Apple Planning Huge New Retail Store in the Heart of Madrid?
![tio_pepe_madrid tio pepe madrid](https://images.macrumors.com/t/3OoKZXarGQ2oe95k3sBBSO427L0=/400x0/article-new/2011/05/tio_pepe_madrid.jpg?lossy)
Spanish newspaper El Pais reports [Google translation] that the mayor of Madrid has announced that Apple will occupy the entirety of a landmark building in the center of the city on the Puerta del Sol, snapping up 6,000 square meters (~65,000 square feet) of space. The building, famous for its large neon sign advertising popular sherry brand Tio Pepe that has temporarily been removed for restoration during the building's renovation, includes seven floors plus a basement and was built in 1863.
Apple's interest in the building is not new, but previous reports had suggested that Apple would occupy only the lower one or two floors with earlier hotel uses being maintained on the upper floors. Today's announcement reveals, however, that Apple, the building's owners, and the city have come together to forge an agreement that will see Apple taking the entire space.
It is unlikely that Apple will devote the entire seven floors to retail store space, presumably using some of the upper floors for office space to support the company's operations in the region, so it is currently unknown just how large the retail space will be. Apple's largest stores currently check in at up to around 25,000 square feet. Restoration work on the building is scheduled to wrap up by October or November of this year, with the Apple retail store opening at an unannounced date after that time.
Apple currently operates two retail stores in Spain, with one of them being a typical mall-based store located on the outskirts of Madrid.
Popular Stories
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...