Apple will soon open ‘Express’ stores to ease the iPhone 12 pickups. An Express store will have a wall built in front of the main store with sales counters protected by plexiglass. Plus, there will be a few shelves of accessories such as phone cases and AirPods. Apple will enable customers to make an appointment to pick up orders placed online. They can also interact with Apple’s technicians for customer service.

The latest development comes from Reuters who received the information from Apple’s retail SVP Deirdre O’Brien. “It’s a swifter way for us to serve customers. It allows us to maintain all the appropriate social distancing and maintain all of our health protocols within our stores,” she said.

Apple’s Express stores come at a time when coronavirus cases are rising in its key markets including the US and Europe. The company has 271 retail stores in the United States, and the new format could help it navigate a holiday sales challenge with the social distancing norms. They will allow Apple to take a cautious approach to re-opening its retail stores.

As of now, Apple has about 20 Express stores in the United States and Europe. It plans to expand to 50 across the two regions by the end of the month, says the report.

Apple’s iPhone 12 series is already arriving a month later than usual because of pandemic-related development delays. However, the phones are in huge demand. According to some estimates, the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models managed to pile up between seven and nine million pre-orders during their first weekend on sale. The iPhone 12 is expected to lead this year’s iPhone sales.