Apple to open retail store in Amsterdam

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Apple has laid the groundwork for a new retail store in the heart of Amsterdam, which may be open by the end of the year, according to a local Mac news website and first hinted by an AppleInsider report from last June.



Apple has secured a lease in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, according to Â*macned.nl. The report says the location is Building 16 in Dam Square, a historically famous location just beside the Royal Palace. The lease will not take effect until sometime this summer as the current tenants, Rabobank and Fortis -- two of the Netherland's largest bank chains -- both have a few months on their existing leases.



The Amsterdam Apple store will span three floors and is estimated at 11,000 square-feet, of which approximately 1,600 square feet will be used as office space or storage, the report states. It is expected that Apple will try to launch the store in time for the Holiday shopping rush in late November and December.



This latest move by Apple has sparked competitive concern and confusion for some of the area's current Mac dealers, three of which recently received financial aid from the company to upgrade the look and feel of their authorized Apple retail stores. At least a dozen additional dealers throughout the Netherlands have recently received financial support from Apple for similar cosmetic renovations.



According to the report, the landlord of Building 16 viewed Apple as a preferred tenant due to its desire for lengthy lease terms, as well as its potential to modernize the location with its inviting retail store model.



An official announcement may take place next Friday at the Madam Tussauds in Amsterdam.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    Quote:

    Originally posted by AppleInsider

    Apple has laid the groundwork for a new retail store in the heart of Amsterdam, which may be open by the end of the year, according to a local Mac news website and first hinted by an AppleInsider report from last June.



    In the heart of Amsterdamn??
  • Reply 2 of 17
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by AppleInsider

    Apple has laid the groundwork for a new retail store in the heart of Amsterdam, which may be open by the end of the year, according to a local Mac news website and first hinted by an AppleInsider report from last June.



    Apple has secured a lease in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, according to macned.nl. The report says the location is Building 16 in Dam Square, a historically famous location just beside the Royal Palace. The lease will not take effect until sometime this summer as the current tenants, Rabobank and Fortis -- two of the Netherland's largest bank chains -- both have a few months on their existing leases.



    The Amsterdam Apple store will span three floors and is estimated at 3,200 square-feet, of which approximately 500 square feet will be used as office space or storage, the report states. It is expected that Apple will try to launch the store in time for the Holiday shopping rush in late November and December.



    This latest move by Apple has sparked competitive concern and confusion for some of the area's current Mac dealers, three of which recently received financial aid from the company to upgrade the look and feel of their authorized Apple retail stores. At least two-dozen additional dealers throughout the Netherlands have recently received financial support from Apple for similar cosmetic renovations.



    According to the report, the landlord of Building 16 viewed Apple as a preferred tenant due to its desire for lengthy lease terms, as well as its potential to modernize the location with its inviting retail store model.



    An official announcement may take place next Friday at the Madam Tussauds in Amsterdam.



    8)
  • Reply 3 of 17
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    If I were a robber, I would definitely be more attracted to "Robabank" than "Fortis."



    EDIT: An announcement expected on April Fool's Day at a wax museum? Hmmmmm... much food for thought.
  • Reply 4 of 17
    kasperkasper Posts: 941member, administrator
    Quote:

    Originally posted by nagromme

    If I were a robber, I would definitely be more attracted to "Robabank" than "Fortis."



    EDIT: An announcement expected on April Fool's Day at a wax museum? Hmmmmm... much food for thought.




    Well, it could very well coincide with the official announcement of Tiger, which is expected to be broadcast in multiple countries on April 1, according to ThinkSecret's original report on the roll-out of Tiger.



    Best,



    Kasper
  • Reply 5 of 17
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    Dam Square is way cool and can be considered the heart of Amsterdam, no?



    Man oh man



    Somebody's gotta organise the PURE SIN tour of Amsterdam:



    Sexxx, Drugs , Dutch-Style Trance*, and AppleStore Amsterdam Shopping Spree



    F8ck me, that's heaven in an all-inclusive-package right there. Champagne and the Canal cruises would be good too on your coming down days...



    Awesome. Just bloody awesome.





    *Think along the lines of Tiesto, FerryCorsten, ArminVanBuuren
  • Reply 6 of 17
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    It could also coincide with the unveiling of a wax Steve Jobs.
  • Reply 7 of 17
    ijopeijope Posts: 2member
    i have read the dutch story and it states that the lease has already been signed



    yes i'm dutch
  • Reply 8 of 17
    Yes, a Dutch apple store, only 30 minutes away by train me happy 8) iPods are just starting to catch on over here, so the timing for apple retail stores selling apple computers (to be found almost nowhere in the Netherlands) Could not be better. People are dying here for a better experience than wintel but simply do not have any experience with Apple hard- and software. So. Bring it on! 8)
  • Reply 9 of 17
    Finally, you can get high and go to the Apple store legally. No more picking up sh*t weed in Washington Square Park and heading down to SoHo!
  • Reply 10 of 17
    It's almost certain a hoax...sorry guys...If this is true I will eat my iPod-mini :-)



