Since closing all of its approximately 500 retail stores outside China due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple has only reopened one store, located in Seoul, South Korea, earlier this month. However, in a video update sent to Apple employees, Deirdre O’Brien, VP Of Retail and People said she expected the pace of store reopenings to accelerate in May.
While O’Brien didn’t specify which regions or stores would be resuming operations, she did say “we are continuing to analyze this health situation in every location, and I do expect we will reopen many more stores in May,” according to Bloomberg.
In a previous message to employees cited in the Bloomberg report, O’Brien indicated that she expected at least some of Apple’s 271 U.S. locations to resume operations in early May. Apple’s global store network encompasses Europe, North America, Asia and large markets including Brazil, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
The Seoul location, which reopened in mid-April, has focused primarily on service and pickup of devices for repair rather than sales. Customers there are subject to temperature screenings upon entry.
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