Google quietly opens London store

After taking on it in the mobile device arena, is search giant Google now taking on Apple Inc. in setting up traditional retail stores? Google opened its first store —the "Chromezone"— in Tottenham Court Road in London over the weekend but did so quietly, the London Evening Standard reported. "It is our first foray into physical retail. This is a new channel for us and it's still very, very early days. It's something Google is going to play with and see where it leads," said Arvind Desikan, head of consumer marketing at Google UK. He said the company's research had shown that 80 percent of laptop sales are through shops. For now, the report said the 285-square-foot shop sells Google's Chromebook laptop and some accessories such as headphones. The shop is to run up to Christmas but if it succeeds, Google may soon open permanent stores around the world just like Apple, it added. Future shops The report said a second pop-up store will open at Lakeside shopping centre in Essex on October 7 and more pilot shops are planned around the world. "We've put a lot of effort into making it feel welcoming, homely and, dare I say it, 'Googley,'"" the report quoted a spokeswoman as saying. Google has so far employed 1,500 people in London. It also occupies two large offices close to Victoria station and signed a deal to take 160,000 square feet of space in the Central St Giles development in Midtown. The search giant has also signed a lease for a seven-floor building in east London, where it will "incubate" new London based technology start-ups, as part of a government-backed expansion of the "Silicon Roundabout" area. Laptop sales via shops So far, a Samsung-made Chromebook (£349 for wi-fi only and £399 for wi-fi and 3G) has been available only in the UK online from Amazon and PC World. But Desikan said their experience showed that when people tried the device and played with it, that made "a huge difference" to their understanding of what the Chromebook is about. "People will be able to go in and have a play with the devices. We want to see whether people understand what this device is all about and monitor their reaction when they try it out," he said. — TJD, GMA News