Metropolis to be home of first Samsung store in Canada
Canada's first store dedicated to Samsung products is coming to Metropolis at Metrotown and it's all thanks to the 2010 Winter Olympics, says James Politeski, president of Samsung Electronics Canada.
As a major sponsor of the Vancouver Games, Samsung had set up several pavilions around town.
"We had tens of thousands of consumers come through and it was very loud and clear that customers were amazed and inspired by seeing Samsung products like this," said Politeski.
The 1,600-square foot store is set to open in mid July on the ground level of atrium centre court at the Burnaby mall, by the elevators in the former home of Mappins Jewellers.
It will be the first such store in Canada or the U.S., Politeski said. Similar stores are open in Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil and the company's home base of South Korea.
Along with showcasing its line of electronics, including its new Galaxy S3 smartphones, tablets and digital cameras, with the help of staff fully-trained in all things Samsung, the store will serve as a source of market research with customers providing feedback on products and their shopping experience.
There are obvious comparisons to similar stores showcasing the products of their main competitor, Apple, but Politeski doesn't see it that way.
Samsung's mobile phone business has "year over year almost tripled market share in smartphones, the race is now neck and neck," he said of its competition with Apple. Samsung's TV business has been No. 1 for six years in the Canadian market.
"That kind of momentum has said this is the right time for us to take it to the next level with consumers. This is a Samsung plan and it's really between us and the consumer, that's the world we see it as."
wchow@burnabynewsleader.com
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