Wauwatosa, NYC SoHo stores evolve

Two more Apple Stores are confirmed for Europe, reports say. The first is coming to Madrid, Spain, where a shop will open by the end of the year in the Parquesur mall, located within the city's southern suburbs. The mall is said to be one of the largest in Europe, with over 230 vendors. The new outlet will be roughly 10 miles away from the Xanadu Apple Store, and only 7 miles away from the upcoming Puerta del Sol location downtown.

In Germany Apple is developing a second shop for the city of Hamburg. It's expected to occupy two levels of a six-story building at Jungfernstieg 12, based in the city's center next to the Binnenalster artificial lake. Apple is already in process of hiring, and may be ready to launch the store by the end of September.

Back in the US, the Mayfair Apple Store in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin has finally reopened after a series of renovations. The store has been given a new look in keeping with more recent Apple architecture; while some renovations were done in August 2009 to emphasize glass and steel, the shop continued to use some original design touches, such as wood floors and glass partitions.

A source lastly suggests that the SoHo outlet in New York City may be expanding into a nearby space. The present space is Apple's smallest in the NYC area, sized at about 16,000 square feet versus at least 20,000. The company was granted permits for basement work in the SoHo store earlier this month, and now has a lease on 124 Greene Street, the space in a side street behind the store.

The US Postal Service moved to 124 Greene in 2001 after making way for Apple's SoHo plans. The Greene post office ultimately closed in late 2009, at which point Apple likely seized the opportunity. Taking over the real estate would gain Apple an extra 5,000 square feet.

by MacNN Staff