iPod touch-wielding staff will host French Apple shoppers near the Louvre from November 9 as international expansion ramps-up

While reports tell us the company is now training staff to use iPod touch devices to process orders and payments during the holiday season, fresh reports suggest Apple plans open its first store in France on November 7, as predicted near the location of the world famous Louvre museum in Paris.

The shop - situated at a flagship location - will cover 700 square metres. We first reported Apple’s French national treasure intention in January, and later learned the new shop will extend across two floors, replacing two previous shops, Résonnance and Lalique.

The Louvre location is one of a bevy of new store openings planned as part of Apple’s international retail extension plan. Over half the new shops to open in the current financial year will open outside of the US, the company’s recent financial filing reveals.

The store will be located in the Carrousel du Louvre, prime retail space under the pyramid that dominates Napoleon's courtyard at the museum's grand entrance, this location attracts 9 million visitors a year, of which at least 40 percent are tourists.

Apple began this new phase in its international expansion when it opened its all-new store in Aberdeen, Scotland, today.

Image courtesy of MacLife.