There has been no shortage of retailers closing locations over the last few years as consumer behaviors shift online and foot traffic at brick-and-mortar stores continues to decline for many chains.
And now, iPhone maker Apple has announced that it will join the ranks of companies closing locations, with multiple Apple stores to close for good this summer. Here’s what you need to know.
Which Apple retail stores are closing?
Yesterday, Apple confirmed that it will close three Apple retail stores in the United States.
While there have been a few instances in the past of Apple closing a retail store, this is the first time the company has announced the closure of three in one fell swoop.
In a statement to MacRumors, Apple confirmed the closure of three locations across the United States. Based in three different states, those locations are:
- California: Apple North County retail store at the Shops at North County, 272 E Via Rancho Parkway, Escondido 92025
- Connecticut: Apple Trumbull retail store at Trumbull Mall, 5065 Main Street, Trumbull 06611
- Maryland: Apple Towson Town Center retail store at Towson Town Center, 825 Dulaney Valley Road, Towson 21204
According to MacRumors, all three locations will close in June. Each location was also temporarily closed yesterday, but is now open and will continue operating until its final shuttering this summer.
Why is Apple closing these retail stores?
When a retailer announces store closures, many assume the company’s entire business is struggling. But given that Apple continues to rake in money hand over fist, quarter over quarter, that is clearly not the case.
The company currently operates around 540 retail stores worldwide, with over 270 in America, and those numbers are growing. Since 2025, Apple has opened 11 new retail stores.
So why is Apple closing the three specified stores? You can blame the shopping centers they are located in.
In its statement to MacRumors, Apple said that it remains “deliberate about evaluating our existing locations” and that “Following the departure of several retailers and declining conditions at Trumbull Mall, the Shops at North County, and Towson Town Center, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our stores at these locations.”
In other words, Apple is just the latest retailer to pull out of these three locations. Like many malls and shopping centers in America, the three locations losing their Apple stores appear to have struggled with declining foot traffic in recent years.
Apple has now decided that the conditions at the three locations no longer warrant investing in a retail presence at those locations.
Apple is closing its first retail store to unionize
One notable thing about this round of Apple Store closures is that it includes the first Apple retail store to unionize.
In 2022, the Apple Towson Town Center retail store in Maryland became the first Apple retail store in the United States to unionize. And just two years later, it became the first Apple retail store to vote to authorize a strike.
Now, that store, along with the two other nonunion stores, is being shuttered.
But the workers at all three stores aren’t being treated equally.
According to the company’s statement, Apple will keep the retail workers at the two nonunion stores—Apple North County and Apple Trumbull—on staff, transferring them to other Apple retail locations in their areas.
As for the closing unionized Apple Towson Town Center retail store, the workers there will not automatically continue in their roles at other retail stores.
Instead, Apple says, “Towson employees will be eligible to apply for open roles at Apple in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.”
In a statement to MacRumors, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Union, which represents the union workers at the closing Towson Town Center store, said Apple’s decision to not automatically transfer them to other stores “raises serious concerns.”
“Apple’s claim that the collective bargaining agreement prevents relocation is simply false and raises serious concerns that this closure is a cynical attempt to bust the union,” a union spokesperson said. “We are exploring all legal options and will work with elected officials and allies to hold Apple accountable.”
Fast Company has reached out to Apple for comment.