Apple is set to officially open its new Manhattan retail store on Aug. 16, coinciding with the grand opening of the Westfield World Trade Center where the store is housed.
The new Apple store is located within the Oculus structure, which has been designed by Santiago Calatrava. The store will extend Apple's presence in the downtown Manhattan area.
Officially opening on Aug. 16, the Westfield World Trade Center is expected to attract large numbers of visitors and become one of the most visited retail destinations in the entire world. Its grand opening will be held on Aug. 16 and "Family Day" celebrations will start at 12 p.m.
"The World Trade Center is a symbol of hope, opportunity, progress, and perseverance," said William Hecht, Westfield's chief operating officer in the United States. "Westfield is profoundly proud to be a part of this project and to introduce new experiences and energy to Lower Manhattan. We are incredibly excited to open our doors to our neighbors, New York and tri-state area families, visitors and all of our partners on Aug. 16."
Apple World Trade Center will be the company's 10th retail store in New York City. Apple has six stores in the Manhattan region, one in Queens and another on Staten Island. Apple opened its first-ever Brooklyn store on July 20.
"Thousands of customers turned out Saturday for the grand opening of Apple Williamsburg, the first Apple store in Brooklyn. Customers began queuing Friday on Bedford Ave. before midnight, and when the store opened at 10 a.m. Saturday the line stretched around the block," said Apple.
The Bronx is the only area within the New York City limits that does not have an Apple retail store. Customers in this region will hope to see one in the near term.
The new Apple store in Manhattan is said to cover about 10,000 square feet and span two floors in the Westfield World Trade Center. The shopping center will have more than a hundred brands under its roof, including world-famous names such as Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Breitling, Swatch, Disney and more. Apple and Bose are stores in the technology category.
Apple has more than 480 retail stores in different parts of the world. The iPhone maker operates more than 260 stores alone in the United States, and is expanding its reach to other countries.
Rumors suggest that Apple is planning to open retail stores in Paris, Toronto, Dublin, Mexico, Argentina and some other locations. It remains to be seen when Apple reaches a milestone of 500 retail stores in the world.
