Upper West Side NYC store

One of Apple's 40 new retail stores planned for 2008 will be another New York City shop, according to reports. Following the recent opening of its third (and largest) Manhattan retail store earlier this month, the company is intending to tear down and rebuild a storefront at 1981 Broadway, on the northwest corner of West 67th Street; the current building is an 8,500 square-foot Victoria's Secret, and was at one point the site of the Cineplex Odeon Regency Theater. Victoria's Secret parent company Limited Brands has reportedly been attempting to sublease the space for some time.

Apple is rumored to have been interested in the real estate as far back as two years ago, but is said to have become distracted while attempting to build its flagship Fifth Avenue store. Rent in the new area is estimated to cost approximately $275 to $300 per square foot.

When Apple completes its new store, it will be the company's fifth in the New York City area: aside from Fifth Avenue, there are also SoHo, 14th Street and Staten Island outlets. The concentration of Apple Stores in New York City is unique, dwarfed only by the number in the Bay Area in California, within close reach of Apple's headquarters.

by MacNN Staff