Mainland China to get Apple "store-in-store"

Apr 21, 2008 13:47 GMT  ·  By

While New Yorkers are adding two more Apple Retail Stores to the dozens they already have, Mainland China is getting its first. And it's not even a standalone Apple Retail Store, but one that will be situated in the Best Buy store in Shanghai's Xuhui area. That's not bad though, at least for Apple and Best Buy.

ifoAppleStore is reporting that "real estate and other insiders have confirmed previous reports that Apple will open two additional street-level stores in New York City. The company will open its first store in Brooklyn, in the Williamsburg section of the borough." The website that deals with news and information on Apple Inc.'s retail stores says that "the exact location of the store isn't known," but that the New York Post has "speculated on Albee Square, One Hanson Place or the Municipal Building at 345 Adams Street, while others point The Edge, a future development at North 6th Street and Kent Avenue."

The website can confirm, however, that Apple's second store to be opened in New York will be located at 23 Wall Street, as first reported by Hacked/NY last week. "The historic building has a massive 80-foot tall fa?ade (right) that will be the most impressive in the chain, besides being within a global financial center. Both sites would require extensive construction, and will likely open in 2009," the same source dealing with Apple's stores reveals.

As for the Mainland China store, "Apple's (AAPL) first store-in-store in mainland China has been unveiled at the Best Buy store in Shanghai's Xuhui area," ChinaTechNews reports. Best Buy's marketing director, Zeng Yaozu, said that the Xuhui Best Buy Store is the dealer that sold the most Apple products in China last year. Reportedly, this is the main reason why Apple wants to "upgrade the cooperation with Best Buy and open this store-in-store."