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As part of Nokia’s new “global realignment of retail strategy“, they’ve decided to close their London Flagship Store on Regent Street, along with their New York and Chicago Flagship Stores in early 2010.
Apparently they’re closing the London Store because it just cost too much to keep running. According to a Nokia Spokesperson it was “not been as efficient or as profitable as we’d have liked it to”. The store employed about 30 people. You can read more about the closing of the London Flagship Store over at IntoMobile.
The Closing of the New York and Chicago stores were even more of a surprise. The New York Store’s been in business since 2006.
The Flagship stores, opened in 2006 in the U.S., were conceived to inspire and educate consumers to the benefits of mobility through an innovative retail experience, and broaden the appeal of the Nokia brand.
The decision to close the two Nokia Flagship Stores in the U.S., located in New York City and Chicago, was made to create clear alignment with our local market strategy and in addition, as part of a global realignment of Nokia’s retail strategy.
Nokia remains committed to providing the best consumer and retail experience around the world – the Flagship Stores are only part of Nokia’s retail experience and marketplace strategy. Nokia’s retail strategy includes retail and operator partners and their more than 600,000 retail outlets globally. All of these customer outlets will remain essential to Nokia’s ongoing success and continue to be a primary sales channels in the future.
More about the US stores over at TheNokiaBlog.
I have to say, I’m a bit sad to see such awesome stores closed down (Especially since I never got to see any of them in person). Still, times are tough, and I guess it makes sense that Nokia would want to tighten their expenses.
But wouldnt this make it tougher for people in London, NY and Chicago, to get a Nokia device ? Guess that remains to be seen.
Clinton is currently based in New Delhi, India and is executive editor for UnleashThePhones. He is responsible for all editorial decisions, and covers all forms of Mobile things.
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