Today, a new report from The Globe and Mail in Canada says that Apple is threatening to pull out of its planned development for a new flagship retail store. According to the report, Apple had signed a lease for more than 15,000 square feet of retail space in the development, but is now threatening to back out over construction delays.
The building that is currently under construction is said to be the “tallest residential building” in Canada with an 85-story design. Dubbed “The One,” the building is being developed by Sam Mizrahi and Apple’s retail location would be located on the ground floor. Today’s report indicates that it would be Apple’s “flagship store” in Toronto and feature “arresting glass architecture and soaring ceiling.”
Designed by Foster + Partners, Apple’s store will feature “seven layers of glass with no breaks.”
A clause in the initial contract purportedly gives Apple to the option to “exit without penalties if the developer misses certain deadlines.” Mizrahi Developments, however, says that it has “not missed deadlines” and that Apple “no longer has the option to terminate the lease.”
In a court filing, Mizrahi wrote that Apple’s threat to bail out of the lease “flies in the face of the commercial and practical realities of the construction process for a project.” Through the court order, the development company is looking to block Apple’s exit from its lease.
Apple has not commented on the situation, so at this point it’s unclear if the company will go through with its threat to pull out of the development, or if the court would even allow it to.
