Apple Set to Take On Microsoft with Expanded Florida Mall Retail Store

The expansion project at the Florida Mall Apple Retail Store that will see the store more than tripling in size has been in the works for more than a year. A tipster has sent us this image of the black paneling showing where the new store will be inside the mall.

Apple is reportedly planning to have the store open by the end of July or beginning of August.

Floridamall

The leasing plan for the mall [PDF] shows the expansion in progress, with a Microsoft store located right next door to Apple in part of the space vacated by Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn. The newly expanded Apple Store will be twice the size of the Microsoft retail store, which opened last August.

IFO Apple Store has additional information about the expansion from a post last year:

The Apple store opened in September 2005 with about 2,700 square-feet, now a considered a small space for the large number of daily visitors. According to insiders, the Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn stores will soon vacate, although it’s unknown if they’re relocating to other spaces in the mall or closing completely. Shortly after, construction will begin to expand the 30-foot wide Apple store into a portion of the adjacent vacant space. Mall lease plans suggest the finished store will have a 90 foot-wide storefront with 8,640 square-feet.

As Apple has covered much of the United States with retail stores, in recent years the company has been focused on expanding existing locations rather than building out new ones.

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SuperCachetes

80 months ago

You do realize that your looking at the construction cover and that once it's complete it will come down and match the rest of the existing storefront? It's there so u can't see inside....

Whoooosh. That was the 2:12 Sarcasm Express zooming right past your stop. Catch the next one? ;)

Rating: 10 Votes

TWSS37

80 months ago

Wow - this is beautiful. I can't believe Apple is moving away from the full glass frontage to an all black, opaque storefront. Bold move, but one I believe that will pay off and usher in a new era of modern architecture.

Rating: 10 Votes

3282868

80 months ago

As Apple has covered much of the United States with retail stores, in recent years the company has been focused on expanding existing locations rather than building out new ones.

Makes sense. Do not follow Mickey Drexler's business model when he was GAP CEO. During his time with GAP, its "Old Navy", "GAP" and "Banana Republic" presence more than tripled, with "GAP" stores almost as common as "Starbucks". The growth didn't match the company's retail sales and soon the stock tumbled and stores closed. Expanding current location size is better business than opening more stores. Slow and steady, it wins the race. :)

Rating: 4 Votes

TWSS37

80 months ago

You do realize that your looking at the construction cover and that once it's complete it will come down and match the rest of the existing storefront? It's there so u can't see inside....

Apple has revolutionized in-store security as well with the matching black doors you have to manually open using a doorknob![COLOR="#808080"]

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Whoooosh. That was the 2:12 Sarcasm Express zooming right past your stop. Catch the next one? ;)

I'm usually good at tagging my sarcasm but I didn't really think it was needed on that one :)

Rating: 4 Votes

keysofanxiety

80 months ago

10/10, gave me a heck of a chuckle :D

Rating: 3 Votes

eawmp1

80 months ago

It scratches. Trust me, I live in Orlando and rubbed my keys against it. I hear it's a problem in other Apple product lines.

Rating: 2 Votes

esechico

80 months ago

You do realize that your looking at the construction cover and that once it's complete it will come down and match the rest of the existing storefront? It's there so u can't see inside....

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Someone please tell me that's not M&Ms world they've taken over?

No it's not!
Read the article: "The leasing plan for the mall [PDF] shows the expansion in progress, with a Microsoft store located right next door to Apple in part of the space vacated by Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn."

Rating: 2 Votes

macs4nw

80 months ago

Article Link: Apple Set to Take On Microsoft with Expanded Florida Mall Retail Store (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/06/25/apple-set-to-take-on-microsoft-with-expanded-florida-mall-retail-store/)

Headline is hilarious. "Apple Set to Take on Microsoft…" More appropriately stated: "Apple Store Will Yet Again Embarrass Microsoft" This will be so funny if they're side by side. The contrast between a packed store and crickets will be so stark. Kind of like the Apple Store next to the Sony Store at Pentagon City.

Why does it always have to come down to "us against them". We all love (mostly) our APPLE products, and we all know those APPLE stores are quite nicely finished and a model of efficiency ($$ per ft2), but why do we have to gloat about it, and belittle the other guys. Let them peacefully co-exist side by side, and people will decide what they wanne buy, and where they wanne shop. No need to piss-off the PC crowd, with our gloating.
After all, globally, they still command, give or take, 90% of the market.

Judging by the posts on MR, many of us have already decided where we do most of our shopping, myself included.
I don't believe we need to rub it in. Just my .02

Rating: 1 Votes

Shagrat

80 months ago

No, you had it right the first time. It's only a matter of time until Samsung kiosks adopt the all block frontage!

and do it 20% larger, running jellybean!

Rating: 1 Votes

Mystic386

80 months ago

1/ Is the temporary store front a Jony Ive design?

2/ I can't believe the temporary wall hasn't been treated like a blackboard and written on in white.

.....

Meanwhile over at Microsoft...

Steve Ballmer "you know Apple built all these retails stores and their sales went up. We need to build Microsoft stores! And stock em with our brilliant Microsoft products so consumers can come in and play with them. And we'll have Microsoft geniuses. (Although do we really need a genius to tell people they need to reboot it) "

Microsoft management team in chorus "Yes Steve you're right!"

......

When I reflect on MS I can't help but really love pretty much everything that Apple has been to me.

Rating: 1 Votes

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