Samsung Will Open Full-Scale U.S. Retail Stores to Take on Apple

It looks like Samsung is coming after Apple’s brick-and-mortar dominance by opening its own full-scale retail stores.

The South Korean juggernaut announced that it will open three new Experience retail locations in the United States on Wednesday, Feb. 20 — the same day it is expected to debut the Samsung Galaxy S10 flagship and other devices.

All three Samsung locations will be located in major metropolitan areas. There will be one in Los Angeles, one on Long Island in New York, and one in Houston. The exact locations are listed below:

• The Americana at Brand — 889 Americana Way, Glendale, CA 91210
• Roosevelt Field on Long Island — 630 Old Country Rd, Garden City, NY 11530
• The Galleria in Houston — 5085 Wertheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77056

As far as what you should expect from the Samsung stores, the company says users will be able to get hands-on and try out devices like smartphones, TVs and VR glasses. In a move that echoes Apple’s retail tactics, Samsung also says there will be in-person customer support and walk-in repairs available.

It’s also the first major bump to Samsung’s retail footprint in the U.S. Previously, Samsung brick-and-mortar locations have been pop-up shops and Experience storefronts mostly located within other stores like Best Buy.

On the other hand, this isn’t the first time that Samsung has tried out a dedicated retail strategy. The firm opened similar stores in the U.K. But due to low traffic, many of those stores are dying out.

Apple, for its part, has long boasted about its retail strategy — the company often hail its brick-and-mortar shops as a key advantage over competitors. Apple Stores let users try out devices and get in-person troubleshooting help. Currently, there are about 506 Apple Stores spread across 24 countries.

Retail stores aren’t the only thing that Samsung is set to copy from Apple in the near future. Earlier today, a leak suggested that Samsung will soon debut an AirPods competitor dubbed “Galaxy Buds.”

It remains to be seen whether the three Samsung stores will spawn a new retail era for the company or put pressure on firms with established retail fronts (like Apple and Microsoft). It did note, however, that the three initial locations are “just the beginning.”