Back in January, Apple Inc. said that it was working on a brand new, state-of-the-art retail store smack dab in the middle of Seoul, South Korea.

The store’s proximity to chief rival Samsung’s headquarters probably is no coincidence. Now, it appears the location will open its doors in just two weeks:

A new report from Korea says that the store will open on December 30, with retail head Angela Ahrendts in attendance …ETNews quotes the construction company saying that work on the store is all but complete.

“We have finished all the major interior decorations of the Apple Store and left only a simple task,” he said .Apple has decided to open the Apple store Seoul Gangnam store (first store) on Saturday, December 30, in consultation with the construction company. Unless there are special problems at the final stage of the construction, it will open from 10 am to 11 am on the day.

Originally, Apple is said to have pegged November 30 as the open date, but things weren’t quite ready in time. December 30 is reportedly a hard deadline this time around.

The store will reportedly feature nearly 1,300 square meters of space, with ground and basement levels. It’s located in the popular and upscale Gangnam district of Seoul, and is bound to attract droves of affluent shoppers from day one.

Apple Inc. shares closed at $173.97 on Friday, up $1.75 (+1.02%). Year-to-date, AAPL has gained 52.62%, versus a 20.93% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

AAPL currently has a StockNews.com POWR Rating of A (Strong Buy), and is ranked #1 of 28 stocks in the Technology – Hardware category.

Source: stocknews