Apple's Dutch store plan leaves locals seeing Apple's plan to open a flagship store in Amsterdam have run into trouble after local authorities decided to gut the vendor's plan to gut an iconic building in the Dutch city. Apple is a tenant of a 90 year-old landmark building at the Leidse Square, once home to the international fashion house Hirsch & Co. The completion of …
If you consider british conservation officers regulating listed houses: a decade or so ago, you had to fill all the gaps in fake-old ('as similar as possible' giving horrible mock-Tudor) but now you either may not touch it or you have to make it clearly distinct --- read all glass + shiny metal onto exposed old brick. Exactly as Apple likes to do (e.g. Regent St.).
So it depends a bit at what stage of evolution the Dutch conservation officers are.
As stated there are already a fair number of Mac outlets in Amsterdam, (as a matter of fact it's easier to find a Mac than a PC), so I don't see what Apple are trying to achieve, it would have been far better to get something in the centre if they are going to try to compete with the other Mac retailers who already seem to stock most of the newer products
The Leidseplein is one of the focus points for a night out in Amsterdam, and is also the venue of choice for celebrating returning Dutch heroes (and for Sinterklaas every year). It's also a significant bus/tram interchange.
The Hirschgebouw is also directly across from the taxi rank, which at 5am on a Sunday morning is teeming with people, as I remember fondly from the days before I met Mrs hamsterjam.
Having what amounts to a billboard the size of a city block next to a part of town which draws large numbers of both locals and tourists (not necessarily simultaneously, mind) as well as a large retail outlet directly behind the billboard makes perfect sense.
For my part I was never able to forgive Apple for demolishing the Alhambra cinema on Frederiksplein a dozen years ago to build an earlier emporium. Actually I don't know if they were the ones who demolished it but as a non-fanboi penguin I'm inclined to give them the blame.
I used to live a stone's throw away on the Leidsekade, and the building was my ABN-AMRO branch. When I was in Amsterdam last month it was all shuttered and had work going on inside, but nothing was being done to the facade. That's great because it looks really good as it is plus it combines well with the Art Deco American Hotel across the road and the Stadschouwburg theater across the corner. No point arguing over minor interior details, it was anyway just a big open space inside when it was a bank.
@Bob Foster - Leidseplein is even better located than right in the centre ie Dam square. Just like anywhere else in Amsterdam It's easy to get to by bike or tram, and it's also right on the edge of the central district which makes it more accessible to out-of-towners (practically just the length of Overtoom away from the highway). Since from what I gather from the article Apple wants to make it their flagship store for the Netherlands, not just for Amsterdam, this makes more sense.
Also I would guess that Apple are targeting the 'cool nightlife' demographic that is more prevalent around Leidseplein than the area around the Dam which is more shopping-oriented. They could even fashion it as a bar/club where they can show off cool stuff in a more casual atmosphere.
Beer because, well, a bar instead of a bank is always welcome :)
Jobs is not a nice person, and he (like many very wealthy people) has little or no respect for cultural artifacts that don't have the apple logo on them.
http://obamapacman.com/2011/02/steve-jobs-demolishes-jackling-house-woodside-ca-mansion/
"The municipality of Amsterdam has overruled the expert verdicts, saying the store is tremendously important for the local economy."
Does that mean bribes were paid?
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