Apple is moving quickly in the fourth calendar quarter of 2009 in preparation for a busy holiday season. The company has already confirmed that its Mac, iPod and iPhone lineup is set for Christmas but is hurrying to open several stores before the end of the year.

ifoAppleStore is as ever a superb source of retail news, first up ifo speculates that November 15th looks like the opening date for France’s first retail store. The store named Carrousel du Louvre was guaranteed by Apple to be opening before the years end during last quarters fiscal results conference call. Also in France MacGeneration reports that Lyon and Marseille look like the next destinations for retail stores, opening in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

The next European city on Apple’s target is Barcelona in Spain. Apple is said to have leased a 10,000 square-feet space in the Paseo de Gracia in the center of Barcelona.

In the UK where 22 stores are currently open, Apple is this week opening its first store in Wales. The grand opening on Thursday 29th October at 10.30am is of the St David’s 2 store in Cardiff.

Scotland is also set for a October 29th grand opening of the Union Square Apple store in Aberdeen.

Apple is also working on a store situated in Covent Garden, London scheduled for May 2010 grand opening.

Over in North America Apple is looking to open its newest store in New York City. Situated on 67th and Broadway the Upper West Side Apple Store has been clad with plastic covering depicting a giant curtain, the bottom left corner has been peeled away revealing the words “Opening Soon.”

ifoAppleStore also breaks down the changes Apple will implement this holiday season “to reduce visitor confusion and streamline sales.” Apple will reportedly be dropping the colour-coded T-shirt system, all Apple store staff will wear the same colour T-shirt reducing customer confusion. Employees with also stop using the portable EasyPay systems and and begin using an iPod touch based solution as was rumoured earlier in the year. The iPod touch will have a scanner accessory attached and run point-of-sale software.