Meta to Open First Physical Store
Meta, formerly Facebook, announced Tuesday that it would open its first physical store next month. The social media giant said in a blog post Monday that the store, which will be located in Burlingame, Calif., would be "a space to discover Meta Portal, Ray-Ban Stories, and Meta Quest 2 and try them out in person." The store will be 1,550 square feet and will feature virtual reality headsets, smart glasses and video chat products.
“The Meta store is going to help people make that connection to how our products can be the gateway to the metaverse in the future," said Martin Gilliard, who will head up the Meta store. "We’re not selling the metaverse in our store, but hopefully people will come in and walk out knowing a little bit more about how our products will help connect them to it.”
Total Retail's Take: A physical storefront will reinforce Meta's presence in the metaverse and show how heavily the company is investing in this realm of technology. It's also a potential benefit to other companies and brands attempting to dip their toes into the metaverse, as they can carefully watch Meta's moves when it comes to blending digital and physical spaces.
Marie Albiges is the managing editor for Women in Retail, Total Retail, and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality. She is responsible for content development, management and production for the group. Marie is a former journalist, a travel aficionado, a French native and fitness enthusiast who lives in Philadelphia with her partner, stepdaughter and dog.Â
