Apple Inc. (AAPL) Expanding In This Market Down Under: A Move Worth Watching

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been having a difficult time expressing its continued growth in its last couple of earnings reports, as analysts and investors seem to be unimpressed by the otherwise impressive revenue numbers that Cupertino continues to shell out every three months. While the growth isn’t as large as it had been recently, perhaps another sign of the company’s continued expansion and maturity can be indicated in the number of Apple Stores that crop up around the world. And as you might guess, then, we are currently talking about reports of a new Apple Store in Australia.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is apparently nearing the date to open a new Apple Store in Adelaide, South Australia, a $2.5-million center. There was a press release earlier this year (debunked by Apple) that suggested this new store would open in March, but at this point there is no official opening date mentioned. There have been several job posting lately for staff positions in a Apple Store in Adelaide, which heretofore had not existed in the area.

A new Apple Store in Adelaide would complete a pretty ambitious expansion in Australia, where Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) products have been gaining in popularity.

With this new store, Apple would have 18 retail stores across Australia, with eight of them opening in the last two yeas alone. There is another store that has been stalled during the construction phase, and it would be located in Queensland – however, there is so doubt as to whether Apple will ultimately fill that space due to the delays and the lack of clarity as to when construction would resume or be completed.

This might be a decent sign of growth for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), as in 2012 the company reported that the average Apple Store produced $50 million in revenue for the company. With the new Apple Store opening in Adelaide any day now, based on the current average, the Australia market produced $500 million in retail revenue in 2010 but might be increasing to around $900 million within the next year.

What are your thoughts about this news? Do you think the building of physical plants like Apple Stores is a good indication of a company’s growth? Does the opening of a new Apple Store suggest more growth is coming, or do you think it just answers a growth demand that has been there and may not necessarily  portend future growth? We’d like your thoughts about this new Adelaide Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Store in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.