Apple continues to see no cannibalization of its own retail store sales as it opens additional stores in the same region, according to Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer at a tech industry conference on Monday. Otherwise he revealed little new information about future Retail segment operation in response to the moderator’s questions, but reiterated there will be about 164 stores open by the end of this September.
Oppenheimer said Apple was “really thrilled” with the performance of the Retail segment, and noted financial results for the last year and the expansion of stores. He said the stores’ locations are key to their success, and also because customers have “a really great experience” when they visit.
In response to a question about expansion, Oppenheimer said, “Opening about 40 stores a year feels comfortable.” But even at that rate, Oppenheimer said, “We haven’t seen cannibalization” among Apple stores that are in the same region. He noted there are roughly 15 stores in northern California, and the company hasn’t noted any new stores drawing revenue from older stores in that region.
Looking ahead internationally, Oppenheimer said only that Apple would be looking at all opportunities. Asked for a look at the “ultimate footprint” for international stores, Oppening would only say, “We’re just takiing it a quarter and a year at a time.” He added that, “We’re really picky about our real estate.”
Talking about service and support, he noted the new Genius Bar reservation system and mobile check-out at the stores, which he called “successful.” On mobile check-out, he said, “We’re looking to make some improvements to make it even better.”
