New Vancouver outlet coming

One or more thieves broke into the Renaissance at Colony Park Apple Store in Ridgeland, Mississippi on Monday morning, reports say. The incident occurred sometime around 4:30AM, and resulted in at least 20 computers being stolen. Local police say that a car was spotted traveling at high speed on the roundabout on Highland Colony Parkway and Old Agency Road at 4AM, which prompted them to patrol nearby businesses. The theft was called in to station roughly 20 to 30 minutes later.

No suspects have been arrested. To get into the outlet, the perpetrator or perpetrators simply smashed through the glass facade. Apple has been hit by a series of smash-and-grabs in the past couple of years, prompting the company to reconsider its approach to retail design. Several stores have added or are currently adding security gates, which can be lowered overnight to deter easy looting.

Apple is meanwhile planning to launch two major Chinese stores this week. The first is the Nanjing East location in Shanghai, which will be Apple's third in the city and should have two floors of actual retail space with another three dedicated to spaces for training, meetings and administration. The opening will take place on Friday at 9AM.

In Hong Kong, Apple is doing a Saturday launch at the IFC Mall. The city is a latecomer to Apple's retail chain, despite having a richer population than the rest of the country. The new store should be poised to take advantage of that fact, since the mall is stocked with upscale businesses, and part of a complex including an office tower and a four-star hotel.

Apple is also set to debut another shop in Vancouver, Canada in near future. The new effort will be based in the Metrotown mall, but has not yet appeared on Apple's website, implying it will not open this week. Apple has just three stores in British Columbia, two of which are situated in Vancouver proper, while another is in the connected city of Richmond.

by MacNN Staff