October
According to the jobs pages on the Apple site a few weeks ago, it opens in October.
I have to say that I'm not entirely convinced by the independence of the new members all singing Bite's praises - I'm a bit cynical like that... BTW, I have no connection with them, but do work in an office 2 minutes walk away.
However, there's always room for a smaller company offering a more personal service in quieter surroundings, who can sell, presumably, more non-Apple peripherals and can be a bit more honest about what Apple's strengths and, more importantly, weaknesses are. I've only bought an iPhone case from them, but am constantly looking for excuses to pop in (although the permanently locked front door is a bit off-putting - it took me three attempts before I realised that there was a sign that said to ring the bell - I wonder how many customers are lost through this - why not get a sensor/camera so that an opening door triggers someone to go to the sales floor?). The chats I've had with people there have been informative - on my level - and I'm looking forward to them getting the music demo bench set up - I'm trying to convince myself to buy a keyboard...
I'm not saying that I won't be among the first people to go to the AppleStore when it opens, but I'll certainly be giving John Lewis a miss for Apple gadgets (they have a very small range, and very few knowledgable people, in my limited experience) in future, and will try to spend with Bite where I can.
Tiptopp