Apple’s first retail store in Turkey will open in Istanbul on April 5

Members of the press were given a tour of Apple's newest retail store in Istanbul, Turkey before its grand opening tomorrow, April 5th, reports Apple Toolbox. Leading the tour was Apple's manager of retail stores, Steve Cano, who confirmed that CEO Tim Cook will not attend the opening as originally expected. Turkish President Abdullah Gül also will postpone his visit until after the retail store is opened. 


The 20,000 square foot store, which is located in the upscale Zorlu Center,features a unique cubic design with a glass ceiling and glass sides. According to Cano, the store uses more glass than any previous Apple Store and contains special glass materials that take full advantage of the sun light in the open area of the mall. 


The Apple Retail Store at the Zorlu Center is set to open at 10:00 AM this Saturday, April 5, with Apple sending out announcements via email to Turkish residents. Similar to other retail openings, store employees will be giving away Apple t-shirts to the first 4,500 customers who enter the location on Saturday. The Istanbul location is Apple's 424th retail store worldwide.