Apple execs scout retail locations in Germany

Specifically, the report says the execs were seen touring Berlin's Kurfürstendamm Boulevard, which stretches over two miles from the Gedächtniskirche to right outside Halensee.

It's likely that Apple will look to place the retail store somewhere in the lively upper part of Kurfürstendamm, which is home to countless department and fashion chain stores. By contrast, the lower part is quieter and lined with designer stores that reside in turn-of-the-century buildings.

Constructed between 1883 and 1886 as a boulevard with a bridle path, Kurfürstendamm was soon met by opulent developments along its sides. By the Twenties it had become the meeting point of Berlin's intellectuals.

After being badly damaged during World War II, the boulevard was cleared and redeveloped in the Fifties with tower blocks and terraced buildings.

Today, Kurfürstendamm remains Berlin's showcase boulevard and has been the site of several new developments over the past five years. From a retail perspective, the boulevard is faintly similar to Paris' Champs Elysées, where Apple is also expected to open a retail store in 2007.

According to ifoAppleStore sources, the Berlin Apple store could open "by late 2005 or early 2006." It would mark the first store in the company's promised expansion into Europe.