Samsung has taken its first step into the world of retail by opening its first store, the Edmonton Journal reports. Located in Burnaby, Canada (more specifically the Metrotown shopping centre, it adopts a very similar layout to the Apple Store. It even includes a Genius Bar type area where customers can come for one-on-one sessions and tutorials. How original.
“This is a huge play for us,” said James Politeski, CEO of Samsung Canada. “We’re super psyched; it’s a beautiful environment in which to experience a multitude of different Samsung products not only how they work themselves but also how they work together.”
The phones are lined up; there’s a choice of tablets starting with the little Galaxy Note, the tablet with a 5.29-inch display that seems to have found a fit with a niche market, chalking up more than 5 million sales by the first quarter report. As you walk further into the store — the offerings get larger until you reach the notebook computers. Accessories line one wall and if you keep going right to the back, you’ll find Samsung’s version of the Apple Genius Bar, an area set aside for one-to-one or group demonstrations to help customers put the devices through their paces.
Samsung will hope the 140 square meter store will reap rewards, but I know that I will steer well clear of it, as will many other Apple fans.
