Every Apple Store in the UK closes as new lockdown restrictions hit

Apple is recommending customers shop online with its no-contact delivery service

The Apple Inc. logo is seen hanging at the entrance to the Apple store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York (REUTERS)

Apple is temporarily closing its retail stores in the UK, including every location in Scotland, as the country faces more restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Apple has 38 stores in the UK, 20 of which had been closed since 22 December until the beginning of January, 9to5Mac reports.

It has now closed an additional 18 in locations including Cambridge, Plymouth, Glasgow, Cambridge, and many more from 5 January.

Prior to the new announcements, the stores were operating with pick-up of online orders.

With stores shutting again, Apple is now recommending customers shop online for no-contact delivery.

In June, Apple re-opened all 32 of its stores in England and one in Northern Ireland, implementing a two-meter policy throughout as well as making it mandatory for customers and staff to wear masks. 

The UK is not the only country where Apple has had to shut down their stores. In the United States the company has 271 stores, of which one third are currently closed.   

In March, Apple had shut down all of its stores in the US, before proceeding to open and close them again as the pandemic developed. Every store outside of China was shut down in March, and the company encouraged its employees to work from home if they could.