Google may be close to signing a lease in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, Crain’s New York is reporting. This in turn would make it the company’s first standalone retail store next to several high-end retailers, such as Apple, Paul Smith, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, B&B Italia, Camper, Stella McCartney, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co.
The search giant is apparently interested in 131 Greene St., a roughly 4,100 square foot space located about a block away from Apple’s existing SoHo store.
It’s important to note that this wouldn’t be Google’s first physical store. The company has been experimenting with a number of store-within-a-store locations in Best Buys and other retailers around the globe, as well as Android Nation stores in emerging markets like India, but the Greene St. store would mark Google’s first real retail effort in the US.
Meanwhile, Google is also experimenting with its (in)famous barges that are expected to act as floating showrooms in the near future, but it’s unclear if there will ultimately be a retail side to that project…
So are you looking forward to Google’s Manhattan store?
[Via: 9to5Google]