# why is there no apple stores in southern ireland?



## NOAH (27 Jun 2013)

why is it, when in belfast i can call in to a nice apple store, big APPLE on the outside but when in southern ireland I see nothing and apparently APPLE have a big presence in CORK?

How weird is that?


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## gipimann (27 Jun 2013)

CompuB are the authorised Apple Premium Reseller in Ireland, and have shops in Dublin, Limerick and Cork.


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## Marion (2 Jul 2013)

I bought an iPhone5 as an upgrade with Emobile. I loved it. I dropped it. It had a large hairline screen crack. Two weeks old. No insurance other than all risks with an excess.  Quoted up to €170 to €250 to fix it.

On foot of this thread, I decided to take a trip to Belfast at the weekend and take in the sights as well as chat to staff in the Apple store. 

I booked an appointment slot online for the Apple store. They looked at it and immediately said they would replace it. I told them that I had dropped it.

Wow! Great service! 

So. Thanks Noah for this thread. I hadn't realised there was an Apple store in Belfast. Well worth the trip!

Marion


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## NOAH (2 Jul 2013)

now that is a result and yes the service in that APPLE store is ace, I was looking for an itrip gadget and they were extremely helpful.  In fact I felt like I was in a different country/world.

And thanks for the CompuB reminder.  I did visit the one in limerick a while back and did not realise it was an Apple reseller! I bet they would not replace the iphone that easy.

But why not have a real apple store, even one in Dublin. I bet its linked to that tax malarkey.

Totally ironic,  big apple presence jobs wise in the south BUT the real Apple store is in the North,  hmmm that sounds Irish.


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## Latrade (2 Jul 2013)

There's all kinds of rumours as to how Apple pics its store locations out there, but I think it's fair to say that they are very picky as to where they set up.

In reality though, no one but Apple knows why no store here. I've heard that it was considered, but the "prime" spot would be Grafton Street (they live the so-called fancier shopping districts and also like it when there's a university nearby). While they should be able to negotiate a decent rent, when sighting shops in streets rather than shopping centres, they do like to make the building distinct. If I had my guess (along with numbers probably confirming the Belfast store and CompuB service the Irish Market well enough), it's the renovations they'd want to do on the building that would be an issue with planning and that they aren't affraid to wait for the right spot to become available rather than taking the first available empty store.


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## Purple (2 Jul 2013)

NOAH said:


> why is it, when in belfast i can call in to a nice apple store, big APPLE on the outside but when in southern ireland I see nothing and apparently APPLE have a big presence in CORK?
> 
> How weird is that?


Not only is there no Apple shop in southern ireland, there's none anywhere in the Republic of Ireland.


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## Jim2007 (2 Jul 2013)

Purple said:


> Not only is there no Apple shop in southern ireland, there's none anywhere in the Republic of Ireland.



From what I remember it is a tax thing - shops in Ireland means a different tax status -> you pay more taxes.  In the old days in MS had the MS shops, it was the same story.


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## Purple (2 Jul 2013)

Jim2007 said:


> From what I remember it is a tax thing - shops in Ireland means a different tax status -> you pay more taxes.  In the old days in MS had the MS shops, it was the same story.



I was highlighting that awful phrase "souther Ireland". That's a geographic location, not a country.


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## Leo (3 Jul 2013)

Jim2007 said:


> From what I remember it is a tax thing - shops in Ireland means a different tax status -> you pay more taxes.  In the old days in MS had the MS shops, it was the same story.



I can't see it being a tax thing. If Apple chose to open a retail business here, then they would do so under a separate legal entity that would only pay taxes on their sales. 

I work for another large US multinational that has no retail presence here simply because the Irish market is just too small. The Belfast store is just another in the established UK market.


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## BillK (3 Jul 2013)

Good for you, Purple!


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## TarfHead (4 Jul 2013)

Purple said:


> Not only is there no Apple shop in southern ireland, there's none anywhere in the Republic of Ireland.


 
Boom , you beat me to it !

I despise the use of that term 'The South', especially when it's used by members of the Oireachtas, and by the media.


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## micmclo (4 Jul 2013)

No Apple stores in the Free State either


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## mcaul (5 Jul 2013)

Apple will only set up when the right store becomes available.

They are on the look out for a store here and have been for a couple of years. The front part of the former habitat store was considered but they decided against it.

My guess is they are waiting for the Zerep/Richard Alan store development and will locate there.


Some people said the former HMV was a target of Apple - but that was pure guesswork. At 20,000 sq ft, it would be far too big.

Remember we are a small country of less than 6 million people, compuB already do a good job, so its not top of their priorities and has absolutely zilch to do with any other part of their business or tax rates or anything else.


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## NOAH (10 Jul 2013)

a small country??  how big is northern ireland? It has to be a tax thing.


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## Leo (10 Jul 2013)

NOAH said:


> a small country??  how big is northern ireland? It has to be a tax thing.



Northern Ireland is part of the UK. That's a big market where a single parent company controls their 37 stores. 

How could it possibly be a tax thing?


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