Apple has begun recruiting staff for its first store on mainland Europe.

Apple Italy is looking for the usual range of shop assistants and tech support personnel for a Rome store due to open some time next year.

Apple currently has four stores open in Europe, all in the UK. Since the first one, on London's Regent Street, opened last year, Apple has established stores in Birmingham's revived Bullring Centre, Manchester's Trafford Centre and the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent.

The company is known to be preparing stores located in North London's Brent Cross centre and Sheffield's Meadowhalls.

Apple is also recruiting for a Fukuoka, Japan store, the company's fifth store in that country. ®