Global technology giant Google Thursday announced plans to open its first physical store in New York City as part of its plan to go into retail, a move that helped Apple Inc rake in billions of dollars in the last two decades.
According to the announcement late Thursday, the Google store will be located in the Chelsea neighbourhood near its New York City campus, which houses over 11,000 employees. Google, which has set up pop-up stores in the past to promote its products, said it would sell Pixel smartphones, Pixelbooks, and Fitbit fitness trackers along with Nest smart home devices at the retail outlet.
At Google retail stores visitors will also be able to avail customer service for their devices and pick up their online orders at the store. The announcement also shows that the internet giant is playing by Apple's playbook of operating physical stores and providing in-person services to boost sales.
Apple opened its first two retail stores in Virginia in 2001 and at present has 270 stores in the United States and many more around the world that drive its sales and also provide shoppers hands-on customer service.
