Here in the United States, Samsung has a retail presence in the form of the Samsung Experience Shop. Set in a dedicated space in Best Buy locations, these areas are adorned with Samsung products and dedicated staff. While Samsung has retail stores to call its own in Europe, they have yet to open in a market similar to that in the United Kingdom, until now. Today, the world’s largest phone maker opens its first retail stores in jolly ol’ England.
The stores opened in London, Newcastle, Liverpool, Bradford, Bristol, Manchester, Bournemouth, and Cardiff. Carphone Warehouse will operate the Experience stores for Samsung, which plans a total of 60 Experience stores across Europe in the following months. Samsung already opened 19 stores in Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, and Ireland in recent weeks.
Carphone Warehouse CEO Andrew Harrison seems pretty excited about the news: “We are delighted to have been chosen by Samsung as its preferred European partner for its experience store rollout,” said Harrison. “In line with the launch of the brand new Samsung Galaxy S5 this week we’re opening the first U.K. stores, including one in the heart of London’s shopping district on Oxford Street.”
Samsung must be a believer in good timing, because the company’s upcoming flagship handset, the Galaxy S5, is set to launch in a matter of days. Apple already has a well-established retail presence in the form of Apple Stores, so it’ll be interesting to see how many people visit the Samsung Experience stores.
There’s no word on whether we will see these stores make their way to the U.S., though don’t be surprised if that’s what ends up happening.
Image courtesy of Know Your Mobile
