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Samsung launching mini stores in Best Buy shops, report says

Certain high-traffic Best Buy locations will remove a couple of aisles near the mobile department and replace them with a Samsung store-within-a-store, Geek.com says.

Shara Tibken Former managing editor
Shara Tibken was a managing editor at CNET News, overseeing a team covering tech policy, EU tech, mobile and the digital divide. She previously covered mobile as a senior reporter at CNET and also wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. Shara is a native Midwesterner who still prefers "pop" over "soda."
Shara Tibken
2 min read
Samsung Galaxy S4 Sarah Tew/CNET
Samsung may soon be launching mini stores within Best Buy stores, according to a new report, giving the Korean electronics giant some retail heft just in time for the Galaxy S4 launch.

According to Geek.com, certain high-traffic Best Buy locations will soon remove two aisles near their mobile departments to install new Samsung stores. Each section "will be dressed in large Samsung signage and offer custom demo stations for many of Samsung's products," the site said. Employees in each section will receive special training about how to demo Samsung-specific features.

The stores-within-stores will highlight the Galaxy S4 but also will show other products, Geek.com said.

Eventually, every Best Buy location should include a Samsung store-within-a-store, the site added.

Best Buy declined to comment. We've contacted Samsung and will update the report when we have more information.

Many companies have started expanding their retail presence to not only boost sales but educate buyers on what their products can do. Samsung is known for cramming many new capabilities into its devices, but many consumers don't even know they exist. As the company tries to set itself apart from Android rivals, as well as compete with Apple, demonstrating features could become more important.

Opening mini stores within a large tech retailer like Best Buy is nothing new, with Apple being one of the first to push the concept. Such stores-with-stores are more cost effective and less risky than opening standalone retail locations. Companies such as Microsoft have tried to emulate the retail stores of Apple, but none have neared its success.

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