In an interview with Bloomberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the company would be reopening some of its retail stores, specifically in Austria (its lone single store) and Australia (over 20).
Cook told Bloomberg’s Emily Chang “just a few, not a large number” of Apple Stores stores in the U.S. will open again in the first half of May.
Apple is “going to look at the data and make a decision city by city, county by county, depending on the circumstances in that particular place,” explained Cook, noting Apple is not trying to be the first retail company to reopen in any region due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apple has only reopened one store outside of Greater China, its retail location in South Korea. Customers must have temperature checks before entering the store, while also encouraged to wear a mask.
A recent memo by Apple retail chief Deirdre O’Brien to staff indicated the company planned to reopen “many” stores next month, with no specific numbers mentioned.
Cook did not mention anything about Apple Stores in Canada reopening, amid the country’s ongoing shut down due to coronavirus.
This afternoon, Apple announced its 2020 second-quarter earnings, seeing a 1% increase in revenue despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
