A report in The New York Observer clarified by a detailed essay from ifoAppleStore points towards a fifth Manhattan based Apple retail store. According to the sources Apple's retail team has scouted out a location within Grand Central Terminal situated on Park Avenue and East 42nd Street.
According to ifoAppleStore the plan is to help move visitors away from the overcrowded Fifth Avenue store which is less than one mile away from the new location.
The 134,000 square feet retail space within Grand Central plays host to over 700,000 visitors a day although most are hurrying to trains. The retail space includes 68 shops and 35 restaurants. As detailed by ifoAppleStore, leases for spaces within Grand Central run at about $300 per square-foot and retailers are encouraged to take on 10-year leases.
Details of a new store to open in Italy have also be detailed by ifoAppleStore. The store which is set to open in Bologna will be the first street level store to open in the country, with all the others being mall based.
The three-level building at Via Francesco Rizzoli 16 holds a 13th century look and will rival similar grand looking stores in London and Paris, setteB.it has a selection of photos of the venue which is still visible despite work taking place.
Permit documents also revealed by setteB.IT show that the work will take place for 240 days at a cost of $2.7 million, expect the grand opening of the store in mid-2012.