In a video update to Apple employees, Deidre O’Brien, VP of retail and people, says that “many more” Apple Stores will start reopening next month.
In comments shared by Bloomberg, O’Brien said that: “We are continuing to analyze this health situation in every location, and I do expect we will reopen up many more stores in May.” She didn’t state exactly which stores Apple would be reopening.
Apple made the decision to close all its retail stores outside of Greater China on Saturday, March 14. Up until this point, it had been gradually closing stores around the world in response to the location conditions of the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, Apple said the closure would continue through March 27.
Since then, Apple has reopened its stores in China and its single store in South Korea. However, other Apple Stores have remained closed.
Apple operates stores in nearly 460 locations across the world outside of China, including about 270 in the United States. On the Temporary Retail Store Closures FAQ section of its website, it currently notes that: “Our retail stores are closed until further notice.”
Deidre O’Brien’s comments about Apple Stores reopening in May is not a massive surprise. In early April, she told staff that Apple Stores around the U.S. would stay closed until at least early May.
As with its previous decision to push back the reopening date from late March, Apple could delay this if current situations change. However, it seems that many countries and states are now starting to talk about scaling back lockdown. This means shops being able to reopen, albeit with new guidelines in place in some cases.
