Dan Pražák The Apple Store in Prague has been talked about in the backroom for many years, but there was no indication that things should actually be set in motion. New speculation stirred up last month Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who met Apple CEO Tim Cook in Davos, Switzerland, as part of the World Economic Forum. One of the topics of the meeting was the official brick-and-mortar store of Apple in Prague, which is perhaps one step closer to realization thanks to the fact that a coordination group was formed on the spot to deal with it. However, other statesmen also like the idea of an Apple Store in our metropolis, and one of them is Prague councilor Jan Chabr.
During the meeting with Tim Cook, Andrej Babiš did not just stick with the idea that the Apple Store would suit the capital of the Czech Republic, but also offered the Apple director a specific location. According to the prime minister, the building of the Ministry for Regional Development on the Old Town Square would be suitable for the store. It should be noted that the proposed location could also be attractive for Apple itself, mainly due to the historic character of the building - the Californian company often uses historic buildings for its stores, in which it preserves the architecture and uses it for its purposes.
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The idea of an Apple Store is also liked by Jan Chabro, councilor for the property of the city of Prague from TOP 09. However, he envisions a sanctuary for apple growers in Celetná Street, where two houses should be vacated by the end of March, and Prague wants to establish new rules for rentals by then. Subsequently, the city will announce tenders, which could take place at the turn of spring and summer. It is at that moment that interest from Apple could come into play, because Prague wants to offer space to global companies as well.
"I would imagine something there that would give it life and not just offer a tourist open-air museum. Paradoxically, I liked what Prime Minister Babiš said about the Apple Store. One of the considerations is to bring functional modern shops to the center as well," stated Chabr for News.cz and adds: "It is not an effort to accommodate the Prime Minister. I thought about it in general before. Every time you walk down those aisles, you see cheap advertising items and it's not a worthy visit to the center."
An Apple Store in Celetná would make sense in many ways. Not only do the buildings there have a historical character, but above all the street itself serves as a corridor between the Powder Gate and the Old Town Square, so hundreds to thousands of tourists pass through it every day. The question remains, however, whether Apple itself is really interested in building its brick-and-mortar store in the Czech Republic. It is generally claimed that Tim Cook's company does not consider the Czech market to be a key one, and therefore a domestic Apple Store could be pointless.
