Apple’s French and UK stores switch to Express pickups as lockdowns begin

The COVID-19 lockdown started today in the UK and will extend until December 2nd at the earliest, depending on how fast the rate of infections drop. The rules state that only essential business like grocery stores, clinics and pharmacies may remain open, while non-essential stores for clothing, furniture, electronics, vehicles and other must close. However, the latter businesses may offer “click-and-collect” walk-up or drive-through delivery services. Very similar restrictions are in place for France, where Apple started click-and-collect service last week in seven stores.

UK Apple stores closed today, but are set to reopen tomorrow, November 6th. If you purchased a new iPhone 12 or other recently announced Apple device and were hoping to pick it up, you may want to arrange that soon — most of the new devices are set to start shipping on November 13th.