Terms of Apple's Sweetheart Deal for Grand Central Terminal Retail Store Revealed

The New York Post reports on some of the details of Apple's contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for its Grand Central Terminal retail store, noting that Apple received an extremely favorable deal for the space compared to other tenants at the terminal. Among the most significant concessions made by the MTA was a lack of any revenue sharing from what has been estimated to be a potential $100 million per year sales location.

But while real estate insiders estimate the shop will rake in $100 million a year in sales, Apple won’t be sharing a nickel with Grand Central’s operator, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The tech giant is the only retailer in the fast-growing retail transit hub to have such a sweet lease.

Critics likewise note that Apple’s $60-a-square-foot lease is well below what many other tenants are paying — including a future Shake Shack burger joint that will be shelling out more than $200 a square foot, according to the leases, copies of which have been obtained by The Post.

All other tenants at the terminal with the exception of a Chase ATM branch pay a percentage of their sales to the MTA once an agreed-upon threshold has been reached. The MTA has apparently been willing to sacrifice such an arrangement in order to land Apple as a tenant, projecting that the company's presence will drive increased sales at many of the over 100 other retail stores at the terminal.

apple store grand central nov29
Apple's Grand Central Terminal retail store (Thanks, Tom!)

Apple has posted digital signage advertising the forthcoming store, with The New York Post having indicated that it will be opening on December 9th.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
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...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
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...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
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...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
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 ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
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...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

burjeffton Avatar
165 months ago
Yikes... this feels slimy. If it was a company like Walmart people would be rioting.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jtsnyc47 Avatar
165 months ago
Sigh New York Post

The biggest determiner in the price/sq ft difference between the Apple Store and the Shake Shack is the amount of space occupied. Apple's is 23,000; SS is 2,270.

You wouldn't know that by reading the article, but we are talking about the Post here. I guess it's remarkable that the words "mangled" "toilet" or "hooker" weren't somehow worked in.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiantech Avatar
165 months ago
Rich get richer!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maflynn Avatar
165 months ago
I question the legality of a public institution giving sweet heart deals like this. Doesn't seem in the best interest of the tax payers
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rafterman Avatar
165 months ago
The size has no relevance, it's not like a company with $80B in the bank can't afford $200/sq. ft. anyway. The commercial value of the real estate doesn't change due to the size of the place, not where I'm from anyway.

It's a classic case of the rich getting richer, and much like Apple's $7B quarters where half the people on this site practically cream themselves and then decry Apple when they cut enormous bonuses to their executives, people will do the same here--say how great and awesome and powerful Apple is, and then complain when they give the money to the top executives at the company.

A sweetheart deal for Apple where NY is practically giving away the space. Meanwhile, NY will continue to blame its budget shortfalls on pension outlays, unions and other hardworking New Yorkers for "not doing their fair share". Even though NY is already the highest taxed state in the union :mad:
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mutantteenager Avatar
165 months ago
Isn't it great when public utilities bend over for big business. I feel like emptying my wallet into the hands of the next rich person I see....
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)