Our British cup is full and brimming over this week. Not only do we get a UK Kindle store, which opened for business two days ago, but this morning sees the opening of the world's largest Apple Store on the Piazza in Covent Garden. This retro-style emporium is so large that, according to one report, the entire flagship New York store could fit comfortably in the atrium.
This sounds a bit unlikely, but there is no doubting the scale of the building. Period features such as the gas lamps and stone arches, inside and outside, complement the usual Apple minimalist display of the latest technology. The atrium, over a courtyard dating from 1877, was originally an area for horse-drawn deliveries to the enormous building.
London is now well served by Apple stores. The existing Regent Street store, the flagship that is now about to lose its broad pennant, is said to be the most profitable retail store in the capital on per-square-foot sales. Apple watchers expect that the new store, which is more convenient for shoppers from the eastern suburbs, will ease the pressure on Regent Street which, on Saturdays, often resembles a geek zoo.