According to a Bloomberg article, Apple is shutting its Northlake Mall site in Charlotte, North Carolina as a consequence of many gunshots in the region. Despite being operational on Wednesday morning, workers were advised that the facility would be closing down immediately.
Fox News Digital received the following response from Apple on Wednesday evening: “In preparation for a new store we plan to open in the Charlotte area early next year, we will be closing Apple Northlake on March 2. All of our team members will continue to support our Charlotte customers at Apple SouthPark and the Apple Store Online.”
The precise location of the new Apple store in Charlotte could not be revealed by an Apple spokesperson. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg authorities, there have been multiple shootings at the mall since December 15, with two of those occurring recently.
At about 3 p.m. in the December shooting, a disagreement inside the mall turned violent, and two people were shot. Similar circumstances led to one shot being fired inside the mall on February 5, which resulted in two casualties that weren’t caused by bullets.
The incident happened on Tuesday in front of the mall close to Macy’s. There were no alleged casualties.
The Apple spokesperson said the firm is eager to create a new site inside the city next year yet was unable to verify whether the closing of the site was due to violence at the mall when questioned.
Apple was one of 15 tenants at the mall whose contract was renewed by the end of 2022, based on a January filing in North Carolina Business Court.
The statement stated that the owner’s general aim for the mall “focused on maintaining tenancy and resolving arrears,” but it failed to clarify the circumstances surrounding renewal or Apple’s intentions for staying at the location.
Although sales figures were not available immediately, news organisations in the Charlotte area indicated that the store was probably the mall’s main attraction. On December 31, Northlake Mall had a 73.71 per cent occupancy rate, with 59.52 per cent of that being permanent and 14.19% being temporary.
