evildr_evil Posts: 10member
    ireland said:

    The fact that Apple actually commented is what intrigues me. There's been speculation about a Dublin Apple Store for years and they've never commented. So this could be the real deal. Especially with the booming economy and the influx of American retailers over the past 5 years.
    Are you sure they've never commented? You think our economy is booming? Our national dept: €184,622,041,664 Where are you located? As my uncle said (he was head of business in an Irish university) 'Germany now own us and they never even had to go to war with us'.
    The Germans were obviously playing a long game.  Contrary to what your uncle says, Germany did* go to war with Ireland; it just took a century to bear fruit.  

    * Ireland went to war with Germany on 4 August 1914, as one of the constituent kingdoms of the United Kingdom.  That war ended on 11 November 1918.  As a matter of its own constitutional law, the Republic of Ireland fixes the date of its creation as (at the earliest) 21 January 1919, the date of the first Dáil, of the first Declaration of Independence by an Irish elected assembly, and of the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence (it was a busy day). As an aside: so far as British law is concerned, the Irish Free State was not created until 6 December 1922.  

    So whichever way you look at it, from the British or Irish perspective, or that of the law of armed conflict, Ireland and Germany did go to war. The names of over 49,400 dead Irishmen listed at the Irish National War Memorial Gardens in Islandbridge, Dublin attest to this.  That's a big chunk of the 900,000 dead from the whole British Empire during the First World War. To put that number in perspective, Ireland's War of Independence against Britain from 21 January 1919 to 11 July 1921 claimed a total of around 2,000 dead, on both sides, including civilians.  Or to put it another way, the United States lost 116,516 dead in the First World War: that's 2.5 times Ireland's number but with a population which at the time was 30 times as large.  

    Sorry for what must seem an off-topic rant, but the historical amnesia of my own countrymen demeans the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in a conflict many people there would rather forget.  For an academic to crack a joke which relies on that was poor form.  

    Besides, this post is not completely off-topic: the building we are talking about dates from 1922, the era of the creation of the Irish state. It was rebuilt by Clery's in that year after having been completely destroyed in the 1916 Easter Rising. 


    JanNL
  • Reply 17 of 27
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    Lots of Irish people coming out of the woodwork here. I'm taking note. 
    ireland
  • Reply 18 of 27
    This was the first purpose built department store in the world. Selfridges in London was based on it. So it really is an iconic place in Dublin. Meeting "under the Clerys clock" is a common phrase. Can't think of a better tenant than Apple for it.
    Could it be? Is it finally happening? Have all my Christmasses come along together? Etc, etc, etc

    However, the cynic in me says, "I'll believe it when I'm standing in the queue, ten minutes before opening, waiting for my new t-shirt". 

    Bring it on, Apple.
    ireland said:
    This was the first purpose built department store in the world. Selfridges in London was based on it. So it really is an iconic place in Dublin. Meeting "under the Clerys clock" is a common phrase. Can't think of a better tenant than Apple for it.
    True, Apple would be the perfect tenant for it. 'Meet at the Spire' has replaced meet under Cleary's clock.
    That's true. I agree with you about the H&M building btw. College Green is the new "it" place to shop in Dublin what with Abercrombie and Fitch, American Apparel and the new plaza being built. However, imagine what this could do for O'Connell Street? Apple could revitalise an area that really needs it and cause more high profile tenants to follow. And I'm sure they're aware of the importance of O'Connell Street and the GPO in the Irish psyche so they may be playing on that. If it's happening I'd say we'll hear about it at WWDC. They may want some exposure on it to reaffirm their commitment to working in Ireland what with the upcoming EU Commission case.
    ireland
  • Reply 19 of 27
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    crowley said:
    ireland said:
    Page won't load for me. I'd like to see the 2014 numbers for both countries.
    2014 numbers aren't there, but for each of the three preceding years Denmark had more tourists.  Possible that Ireland had more in 2014, but doubtful that it would be by much.

    You're right about Norway and New Zealand though, they're way behind.


    2011 2012 2013
    Denmark 8,744 8,443 8,557
    Ireland 7,134 7,550 8,260
    Norway 4,767 4,375 4,734
    New Zealand 2,435 2,473 2,629

     
    Figures in 000s.

    Interestingly, despite their numbers being the lowest, New Zealand's tourist industry earns the most revenue of the four. It's all in the UNWTO doc.
    Ireland's numbers are clearly growing at a rate that probably exceeded Denmark by 2014 or 2015. 

    But I don't buy Ireland's ( the poster not the country) arguments. It would definitely matter to many retail outlets that tourist numbers are high -- less so an expensive electronics store. Do many tourists but iPhones or macs on holiday? Apples prices are not cheap in Ireland. They might sell some accessories. The Genius Bar is a cost. 
  • Reply 20 of 27
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    asdasd said:
    crowley said:
    2014 numbers aren't there, but for each of the three preceding years Denmark had more tourists.  Possible that Ireland had more in 2014, but doubtful that it would be by much.

    You're right about Norway and New Zealand though, they're way behind.


    2011 2012 2013
    Denmark 8,744 8,443 8,557
    Ireland 7,134 7,550 8,260
    Norway 4,767 4,375 4,734
    New Zealand 2,435 2,473 2,629

     
    Figures in 000s.

    Interestingly, despite their numbers being the lowest, New Zealand's tourist industry earns the most revenue of the four. It's all in the UNWTO doc.
    Ireland's numbers are clearly growing at a rate that probably exceeded Denmark by 2014 or 2015. 
    Two years does not make a sustainable trend. It may well have gone above Denmark's, but I wouldn't say a single metric with three data points is clear at all.

    In any case, that wasn't really the point.
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