$4.1B Says Shoppers Still Love Apple Stores

Apple's retail stores brought in US$4.1 billion during the company's third fiscal quarter for 2013 through its 408 stores around the world. That, along with customer traffic numbers, show shoppers are still seeking out the company's retail stores for their iPhone, iPad, and Mac purchases.

Apple retail stores are still drawing in customers, add $4.1B to company's bottom lineApple retail stores are still drawing in customers, add $4.1B to company's bottom line

Revenue per store came in at $10.1 million for the quarter, down year-over-year from $11.1 million. Apple's retail stores saw 84 million visitors during the quarter. Company CFO Peter Oppenheimer shared the retail numbers during Apple's quarterly earnings report Tuesday afternoon.

Apple said its June quarter revenue came in at $35.3 billion, above analyst estimates of $35 billion, with earnings of $6.9 billion. Earnings per share hit $7.47, above Wall Street estimates at $7.30.

The company sold 31.2 million iPhones during the quarter, up from last year's 26.6 million. iPad sales were down year-over-year from 17 million units to 14.6 million. Mac sales came in at 3.8 million units, down from last year's 4 million.

The ongoing weakness in the PC market clearly doesn't seem to be having a negative impact on Apple Store sales, and despite lower iPad sales it looks like consumers are still making it a point to visit the company's retail locations. That said, year-over-year iPads sales to date are up 48 percent, indicating that interest in the multimedia tablet are still high.

Apple currently has 408 stores around the world, 156 of which are outside the United States. 27 new stores are expected by the end of fiscal 2013, and 23 store locations are expected to be completed.

Opening new stores are relocating stores that need more floor space is a good indicator that shoppers are still drawn to Apple's products. That will most likely translate into even more customers shopping in Apple Stores leading into the holiday season, and that translates into more foot traffic, more sales, and ultimately more cash going into Apple's bank accounts.

Apple's third fiscal quarter earnings report is still underway, so be sure to check back with The Mac Observer for more news from the event.