Apple Closing San Diego-Area Store

Apple will permanently close its North County store in Escondido in June, cutting one of San Diego County’s five Apple retail locations. (sandiegouniontribune.com) Apple said on April 9 that it is shutting three U.S. stores: Apple North County in Escondido, Apple Trumbull in Connecticut, and Apple Towson Town Center in Maryland. The company said the malls had seen “the departure of several retailers” and “declining conditions.” (macrumors.com) The Escondido store is inside North County Mall at 272 E. Via Rancho Parkway. Apple’s retail page still lists Genius Bar appointments, pickup, and classes at that location while it remains open. (apple.com) Apple told NBC 7 that employees at the Escondido store will be transferred to nearby stores, not laid off with the closure. NBC 7 reported four other Apple stores will remain open in San Diego County. (nbcsandiego.com) The closure lands at a mall that has been losing ground for years. Nordstrom left the property in 2020 after 35 years, and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield sold the 1.2 million-square-foot center in early 2023 to Bridge Group Investments and Steerpoint Capital. (nationaltoday.com, commercialsearch.com) The new owners said in 2023 that they wanted to revive the mall with more shops, dining and entertainment. Apple’s exit now adds a high-profile tenant loss at a property once known locally as North County Fair. (10news.com, times-advocate.com) For shoppers in North County, the change is practical as much as symbolic. In-store repairs, device pickups and face-to-face support will shift to Apple’s remaining county stores after the Escondido location closes in June. (cbs8.com) Apple has closed individual stores before, but announcing three U.S. mall closures at once points to a narrower problem: not demand for iPhones, but whether some older malls still fit Apple’s retail model. In Escondido, that question will be settled when the doors close this summer. (9to5mac.com, fox5sandiego.com)