“An upscale two-block collection of retail stores in west Berkeley (Calif.) was doing well for many years, but revenues skyrocketed just after the Fourth Street Apple retail store opened in 2011,” Gary Allen reports for ifoAppleStore.
“According to a just-released economic analysis by the city, the store quadrupled sales tax revenues for the district over a two-year period, an increase unmatched by any category in any other city shopping district,” Allen reports. “‘
Allen reports, “In the report, the city’s economic development manager describes Berkeley’s 10 shopping districts, and notes the trends since January 2010. Within those districts, most category sales tax income was lackluster. Restaurants, service stations, and auto sales showed the most gains of any category, but only from 15% to 35% over the two years. However… Fourth Street, the category that includes the Apple store, increased from from about $45,000 in sales tax revenue in the second quarter of 2011, to about $205,000 in the first quarter of 2012, a 450 percent increase.”
Read more in the full article here.
Government always taxes a person/business six ways from Sunday…
A 450% increase to the government coffers… You think they’d give Apple a cut of that in appreciation?!
Of course not! In fact they want Apple to provide free WiFi for the whole complex too.
Apple is already getting their profit, what nonsense are you spewing?
Keep on keepin’ on Apple!
Apple will now be inundated with cities demanding to have an Apple Store in their localities.
it´s a 350% increase
(it more than quadrupled, so it is now 450% of the original 100% i.e. +350%)
no wonder the economy goes down the drain when noone can do basic maths any more …
I was told there would be no math.
Matt, you gave way too credits to Berkeley’s politicians (or any politician). Math is one of the area many politicians lack. Berkeley may be a city where top notch Cal is located at, however its politicans are Walmart grade at best.
How about those Microsoft stores. Is there a negative impact where Microsoft would be paid to leave?
Apple the fisherman
Some seem to complain the city government make money with Apple and should give them something back. That’s a point of view.
Now, Apple is a business company, and if they came to that place, it is not because they are philanthropist.
The fishfarmer (city government) makes money because fisherman (Apple) comes to the area to fish big and healthy fishes. Think why fishes can be big and healthy. Maybe the fishfarmer take a better care of its farmland and of it’s fishes than other fishfarmers where the one that complain are living in.
MS and Google Stores will do great if built in the Red Light Districts of Major Cities.
And yet the city still refuses to fix the roads on that side of Berkeley. Maybe now they have the money? Anyone who’s driven over there knows what I mean.