The Thompson Center isn’t the only part of Chicago real estate where Google is exploring new territory.
The tech giant is opening its first physical Google Store in the Midwest and its fifth overall next week at Oakbrook Center, giving shoppers the chance to test out everything from new AI-enhanced Pixel phones to Fitbit tablets and trackers.
This could be an opportunity for Google, still a relatively small player in smartphones, to gain the upper hand over Apple, whose ubiquitous stores have helped secure its place as the dominant market leader in the United States.
“We don’t think we’re trying to compete directly with Apple’s stores,” said Mike Camacho, head of Google’s Chicago-based stores. “I think what we’re doing, though, is adopting a model where we’re bringing technology into a physical space. Obviously, I think it’s hard to deny the similarities.
Although Google is the world’s leading search engine, its Android-powered devices lag far behind rival Apple in the smartphone sector. Apple’s iPhone accounts for more than half of all smartphone sales in the United States, while Google’s market share is less than 5%, according to Statista data.
Apple has 272 stores in the United States, including nine in the Chicago area. He opened his $27 million glass Chicago flagship store along North Michigan Avenue in 2017. There is also an Apple store in Oakbrook Center.
The new 2,000 square foot Google Store – located just steps from its rival in the sprawling outdoor mall – will be the fifth Google store to open since launching the retail strategy in New York three years ago. Google has also opened stores in Brooklyn, Boston and near its headquarters in Mountain View, California.
Following the Nov. 1 launch in west suburban Oak Brook, Google plans to open a store early next year in Santa Monica, Calif., the company announced Wednesday. Google plans to continue growing its retail presence, but Camacho gave no indication of the timing or scale of that expansion.
Like an Apple Store, the new Google Store will offer a range of smartphones, tablets and other devices, a knowledgeable staff to help Luddites and tech-savvy people navigate the options and a service center to repair anything that can go wrong and who is going badly.
“Maybe they broke their phone screen, or maybe they just need help navigating the Android operating system or maybe they just want to learn how to use it better. use,” Camacho said. “We have technicians trained and specialized in this work. We also carry out on-site repairs.
Google announced its next-generation Pixel 9 phones in August, which include the new Gemini Live, a familiar AI voice assistant that could prove a formidable rival to Apple’s Siri.
Camacho said the ability to test the new technology with hands-on demonstrations might be the most important aspect of having a physical store for Chicago-area customers.
“This is one of the most popular and frequent demos we offer in our stores, and our teams are able to provide a demonstration that is helpful, immersive, and truly shows capabilities,” he said. he declared.
The addition of the first Google Store in the Midwest is the latest coup for Oakbrook Center tenants, which has thrived in the post-pandemic retail landscape.
Built in 1962, Oakbrook Center is one of the largest shopping centers in the Chicago area, with more than 1.7 million square feet of leasable space. Anchor tenants include Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, with dozens of retailers, restaurants and a growing portfolio of experiential offerings.
Brookfield Properties, part of Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management, took over Oakbrook Center and a handful of other area shopping centers with its $15 billion acquisition of GGP in 2018. It is seeking to redevelop Northbrook Court into a mixed-use residential and commercial center. , and returned Water Tower Place to the lender in 2022, but Oakbrook is largely leased and generated more than $1 billion in sales last year, according to Britt Burridge, vice president of leasing at Brookfield Properties.
“It’s one of the best centers in Brookfield’s portfolio,” Burridge said.
Meanwhile, Google’s visibility in Chicago is certainly increasing thanks to its $280 million renovation of the Thompson Center in the Loop, which will serve as the Chicago headquarters for some 2,000 employees.
The west suburban outlet will also proudly fly the Google flag, providing a physical presence for a business that, for most Chicago users, exists entirely in a virtual world. In addition to its technological offerings, the Google Store will also offer derivative products for fans of the technology giant who want to show their colors.
Items available range from sweatshirts and coffee mugs to a Google basketball. There’s even a toy replica of the colorful Google bikes that employees use to ride around Google’s California campus.
“I think our stores support everything Google-related,” Camacho said. “We want people to feel like our stores are really a place where you can interact with this brand, which you can’t really do anywhere else.”
rchannick@chicagotribune.com
