Apple Inc (AAPL)

[Tex]

re UK stores

Apple was in the UK earlier, and Apple probably has been doing homework on the locations earlier. I'm sure Apple has plans for good locations in other countries, but just not announced plans.

I'm not sure who Apple has working on the site locations for Apple, but it's got to be easier to handle foreign issues when the language there is the same language understood by top management.

It's also possible that Apple enjoys the local tax rate. Corporate income tax in the UK is 20%. While Apple faces US taxes because of its US citizenship, a foreign tax higher than US taxes bites a bit harder (doesn't wash out in foreign tax credits), so the payoff is better building stores (and sales) where taxes will be lower, than building them where taxes would be higher.

Just a thought. Still, I like seeing stores open where the currency is more solid than in the US

I wonder how much is consumed in corporate managerial attention in Cupertino when a store is opened. I'm guessing not very much ... there should be no competition for resources limiting store opening rate other than perhaps the capacity to train employees properly. The bottleneck surely isn't capital, the company is swimming in cash :P

Take care,
--Tex.