Samsung to Open Shops in Best Buys

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Suwon, South Korea) has announced a plan to open 1400 brand shops in Best Buy stores across the country by the end of June.

The shops, to be called Samsung Experience Shops, will be devoted to showcasing Samsung smart phones, tablets, cameras, laptops, televisions and accessories. They will also include customer support for Samsung products, similar to the Genius Bar at Apple stores.

In fact, though Samsung insists otherwise, one of the intentions seems to be tackling Apple and its top-selling iPhone head on.

The Korean company says the launch is to better provide consumers with what they want. “At the heart of who we are, this is about responding to consumer needs and requests and ensure they’re delighted and empowered and happy with their choice of Samsung as a brand,” Ketrina Dunagan, vp for retail marketing, told Reuters News Service.

Apple also has dedicated shops in Best Buy locations and partnerships with Walmart and Target as well as 400 of its own stores. Last summer, Samsung opened a retail store in Vancouver, B.C. It remains to be seen whether the company will continue to roll out its own stores. Dunagan told Reuters the shops inside existing Best Buy locations was a quicker way to broaden the company’s footprint in retail.

Best Buy employees working in the shops will be trained to educate shoppers on Samsung devices and walk them through purchase and activation. In stores with more space, there will be demonstrations showing how Samsung devices can share content across multiple screens. In the customer support section, reports Reuters, shoppers can ask Best Buy employees what they can do when something goes wrong with a Samsung device, as when the screen breaks.