Apple staff numbers up one third, 50 new stores planned

Written by Gary McArthur Saturday, 30 October 2010 18:05

Apple Inc said it has raised its employee headcount by more than one-third from last year, as it warned again that it expects its gross margin to fall in coming quarters.

Apple said it has 46,600 full-time employees as of September 25, up from 34,300 a year-ago and 32,000 in 2008. Most of that increase came in the retail segment, where Apple now has 26,500 employees, 10,000 more than in 2009. Apple has 317 retail stores, up from 273 a year ago.

The details were contained in Apple's 10-K, which it filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this past week. The company also stressed its gross margin will fall in coming quarters, as it sells a larger mix of products such as the iPad. Read on in Reuters for the reasoning behind this prediction.

While reiterating the above particulars Macworld added that Apple anticipated opening 40 to 50 new stores in 2011, more than half located outside the U.S.