    In the linked article on Macned.nl it states that the leaser had said that the commercial image of the building will be better due to the change of the closed front of the building to a modern open style look of the Applestore. Just to let you know...this building is on the protected monuments-list!!! It's absolutely forbidden to change anything architectural to this building.
  • Reply 11 of 17
    deluxedeluxe Posts: 3member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by dutch pear

    Yes, a Dutch apple store, only 30 minutes away by train me happy 8) iPods are just starting to catch on over here, so the timing for apple retail stores selling apple computers (to be found almost nowhere in the Netherlands) Could not be better. People are dying here for a better experience than wintel but simply do not have any experience with Apple hard- and software. So. Bring it on! 8)



    There is also an apple store near the central station... So you won't have to wait for the new one to open (if it ever does).
  • Reply 12 of 17
    bengt77bengt77 Posts: 46member
    It would be a Very Bad Thing if Apple opened its own retail store in down town Amsterdam, since there already are two Apple Centres near to it's intended location. One of those Apple Centres is MacHouse, which is a very good and respectable Apple retailer. It has three locations through the country and has a large customer base. Apple would have a hard time beating them, but probably will. Would not be a good thing, though.



    I'm against it. And don't think it would happen either, like Riezer said.



    I'm pro-Apple all the way, but in this particular case I have to vote against them.
  • Reply 13 of 17
    bengt77bengt77 Posts: 46member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by dutch pear

    Yes, a Dutch apple store, only 30 minutes away by train me happy 8) iPods are just starting to catch on over here, so the timing for apple retail stores selling apple computers (to be found almost nowhere in the Netherlands) Could not be better. People are dying here for a better experience than wintel but simply do not have any experience with Apple hard- and software. So. Bring it on! 8)



    I am surrounded with people owning iPods. I am the only one of them with a Mac, though. But it's definitely NOT that iPods are just starting to catch on over here. I see people on the streets everywhere wearing white earbuds. I don't know where you live, but here in the Randstad iPods are everywhere.



    Though I have to agree with you on the Apple experience-bit. People really are getting very, very tired of the PC experience here. Many people I know are very much interested in buying a Mac, but are (still) scared to do so, because they think they'll lose compatibility when they switch. I have to explain everytime that that doesn't have to be the case and probably won't be. Even my company's system administrator (who is very much pro-PC, but more pro-Linux than he is pro-Windows) is tempted greatly by the Mac mini. Just to give the Mac OS a try besides his PC running Linux.



    EDIT 1: Also, your claim of there being almost no Apple retailers holds no ground at all. Every Bijenkorf sells them. Also, there are Apple Centres in down town Amsterdam, in down town Rotterdam, in down town Den Haag, in down town Arnhem and in Uitgeest, Eindhoven, Hengelo, Enschede and Maastricht. Also, there are Apple retailers in 's-Hertogenbosch, Woerden, Rhenen (near Utrecht) and probably lots of other places as well. Plus, iPods are being sold by V&D, Dixons, BCC and almost all of the other electronics retailers. Do you consider that to be almost no retailers at all?!...



    EDIT 2: I also forgot to mention that almost all my friends (and not only the iPod-using few) are using iTunes as their main music player application. Once they downloaded and tried it, they were hooked.
  • Reply 14 of 17
    hobbithobbit Posts: 532member
    While the report seems legit, it nevertheless is surprising that Amsterdam should be the second European location for an Apple retail store - after London.



    It would seem a lot more reasonable to open the next store in one of the big Apple markets like France or Germany. I would have bet Paris would be the next store location. After all the European Apple HQ is in France... It must hurt their pride to see tiny Holland snatch up the next store even before France gets one.

    Although there are at least reports of Apple looking to lease a spot on the Champs-Elysees. But apparently nothing signed yet.



    As I said, a bit odd that of all the European countries Holland should be the next one. But congrats to the Dutch! I'm sure they'll like it as much as the Brits love theirs.
  • Reply 15 of 17
    vox barbaravox barbara Posts: 2,021member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by hobBIT

    While the report seems legit, it nevertheless is surprising that Amsterdam should be the second European location for an Apple retail store - after London.



    It would seem a lot more reasonable to open the next store in one of the big Apple markets like France or Germany. I would have bet Paris would be the next store location. After all the European Apple HQ is in France... It must hurt their pride to see tiny Holland snatch up the next store even before France gets one.

    Although there are at least reports of Apple looking to lease a spot on the Champs-Elysees. But apparently nothing signed yet.



    As I said, a bit odd that of all the European countries Holland should be the next one. But congrats to the Dutch! I'm sure they'll like it as much as the Brits love theirs.




    Just read somewhere -

    - Berlin will be the next apple spot.

    Makes sense, if you ask me.

    Yes Berlin yes. That would satisfy me.
  • Reply 16 of 17
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Ben Huebscher

    Finally, you can get high and go to the Apple store legally. No more picking up sh*t weed in Washington Square Park and heading down to SoHo!



  • Reply 17 of 17
    I've passed by another apple store in Padua Italy. very nice athmosphere and colourful design...
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