Samsung set to copy Apple stores roll out

Surprise job postings on the interweb have given KitGuru a strong indication of where Samsung might go next in pursuit of the gross profit needed to fill the $1 Billion sized hole in its cash situation left by the court's award to Apple for nicking IP. Expecting a Samsung store to open up anywhere you see an Apple store is not paranoia. Also, you might expect it pretty soon.

Sometimes news comes from insider leaks and other times from the good old fashioned rumour mill. The stuff that arrives by press release is often not news, but can be made palatable with a splash of context of insider numbers. Whatever your source, you always need to question it authenticity. For this story, the sauce appears to come straight from the bottle.

Daniel Williams Consultancy (DWC to his friends) has been recruiting smart people into the retail sector for around 20 years. It has offices across the country and a great track record (according to its own web site – surely that must be kosher).

While we're all aware that Samsung piloted a show store at Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, the latest job postings from DWC seem to indicate that it was a success – and that a massive roll out is now planned for high streets across the country.

There are at least 2 schools of thought in retail. One says that you should open where your competitors aren't – so you have 100% of the market to yourself. The other, far more prevalent thought, is that you need to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Stand outside any Vodafone store, look around and we'll be surprised if Orange, T-Mobile, O2 and Carphone Warehouse are not less than 5 minutes walk away. Same for banks and the same for fast food.

It seems that Samsung genius level business strategists have looked at the world's high streets and wondered, “Where can we find an endless supply of design-conscious people with £500 in their pockets and a desire to buy the latest mobile devices?”.

Next door to Apple might be a good place to start. And here's an idea of what people Samsung are looking for in order to take the fight to Apple.

KitGuru says: It will be interesting to see if high street salaries rise off the back of this news. Surely the best people to work at a Samsung store would be Apple store employees. If Apple want to keep their best people, maybe they will need to shell out a few extra quid – which could make Samsung react. Big slug of attrition anyone?

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