In June, Apple will permanently close three mall locations due to deteriorating conditions at their respective malls. The affected stores are situated in Towson, Maryland, Escondido, California, and Trumbull, Connecticut, as confirmed by the company to MacRumors. All locations were temporarily closed on Wednesday but have since reopened until the final closure.
Apple's decision follows the exit of several retailers from these malls, particularly impacting the Towson Town Center store, which made history as the first Apple store in the U.S. to unionize in 2022. Employees at the unionized location will face different treatment compared to those at non-union stores; while workers from the Escondido and Trumbull locations will be transferred to other Apple stores, staff at Towson must reapply for available positions based on their collective bargaining agreement.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union has expressed outrage over the closure and is assessing possible actions against Apple, claiming the company's justification for the layoffs is misleading and indicative of an attempt to undermine union efforts.