An Apple (AAPL-US) spokesperson confirmed that all 270 Apple stores across the U.S. opened for business on Monday, the first Time since Apple closed its stores last spring in response to the New Coronavirus (CCP) outbreak, and even the last closed Texas store reopened on Monday, sending the stock price soaring more than 5%.
With fewer cases and the distribution of vaccines, the U.S. is beginning to break out of the embargo and restart its economy.
However, not all Apple stores in the United States are fully open for customers to visit and buy, customers still have to go online to confirm the status of the stores to go to, some of them adopt the customer appointment method, or provide limited services.
Apple announced the closure of all stores outside of China on March 13 of last year, when it was expected to reopen only until March 27, but it became clear that the Epidemic would not improve and would remain closed for several months.
Since the initial announcement, Apple has restarted and closed stores again around the world in response to the new epidemic, usually briefly before the government issued a restraining order.
In response to the outbreak, Apple is experimenting with new store services, including appointment-only service or purchasing, and a “quick pickup” option to get customers in and out of the store quickly. Apple also began requiring customers to wear masks in-store and implementing health and safety guidelines (e.g., reduced occupancy).
Looking around the world, 12 Apple Stores in France and 2 Apple Stores in Brazil remain closed, with 2 other Apple Stores in Mexico expected to restart on Tuesday.
Even if the stores are closed, that won’t stop Apple from selling products, especially through the online store, as that sales pipeline has always been in operation. However, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that if the physical stores had been open during last year’s shopping holiday, sales results would have been better.
Although the epidemic is slowing in the U.S. and businesses are gradually restarting, CNBC estimates that there are still at least 67,300 new cases per day and at least 2,010 new deaths per day, according to a 7-day average calculated by Johns Hopkins University.
The accelerating pace of vaccine uptake across the United States has raised market expectations that companies will return to normalcy later this year. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 49.8 million people have received at least one dose of the new crown vaccine.
Apple jumped 5.39% to $127.79 on Monday, after rising nearly 1% intraday.
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