New Apple Shop?

dolliemix

MacMan2 wrote: »

I have heard that there is a new Apple Store opening in Grafton Street in March, a five story building with Retail, Support and Training (all Apple)

Where did you hear this?

MacMan2

Sorry my source is confidential but accurate.

cotwold

In which building?

MacMan2

Sorry confidential also but said it was on the bottom half of Grafton Street.

Cabaal

This is interesting

http://www.yourtechstuff.com/techwire/2010/01/an-apple-store-for-dublin-yes-says-apple-but-not-saying-when.html

An Apple Store for Dublin? Yes, says Apple, but not saying when
So on the plane back from Vegas, I was seated beside a guy who’s a senior manager for Apple Stores in Europe. He’d been to CES. We got talking about various things (like most Apple staff, he had no clue about an upcoming iSlate). Eventually we moved on to the topic of Apple Stores. I had one question: why was there an Apple Store in Belfast, for crying out loud, but NOT one in Dublin? He explained that it wasn’t based on a preference for Belfast over Dublin. He said that it was simply a case of rolling out the stores across the UK first. To prove his point, he said that they had only just opened their first Apple Store in France -- a major market -- before Christmas.
Anyway, here’s the story: he said that Apple Retail would definitely be putting in a store (he actually used the word “stores”) in Dublin. He did not say when. But he did say that Apple is absolutely anal about picking the right location in any given city. He said that the company held out for over a year from opening a Paris store because it wanted to get the right high-profile venue. (It did: the Louvre.)
Naturally, I told him that there were any number of high profile venues becoming available in Dublin. But, applying Apple’s location criteria to our capital city, it could only be Grafton Street. I told him this. However, I explained to him that Grafton Street was very, very expensive to rent. He said that that wasn’t the most important factor.
“If you look at where we put our stores, worldwide, they’re in the most expensive streets and retail areas,” he said. “They’re designed with a lot of space left for people to meet staff and do things other than be overwhelmed by product. And still our stores are among the most profitable retail outlets in the world, per square foot.”
I can think of a good venue for an Apple Store: the old Habitat shop that straddles Dame Street and Suffolk Street. I don’t think it would pass muster with Apple, though. Although only a stone’s throw from Grafton Street, it’s not actually ON Grafton Street. And that’s the kind of detail that would sink a venue, judging by what my plane-friend was saying.
Obviously there's no way that Apple would officially comment one way or the other on the matter. It never, ever comments on “speculation“, as it calls such queries.

ironclaw

I'm all for an Apple Store but they better compete with Belfast in terms of pricing.

Come on Apple

cojomo2

the unit where Jack and Jones was on Grafton st. has been empty for a while now......

dubmick

ironclaw wrote: »

I'm all for an Apple Store but they better compete with Belfast in terms of pricing.

Come on Apple

Prices would be the same as quoted on Irish Apple site

cojomo2 wrote: »

the unit where Jack and Jones was on Grafton st. has been empty for a while now......

That would not be big enough

whiterebel

betafrog wrote: »

While it doesn't quite fill the gap price wise, you should bare in mind that any price that you see on US website DOES NOT include sales tax whereas the Irish sites all include VAT (a whole 21%) in the price.

I'm not trying to be pedantic but I'm fed up of hearing from people complaining about how such and such is so much cheaper on a certain US website but forget that VAT/Sales Tax isn't included in the price..

Somewhere between 6 and 8% isn't it? Still a huge discrepancy if that is the case.

MacMan2

My source said Dublin prices will be same as on line Apple store Ireland. He said that the net prices (ie ex vat prices) in most cases are lower on Irish site - Not sure I will have to check it out.

Source also said they were going to be recruiting 25 staff (mac savvy) very soon. I am trying to find out where to apply.

displaced dub

whiterebel wrote: »

Somewhere between 6 and 8% isn't it? Still a huge discrepancy if that is the case.

just a very quick comparision between US and IRE prices for the 27 inch top of the range mac in € using $1.44 as the exchange with all sales taxes stripped out

US €1388.88
IRE €1488.00

As someone who travels a lot to a lot of different places i have noticed the price gaps closing all the time.

Didn't check UK site, but if it was a big enough saving and when you take travel prices into account is belfast really that much cheaper?? Also UK vat rate back up to 17.5% now

ironclaw

13.3" 2.26GHz (£918.00 in the UK) - €1032

13.3" 2.2.6Ghz ($1199 in the US) - €827.187

13.3 2.26Ghz (Ireland) - €1149

All from XE.com as of today with all sales tax's included. I think for the average Joe its still cheaper in the UK and US. Sorry but €100 is still enough for me to travel to Belfast.

ironclaw

betafrog wrote: »

Your US price doesn't include sales tax...

