Ahead of Galaxy S5, Samsung taps Phones 4u for 15 new dedicated UK stores
In another move to boost its high street presence in the UK, Samsung is partnering with retailer Phones 4u to launch 15 new dedicated stores in the country.
The partnership with the Korean hardware giant will see Phones 4u add new spaces solely for Samsung mobile and computing kit to the retailer's existing network of 700 stores.
The 15 stores will showcase Samsung phones, computing accessories, and wearable technology, according to Phones 4u.
The retailer notes that its staff already sell Samsung kit at the Korean company's flagship store in Westfield Stratford and Phones 4u previously operated pop-up stores for Samsung at during its 2012 Olympics sponsorship.
Last week, rival phone retailer Carphone Warehouse announced it would launch 60 stores across Europe that will be dedicated to Samsung products spanning mobile phones, tablets, laptops and wearables. The stores will be located in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
The European partnerships come as Samsung gears up to launch its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5, which the company appears set to announce on 24 February.
According to recent sales figures from market research firm Kantar World Panel Comtech, Samsung remains the dominant smartphone maker in Europe. However, in the quarter to 31 December, Samsung saw a decline in market share of 2.2 percentage points year on year, to 40.3 percent.
But Samsung is also making ground with its tablets, according to figures from analyst firm Canalys, shipping 14 million tablets in the fourth quarter of 2013 — making it the second largest supplier behind Apple, which shipped 26 million iPads in the quarter.