I know Apple considers the store at The Grove in Los Angeles a flagship store. It's two stories, and in a very prominent location.
But that's a good question.
Didn't FAO Schwarz have a flagship location there? Might it be where Apple is situated now? I think FAO Schwarz still has their Las Vegas store, which is also a good city (Vegas Strip) to have presence. Despite any losses that might come from NYC location, I think that closing that location will mark the demise of the FAO franchise. What might differentiate a flagship/high-profile store from others is the requirement of profitability. These "flagship" store serve as a permanent billboard for the company and are worth losing operating costs to maintain their advertisement value. Depending on who owns the land underneath, it doesn't hurt that the property values rise and can be a big gain when sold. I think Apple is leasing all their stores, so doesn't benefit from this, but I recall some years ago a big company (Sony?) unlocked a large gain/value selling a big building in New York.
Found a good reference (thought not sure if definitions are official or just specific to the site): ifoapplestore.com
The designation "flagship" indicates it's a specially-designed and located store.
"Flagship"
SoHo - New York, NY - (July 18) - flagship, free standing, 2-story, glass staircase and bridge, skylight, 46-seat theater,18,000 square feet.
North Michigan Avenue - Chicago, IL - (June 27) - flagship - free standing 24,000 s.f. store on a city street. The 3-story design includes a glass staircase, skylight, a 2,400 s.f. rooftop garden by GreenGrid
San Francisco, CA - Feb. 28 - street-level store, flagship -10,800 square-feet of retail space on two floors, with a glass stairway and second-floor skylight.
George Street - Sydney, Australia - Apple skipped the Bondi Junction mall and selected the office building at 367 George Street for a 3-level flagship store. Apple submitted permit applications in Oct. 2006, and an Apple spokesman confirmed the store on Feb. 6, 2007. Construction began in spring 2007 and could take a year to complete. According to the application, the total fit-out will cost US$11.9 million. In Oct. 2007 the contractor obtained a permit to close George St. four days in Jan./Feb. 2008 to install the glass façade.
Taipei - Taiwan - A story in the "Taiwan Economic News" claims that Apple has announced a flagship store in downtown Taipei, and will sign franchise agreements with two outlets to open reseller stores.
"High-profile"
The Grove - Los Angeles, CA - (July 26) - high-profile store, main-street mall, 2-story, dramatic glass staircase.
Ginza - high-profile - Tokyo (Japan) - (Nov. 30) - street-level store in Tokyo's major shopping district.
Shinsaibashi - Osaka (Japan) - Aug. 28 - street-level, high-profile - Officially announced by Steve Jobs at the Ginza (Tokyo) press event in Nov. 2003, with a Fall 2004 opening date. The 7,000 square-foot, 2-story store features a suspended, spiral glass staircase (left-hand turn), and opened Aug. 28, 2004.
Regent Street - London, England - Nov. 20 - street-level, high-profile. Largest store in the chain at 28,000+ square-feet plus 3,000 back-of-house, 75-feet wide on two floors mid-block
Sainte-Catherine Street - Montreal (Canada) - The metro area has 3.6 million residents with just a single Apple store in Laval and few resellers. The street hosts many international brands, as well as historic retailer Hudson's Bay Company. Don't confuse this section of the street with the east end, where sex shops and Gay Village are located. Tipsters say the store will be located at 1321 Ste-Catherine W., after Boutique Mens clothing store moves out at the end of 2007. Apple reportedly signed a C$1.2 million annual lease on the two-story space, and will put in a glass staircase, making this a high-profile store. It could open in late 2008.
"Other"
Fifth Avenue - New York City - May 19 - Constructed by Shawmut Design and Construction for a May 2006 opening. The New York Post reported in early 2004 that Apple negotiated a 21,000 square-foot space in the underground concourse of the GM Building as a second Manhattan retail store.
Nagoya Sakae - Nagoya (Japan) - Jan. 22 - The third Japan retail store is across from the Matsuzakaya Department Store along Ostu-dori Street in the Sakae district of city center, near other international retailers like Gap, Tiffany, Prada and Armani (and also near McDonalds!). It's a two-story store, although not a designated "flagship" store. Has glass stairway, skybridge and, like Regent Street, a false skylight over the stairs. |
