Google is set to join other BigTech players like Apple and Amazon by opening a brick-and-mortar outlet.

The new store will be in New York City’s Chelsea neighbourhood in Manhattan, which already houses 11,000 Google employees.

The store will sell Google own branded products including Pixel smartphones, Pixelbooks, Fitbit fitness trackers, and Nest smart home devices.

Consumers will be able to access customer service, have their Google products repaired, and pickup their online orders.

Since launching in 2001, almost exactly 20 years ago, Apple physical outlet presence grew from 2 to 511 stores worldwide.

Apple’s stores, in combination with its website, grossed around $81 billion in sales in 2019 which was around 31 per cent of the company’s total revenue for the financial year.

In June 2020, Microsoft closed all its 83 physical stores, which were first launched in 2009, except for four locations which were rebranded “experience centres”.

Amazon also continues to expand its physical retail presence in the UK, and recently opened its fourth cashierless UK supermarket in Canary Warf, which will operate under it’s “Amazon Fresh” brand.

Google does not provide exact sales data for its hardware products, but has previously claimed that it is a “multi-billion dollar” business.

“The new Google Store is an important next step in our hardware journey of providing the most helpful experience of Google, wherever and whenever people need it,” said Jason Rosenthal, vice president, direct channels and membership at Google.

He added: “We look forward to meeting many of our customers and hearing their feedback on the store, so we can continue to explore and experiment with the possibilities of a physical retail space and build upon the experience.”

Share Story: