By Megan Doherty
Apple is advertising for staff for its first retail store in Canberra leading to speculation the technology behemoth is about to launch a flagship shopfront in Civic or Belconnen.
The Canberra Centre, Garema Place and Westfield Belconnen are all being speculated on as possible sites for Apple.
Heading to Canberra? Customers descend a glass staircase at the flagship Apple store on New York's Fifth Avenue.Credit: Reuters
And buzz about Spanish fashion house Zara opening soon in Canberra just won't die down.
Apple, at least for now, is looking more of a sure thing, asking for applications for retail staff on seek.com.au as well as its own website for a new store in Canberra.
Four jobs are listed on seek.com.au specifically related to the new store opening.
While the company is openly advertising for staff in Canberra, a spokesman for Apple this morning refused to comment about the new store in the ACT.
"We haven't announced a new store," he told The Canberra Times
There are 14 Apple Retail Stores around Australia, with eight in NSW, two in Queensland, three in Victoria and one in Western Australia.
The most recent store opened at the Broadway shopping centre in Sydney, just last Saturday, with reports 700 people visited it on opening day. Scores of eager tech-heads were queuing out the front waiting for the doors to open.
A spokesman for the Canberra Centre declined to comment on whether either Apple or Zara was opening there soon.
It's understood if Apple was planning to go at Westfield Belconnen it is only a recent turnaround from the Canberra Centre, even an "overnight" development.
The Canberra Times reported in April the owner of the Canberra Centre, QIC, was on the brink of securing an "internationally recognised retailer", thought to be Zara.
Plans show the Canberra Centre is consolidating tenancies on level one of the Bunda Street extension to allow for a "new mini major tenancy area" of 1900 square metres.
Zara communications manager Miren Mendoza wouldn’t confirm the rumours this morning.
‘‘As of this moment, the only store openings we can confirm are those in Chadstone, Melbourne and Bondi Junction. We have no news on Canberra yet. Once I have any updates, I will definitely let you know,’’ she told The Canberra Times.