Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. has announced plans to open its own retail stores this year. According to an article in the Financial Post, Samsung will have standalone retail outlets, as well as store-in-store kiosks inside established retailers.

The Post article says that plans on store locations and potential partner retailers are still being finalized; but that the company will open its first Canadian standalone store during 2012. It is testing the store-in-store concept with Telus Corp.

When he spoke with Marketnews in late 2011 for our year-end wrap-up, Samsung Canada President James Politeski (shown at top of story) voiced a determination to halt price erosion in key categories, and said improving the retail experience would help achieve this.

"It shocks me to see how much ASPs have dropped. I want that to stop," Politeski told Marketnews. "The way to stop it is to bring out great, well-designed products, and communicate their benefits. We foresee significant ASP incline for next year, largely across the board."

Premium products alone won't keep ASPs from falling, he observed. "The other piece is focusing on consumer experiences in the store. Everything we do next year is going to have a benefit. There will be less focus on speeds and feeds. We're going back to human basics. We've done a lot of consumer research to find out what our customers want, and how we can make the purchase easier."

Article Tags:  Samsung, Canada, retail, store, open, kiosk, partner, Telus, Politeski