Apple Computer plans to open its first Switzerland-based brick and mortar retail store, an overseas Apple official has confirmed.

In an interview with FACTS magazine, Apple Switzerland board member and now interim CEO of the nation's Apple Retail division, Walter Müllhaupt, said the Mac maker in the near future will open a flagship retail store in Zurich.

Müllhaupt declined to provide specific details, such as an exact location or time for the store opening. However, the report implies that Apple Americas is overseeing the operation from its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

The store is not likely to open until next year, the report adds.

Switzerland, which is home to around 100 Apple authorized resellers, would be the fourth country outside the US to gain an Apple retail presence. Apple currently operates international retails stores in the UK, Japan, and Canada.

During Apple's previous fiscal quarter, its retail stores generated a $29m profit on sales of $555m, drawing more than 12 million shoppers over the three-month period.

Sometime in the next two years Apple is also expected to expand its retail initiative to Germany, France, and Australia.