Apple Planning Huge New Retail Store in the Heart of Madrid?

tio pepe madrid
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

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...

Top Rated Comments

javi.mahai Avatar
176 months ago
I am even more surprised to see Apple considering the opening of a store in Spain, one of the world champions of unemployment and recession - there are surely many other areas in a number of developed and emerging markets with MUCH higher purchasing power...Spain is not one of them.

Spain has also one of the 12 largest economies in the world. And yes, their economy is in a recession. But I guess Apple should have also frozen their store openings in the USA since we also are going through a recession and are going through a relatively high (historically) unemployment rate.

Recessions and economic downturns are a great time for corporations with cash to expand and increase market share/presence. Among other things, because property and assets are much cheaper than when the economy is booming. If the Spanish economy was going at full speed now, that place in the center of madrid would cost orders of magnitude more. As it is, Apple is getting a great real estate deal, in the center of one of Wester Europe's largest cities.


p.s.: No offense, I love visiting Madrid - but it was more of a question on the best places for prospective Apple Stores...

Yawn, these "no offense, I have nothing against (insert minority name here), I have a friend who is (minority name), I just don't want a (minority name) dating my daughter" arguments are such a predictable chickeshit way of trying to get away with BS.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NebulaClash Avatar
176 months ago
Ole! And I don't mean Object Linking and Embeddding.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
176 months ago
Apple has only a handful of retail outlets in major European cities, and each one is usually in a particularly historic and beautiful building, which they go to great lengths to maintain aesthetically. The Paris store, for example, is unlike any of the mall-like stores that you may find in an American suburb. That in itself makes it a big event. Huge store, special location.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
potatis Avatar
176 months ago
why not transform Valley of the Fallen to an Apple retail store?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Darth.Titan Avatar
176 months ago
I do not believe that Tio Pepe will be returning...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coder12 Avatar
176 months ago
Me gusta! :cool:
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)