A next-generation Apple Store is on the way to St. Johns Town Center to replace the smaller, existing location there.
The city issued a permit Friday for Sajo (Montreal) Inc. to renovate 9,141 square feet of space at the Southside shopping center at a project cost of up to $3.47 million.
The new address will be 4835 River City Drive, No. 103, between the Tory Burch store and the new Tesla showroom.
The permit outlines improvements to include nonstructural partitions, ceilings, finishes, furniture and related HVAC, electrical and plumbing work.
The permit application and plans were filed in August. Those showed a site at least twice the size of the existing store at 4712 River City Drive and an update to company’s next-generation design.
Apple will sit between a Tory Burch clothing store and a Tesla Motors showroom in the renovated structure. Tesla also is relocating from a nearby smaller space.
The seller of iPhones, iPads, Mac computers and other products will have access to more customer parking because it is near the southeast and southwest end of the center, where a group of restaurants including The Capital Grille has been developed.
The center designed those lots to accommodate parking for diners.
Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple Inc. has not announced the store and could not be reached this morning for comment.
The initial permit application showed a $1.5 million construction project.
Apple was one of the first tenants at the Town Center when it opened its first phase in 2005. As the only Apple store in the area, it’s a destination retailer.
Dakenna Development Inc. is doing landlord work in the space to prepare it for renovations. Canada-based Sajo Inc. is handling the build-out for Apple.
Plans show many of the features found in Apple’s “next generation” stores, such as a massive TV display on a back video wall; at least 17 tables for product display and personal training, including “Genius” tables; and “The Avenue,” featuring displays of products, services and accessories.
A little more than half of the store would be for sales and the rest would be for back-of-house uses.
USAToday in May described the new San Francisco store as morphing Apple’s Genius Bar to Genius Grove and adding “The Boardroom” area dedicated to small business customers.
USAToday.com said the in-store emphasis on enterprise clients was new to Apple and represented a shift from its core customer, forging partnerships to build its appeal to business.
@MathisKb
(904) 356-2466