Monday, January 16, 2012, 03:43 pm

Apple developing new all-glass French store in Aix en Provence

By Daniel Eran Dilger

Apple is developing a futuristic new retail store design for Aix en Provence, France which creates an outdoor appearance using a wraparound transparent glass facade around three sides of the building.

According to report by retail tracker IFO Apple Store, the new location will replace an existing brick building on the south side of Place du General de Gaulle, and is designed to integrate into the plaza's surrounding upscale shops from international retailers.

Apple's new South of France location is located just north of Marseille, providing pleasant Mediterranean weather and significant tourism traffic. The new store is expected to be completed later this year or early next year.

The store's rendering, published by AixEnProvence.fr, depicts the nearly all glass, one story building on a stone plaza with only a minimal ceiling and a rear wall apparently finished with blonde wood.



The rear section of the building appears to incorporate offices and storage similar to the existing design of New York City's Upper West Side retail store, albeit on a much smaller scale.

IFO Apple Store also reported on plans for a new retail store in Basel, Switzerland as detailed in the German language MacPrime.ch. That project plans to demolish an existing building and replace it, making it reportedly unlikely to open before next year.