Apple plans to relocate its main Chicago, Illinois retail store from its current location at 679 North Michigan Avenue to a newer flagship space at the edge of the Chicago River, reports Crain’s Chicago Business. According to the report, Apple will likely build “a new glass structure” in front of a 35-story office building as an entry to the Apple Store, with most of the store “below ground” in a design resembling the iconic Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York City.Although it’s located in the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile retail district, the current North Michigan Avenue store is now 12 years old, and relatively plain. The new Apple Store is expected to use basement space underneath Pioneer Court, the plaza in front of the office building, which previously served as a food court. It will technically remain on the same street as the prior store, but shift a half-mile south to 401 North Michigan Aevenue, capturing increased foot traffic attributable to the popularity of “Millennium Park as a top tourist destination in recent years.”
