Apple is to open a major store at Battersea Power Station in London, adjacent to its 500,000-square-foot headquarters in the famous turbine hall.
In an enigmatic statement on its website, the US technology giant said the store would open on 15 June adding: "Our brand-new London store at the iconic Battersea Power Station is almost ready to explore. We can't wait to welcome you and help you build your ideas."
There are also links on its site to sign up for an "art tour" and a "photography tour" starting from the Ground Floor Turbine Hall A using Apple devices.
Apple and the Battersea Power Station Development Company remain tightlipped about the store's specifications but a huge advertising board has appeared across an adjoining site emblazoned with the words "Apple Battersea: Let's Build Something".
The £9 billion, 8 million-square-foot redevelopment of the London landmark and 42-acre site opened in October last year. For a CoStar News review of the project and the 40-year-saga to modernise the site click here.
The power station opened with 96% the commercial space prelet. That included 90% of the retail and leisure space let or under offer, with more than 60 places to shop and dine opening. Retailers include Hugo Boss, Theory, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren and Aesop.
In September 2016, Apple agreed a deal to lease 500,000 square feet at the development, the largest office letting in London’s West End market for 20 years. It is moving staff in to the development now.
Other office tenants include a new IWG coworking offer, The Engine Room, which has taken 40,000 square feet; and SharkNinja, the vacuum and home appliances manufacturer, which has taken 25,000 square feet. After the Apple letting, the Battersea Power Station Development Company indicated it planned to deliver another 750,000 square feet of offices in 2023 and 2024.
Apple has 40 stores in the UK including three major stores in central London, at No. 1-7 the Piazza in Covent Garden, at 235 Regent Street, and at 17-27 Brompton Road.
Cushman & Wakefield and CBRE advise Battersea Power Station's Malaysian consortium owners on retail leasing at the development.
Bloomberg has reported that Apple is planning to open 50 more stores globally by 2027 including three sites in India, the company’s first store in Malaysia and an upgrade to its long-term location in the Opera shopping area of Paris. Bloomberg also said it is planning an additional location in Miami and a flagship store in the Jing’an Temple Plaza in Shanghai.