Following Apple? Google plans store in Dublin after London trial
Google looks set to open its first stand-alone retail store in Dublin after a trial at a Currys and PC World shop in London.
Google: Dublin store
The Google Store at its European headquarters would be open to the public and sell unspecified Google merchandise, Bloomberg reported.
A local planning application has been lodged . The store on the Montevetro office block on Dublin's Barrow Street, will have about 123 square meters (1,323 square feet) of space. There will be an added mezzanine floor designed to draw attention from passersby.
The planning document also describes a staff swimming-pool in an area designed for use as a restaurant.
The move looks like a new front in Google's competition with Apple, said AdAge. Apple's 361 stores have driven sales of iPods, iPhones and iPads round the world
Google are being diffident about their actual plans.
"While we do have the option to open retail space, we are examining all potential uses," said the California-based company in an email. "No final decision has been taken."
The London store was a trial for selling laptop computers running the company's Chromebook operating system.
Google has a store selling products with a Google logo at its headquarters in California, but it isn't open to the public. At www.googlestore.com, customers can buy bibs and notebooks with the Google logo.
Google's Dublin office is its biggest location outside the U.S. Google bought the two buildings making up its existing HQ last March and it is leasing other space. . After its expansion,it will have more than 3,000 employees in the Dublin area