Samsung has announced that it will open 60 stores across Europe in a partnership with Carphone Warehouse.
The new standalone stores are a way of directly competing with Apple and its popular shops, and making Samsung products more accessible to consumers.
The stores will occupy both existing Carphone Warehouse branches and new locations.
It is reported that between 10 and 15 of the stores are expected to be in the UK. The rest of the shops will open in Spain, Sweden, Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands.
The stores are expected to feature minimalist blue and white interiors and will sell the Galaxy phones and tablets, alongside laptops. It is expected that the stores will give Samsung a chance to promote new technology, such as the hotly anticipated Galaxy Glass, allowing customers to test them before purchasing.
Samsung will be giving Carphone Warehouse a 60% share of its stores across Europe.
Andrew Harrison, chief executive of Carphone Warehouse, commented on the partnership: "This is an important alliance playing to both companies’ strengths. Together we will create a powerful new retail concept to showcase, for our customers, a wide range of products, content and services as well as injecting both investment and new jobs into the retail sector."
Shares in Carphone Warehouse rose over 6% on the news, to 287p.
