New Apple Store planned in El Paso

ifoAppleStore says that Apple's retail team is bringing a new location to El Paso, Texas, right on the border to Mexico down there. The store will sit on the ground floor of the local Cielo Vista Mall, just three miles from the border, where Mexican customers make up 16 percent of retail sales in the city itself. This is an interesting choice -- there's another mall that's marketing itself as a more upscale destination nearby, but apparently Apple wants to open this store before waiting for that place to open in 2012.

While the local area is interesting, where this store fits in the greater picture is even more fascinating -- the closest store to this location is apparently way over in New Mexico, which means this new retail outlet will fill in what ifoAppleStore says is a seven-state hole in coverage. Additionally, El Paso is one of the most Apple-loyal regions in the country according to a recent study, and it was actually the fourth-most loyal area that didn't yet have an Apple Store to call home.

So this store is actually well-placed, it seems. There's no official date set yet, but if everything goes as planned, the store could open as soon as early next year.