Apple To Close San Diego-Area Store

SAN DIEGO, CA — Apple will permanently close three of its retail stores in June, including one in San Diego County, the company announced this week.

The North County Apple Store inside North County Mall in Escondido will be among the shuttered stores, according to the tech company. Other closures are slated in Connecticut and Maryland.

All three of the stores are located in struggling shopping malls.

"As we continue investing to expand and enhance our retail stores and offerings worldwide, we remain deliberate about evaluating our existing locations to ensure that we can meet our customers' needs in the best way," Apple said in the statement to MacRumors. "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."

Employees at the Escondido store will continue their roles at nearby Apple stores, the company said.

There are four other Apple stores in San Diego County, located in Carlsbad, Fashion Valley, Otay Ranch and UTC.