Company skips weekend launches despite rush

Apple is doing an unusual Tuesday opening for its latest store in London, England, a report notes. The Stratford City outlet will open in the The Arcade, Westfield Stratford City at 10AM local time on September 13th. Apple launches almost all of its stores on Saturdays, making it easier for more people to visit. The Stratford City location will be Apple's fifth in London proper, not including surrounding areas. The timing of its introduction is linked with the premiere of its host mall.

Unusually Apple has no openings scheduled for this weekend, even though the company must launch several more stores to meet a self-imposed deadline at the end of September. The gap could attributable to the 10th anniversary of 9/11, since remembrance ceremonies will taking place, and some people may also want to avoid public transit.

Several key Apple Stores should at least be finished by the year's end, including the Grand Central Terminal location in New York City, and the temporary Greene Street storefront that will replace the SoHo store while it undergoes expansion. Most of the company's retail projects are completed by the end of November on any given year, since that allows it to exploit Black Friday, the peak of the holiday shopping season.

by MacNN Staff