My mistake but your still looking at circa €1000. Why the same product can't be the same price in every country is beyond me. (And I know staff, rent costs are different but doesn't justify €150 differences)

Sad Professor

I don't know. But I'd imagine Apple want a stable price in every country. Exchange rates fluctuate. If Apple were to adjust their euro prices to more closely match the dollar they would be changing them every couple of weeks. Prices would be just as likely to go up as to go down. Raising prices would look very bad. Some of their product lines only get updated once a year, so it would be hard to disguise it. It's easier to just set them higher in the first place, creating a buffer in case the dollar goes to ****.

Twee.

I drove by this place yesterday and it was all kitted out, staff there too. So it's open, and obviously not an Apple store as there would have been a big deal made. It looked really nice though, lots of stuff on display. Will try and pop in tomorrow.

derekphonic

http://www.dmac.ie/

ratsam

MacMan2 wrote: »

I have heard that there is a new Apple Store opening in Grafton Street in March, a five story building with Retail, Support and Training (all Apple)

I too have heard about and official store opening in Dublin but not on Grafton Street. Think Carlton cinema site and whats being built there...! I've said enough.

Rats

ironclaw

derekphonic wrote: »

http://www.dmac.ie/

Doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Bit cheap looking and alot of it looks cut / paste from the Official Apple sites

derekphonic

ironclaw wrote: »

Doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Bit cheap looking and alot of it looks cut / paste from the Official Apple sites

Agreed.

cotwold

ratsam wrote: »

I too have heard about and official store opening in Dublin but not on Grafton Street. Think Carlton cinema site and whats being built there...! I've said enough.

Rats

O'Connell Street would hardly be a prime location for them. I'd be afraid to buy anything in there for fear it'd get robbed as soon as i stepped outta the store. :pac::pac:

PeakOutput

cotwold wrote: »

O'Connell Street would hardly be a prime location for them. I'd be afraid to buy anything in there for fear it'd get robbed as soon as i stepped outta the store.

ye but thats cause your clearly stuck up normal people dont have issues like that

they are meant to be getting rid of all the fast food places on oconnell st im sure the council would love an apple store there in one of their places

cotwold

PeakOutput wrote: »

ye but thats cause your clearly stuck up normal people dont have issues like that[/QUOTE

Sarcasm?

PeakOutput wrote: »

they are meant to be getting rid of all the fast food places on oconnell st

ORLY?

projectmayhem

cotwold wrote: »

O'Connell Street would hardly be a prime location for them. I'd be afraid to buy anything in there for fear it'd get robbed as soon as i stepped outta the store.

Are you serious? Sure a few scangers hang around outside Dr.Quirkeys but I've hardly ever felt unsafe on the street.

Having said that, O'Connell st. isn't going to be where an Apple store is. It'll be on a street that shares "fancy" stores in keeping with what Apple normally do elsewhere. Grafton St. really is the only option in this city for them, at least for the moment. They could move down to the docklands area but there are no other retail spots that drag in lots of customers (CHQ is dead at the best of times).

Though they could be wildly impressed by O'Connell st and some plans to move the tacky shops and things into a new shopping center on the street.... if such plans still exist.

displaced dub

dont be shocked if they go to Dundrum shopping centre, ive been in their stores in both the bull ring(birmingham) and that massive shopping centre outside manchester. Dundrum is basically a carbon copy of the bull ring, it has the right mix of high end retailers aswel as the usual others.

if i was to guess, they will not touch Grafton street, its among the most expensive streets in the world rent wise and would cost more per sqft than the 5th ave store.

i can see them opening in both Dundrum and Blanch shopping centres within in the next 18months.

time42play

betafrog wrote: »

Your US price doesn't include sales tax...

But you can buy at this price in any of the states with no sales tax. The NH Apple store, for instance, is about 30 min north of Boston (just over the Mass border). No sales tax.

whippet

http://www.thepost.ie/technology/reality-bytes-46733.html

still only speculation .. but from a reasonable source.

displaced dub

seriously lazy journalism by the sunday business post, the exact same article was posted 5 days earlier here http://www.yourtechstuff.com/techwire/2010/01/an-apple-store-for-dublin-yes-says-apple-but-not-saying-when.html

Sad Professor

displaced dub wrote: »

seriously lazy journalism by the sunday business post, the exact same article was posted 5 days earlier here http://www.yourtechstuff.com/techwire/2010/01/an-apple-store-for-dublin-yes-says-apple-but-not-saying-when.html

Same writer. That's his blog.

pow wow

displaced dub wrote: »

dont be shocked if they go to Dundrum shopping centre, ive been in their stores in both the bull ring(birmingham) and that massive shopping centre outside manchester. Dundrum is basically a carbon copy of the bull ring, it has the right mix of high end retailers aswel as the usual others.

if i was to guess, they will not touch Grafton street, its among the most expensive streets in the world rent wise and would cost more per sqft than the 5th ave store.

i can see them opening in both Dundrum and Blanch shopping centres within in the next 18months.

The Bullring is on the main thoroughfare in Brum though. Likewise with the Victoria Sq store in Belfast. I think it'll be more central than Dundrum.

displaced dub

Sad Professor wrote: »

Same writer. That's his blog.

My bad and sorry to the writer;)