Nokia Flagship Store Opens June 24th in Chi-Town

We've all heard the news about Motorola and Nokia sharing space on that "Magnificant Mile", but I think the preference is up to the consumers.  Doesn't matter who's better. 

Nokia's first US flagship store will open on June 24th and along with a wide selection of Nokia handsets will also be home to the first Vertu Lounge "store-in-a-store" in the United States.

Nokia will open its 2nd flagship store on Fifth Avenue in NYC sometime in the fall making it the 3rd flagship store in the world.

Nokia Flagship Stores to offer unique wireless shopping experience for US customers

First US Nokia Flagship Store to open on Chicago's Magnificent Mile followed by New York's famed Fifth Avenue

 

Chicago, IL, USA - Beginning on June 24th, Chicago's world-famous 'Magnificent Mile' shopping district will be home to the first Nokia Flagship Store in the United States, the second to be opened in the world. Designed to elevate the often humdrum task of buying a wireless device into the kind of pleasurable shopping experience normally associated with exclusive upscale boutiques, Nokia Flagship Stores, each of which are owned, managed and operated by Nokia, will be debuting in a number of the world's most prestigious shopping districts throughout 2006 and 2007, including New York's Fifth Avenue in the fall of 2006.

 

Each Nokia Flagship Store features a carefully crafted retail environment ringed with state-of-the-art multimedia displays. These displays interactively walk guests through the features and benefits of a wide range of Nokia products and even allow them to send text messages that can then be seen on not only the local store displays, but in other Nokia Flagship Store locations around the world.

 

As interactive displays allow guests to learn about the latest in wireless technology on their own, the attentive Nokia Flagship Store team is close at hand to walk guests through any questions or concerns that they may have regarding wireless technology. All Nokia Flagship Store team members are highly trained graduates of Nokia's award-winning Nokia Academy program, allowing them to provide accurate, personalized guidance on topics of interest ranging from choosing the perfect phone for each guest to explaining how to get the most out of the features found on today's wireless devices.

 

Along with a wide selection of Nokia handsets, the Chicago Nokia Flagship Store will also be home to the first Vertu Lounge "store-in-a-store" in the United States.  Marked by the highest possible level of craftsmanship and materials, the Vertu line includes the Signature and Ascent series of handsets. Each Vertu personal communication device is individually hand crafted with materials not found on any other wireless device, including sapphire crystals, fine leather, polished ceramic, ruby bearings and luxurious housings of gold, stainless steel, titanium and other fine metals.

 

"Just a few years ago, consumers looking to purchase a mobile phone only had to choose from a limited selection of voice-only devices. Today, the choices have increased exponentially - with specific wireless devices designed to meet virtually any customer need or desire. The Nokia Flagship Store concept was developed to offer consumers unparalleled selection and guidance in this complex environment, and to do it in a way that transforms the process of acquiring a new wireless device from a task into a pleasure," said Cliff Crosbie, director of global retail and trade marketing for Nokia. "By locating the Nokia Flagship Stores in the world's premier shopping locations, like Michigan Avenue in Chicago and Fifth Avenue in New York, we will be attracting people who truly enjoy the experience of shopping, and we think that the service, selection and surroundings that we are delivering will exceed the expectations of even these most experienced shoppers."

 

Along with being a showplace for Nokia's range of devices, the Nokia Flagship Store will act as a retail laboratory that will benefit the over 300,000 outlets that make up Nokia's retail and operator channel globally. "While the Nokia Flagship Stores are an important part of our overall retail strategy, the vast majority of Nokia's sales will be made by the hundreds of thousands of operator and retail locations around the world that make up Nokia's global retail distribution network," said Crosbie. "One important goal of the Nokia Flagship Store program is to determine the most impactful methods of retailing Nokia's product line, and sharing those learnings across Nokia's retail and operator channels."

Comments

[Mackarus]

I can't wait for the NYC flagship to open!

[Lin Wu]

Hi Darla,

Nokia opened its third Flagship store in Hong Kong just this week on Monday. So the New York store will be their 4th one if not 5th or 6th one.
More info here:
http://www.chinatechnews.com/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=4210

I was there on Monday and watching the grand opening. The store is opposite the Times Square shopping mall and the event was projected on Times Square huge screen. It was very cool. And so is the store! I havent seen their Chicago store live, only some pictures in the internet it but it looks very similar to the store here in HK.

Really cool, they have all their phone models in the store and the sales reps give live phone demos. There is always music and different shows running on the store screens so it looks like a club or some kind of party place :) Not really like a shop.
And upstairs they have a big Vertu room with different Vertu models from 40.000 to 170.000 HKD!!! Very classy.

Wish I could go and see theis other stores around the world.
They must be very cool too.