Apple to open flagship store in Melbourne’s Federation Square
GLOBAL technology giant Apple looks set to open a flagship store at Federation Square.
It’s understood the company, which generated $308 billion in revenue last year, is close to striking a deal with the State Government after long negotiations.
Industry sources said it was likely the megastore would open in the square’s Yarra Building, which currently houses tenants including the Koorie Heritage Trust Gallery and restaurants Il Pom Italian and Arintji.
One source believed Apple had sought to use the Melbourne Visitor Centre on the corner of Flinders St and Swanston St, to create a two-storey outlet that replicated its glass cube New York flagship store on Fifth Ave.
But the Melbourne Metro Rail Authority has indicated it will take over the building mid-next year in preparation for construction of a metro station entrance.
Apple has almost 500 stores worldwide and 115,000 employees, while Fed Square has had more than 100 million visits since opening in 2002.
It’s understood Apple has been talking directly to the Government for nearly three years with no real estate agency involved.
Apple’s flagship stores typically boast cutting edge architecture, featuring vast expanses of glass, and it is believed the Yarra building would be redesigned under the plans.
Urban Development Institute of Australia state chief executive Danni Addison said: “Global brands like Apple choose to make Melbourne a key destination because of its livability and our city will proper as a result.”
But the issue has already sparked controversy on social media, with people critical of a retailer setting up shop in a cultural precinct.
The deal has been rumoured for some time, with a caller telling 3AW Breakfast in March that Apple planned to build a flagship store “deep within the Federation Square precinct”, requiring an existing building to be partially demolished.
An Apple spokesman told the Herald Sun yesterday that no announcement had been made about a new Melbourne store.
Federation Square and Patrick Lane, a spokesman for state Tourism and Major Events Minister John Eren, also declined to comment.
Apple already has stores in Chadstone, Southland, Doncaster, Fountain Gate and Highpoint shopping centres, but none in Melbourne’s CBD. It also has a “My Mac” outlet across the road from Federation Square on Flinders St.