Malls Empty of Customers, Three Giant Apple Stores Go Bust

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The world’s king of smartphones, Apple, has announced it will close three retail networks of ‘Apple Stores’ in the United States in June 2026. These are Apple Trumbull in Connecticut, Apple North County in California, and Apple Towson in Maryland.

MacRumors reports that the three stores to be closed are located in shopping centres or malls that have already begun to be abandoned. Dozens of retailers collectively have packed up and left these visitor-scarce malls.

For example, earlier this year, several retailers such as Banana Republic, Madewell, and Tommy Bahama announced their businesses were leaving Towson Town Center.

Last month, the owner of Trumbull Mall also failed to pay a US$150 million loan, and the property is now for sale. The mall, now known as Mershops North County, was also sold a few years ago amid deteriorating conditions.

“At Apple, we continue to strive to provide outstanding service and a great experience for our customers. As part of our investments to expand and enhance our retail stores and offerings worldwide, we remain cautious in evaluating our existing locations to ensure we can best meet our customers’ needs,” reads an official Apple statement, quoted from MacRumors, Friday (10/4/2026).

“Following the departure of several retailers and the deteriorating conditions at Trumbull Mall, Shops at North County, and Towson Town Center, we have made the difficult decision to close our stores at these locations,” Apple added.

Furthermore, Apple stated that the teams at Trumbull and North County will continue their roles at the nearest Apple Store. The Cupertino giant said Towson employees are eligible to apply for available positions at Apple in accordance with their collective bargaining agreement.

It should be noted that the staff at Apple Towson Town Center were the first Apple retail employees in the US to form a union in 2022. They are part of The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE).

Apple said the employees at the Trumbull and North County stores will continue their roles at the nearest Apple Store locations, while employees at the Towson Town Center store are eligible to apply for available positions at Apple in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement they signed with Apple as part of their union organisation.

In addition, it should be emphasised that Apple recorded its highest revenue ever in the last quarter. This means the closure of these stores does not indicate the company’s overall performance.

In response to Apple’s decision to close its three stores, IAM expressed being very angry. In its statement, IAM said the closure at Towson is Apple’s way of abandoning its workers and the community that relies on the store for essential services and unique access to public transportation.

“Apple’s claim that the collective bargaining agreement prevents relocation is false and raises serious concerns that this closure is a cynical attempt to destroy the union. We are exploring all legal options and will work with elected officials and allies to hold Apple accountable,” reads the IAM statement.

“We support the members of the IAM Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE) and the community that relies on this store for important access and support,” IAM continued.