14 DAY TRIAL // Beginning with June 24th, Chicago's world-famous "Magnificent Mile" shopping district will be the home of the first Nokia Flagship Store in the United States, the second to be opened in the world. Designed to elevate the often humdrum task of buying a wireless device into the kind of pleasurable shopping experience normally associated with exclusive upscale boutiques, Nokia Flagship Stores, each of which are owned, managed and operated by Nokia, will be debuting in a number of the world's most prestigious shopping districts throughout 2006 and 2007, including New York's Fifth Avenue in the fall of 2006.
Each Nokia Flagship Store features a carefully crafted retail environment ringed with state-of-the-art multimedia displays. These displays interactively walk guests through the features and benefits of a wide range of Nokia products and even allow them to send text messages that can then be seen on not only the local store displays, but in other Nokia Flagship Store locations around the world.
As interactive displays allow guests to learn about the latest in wireless technology on their own, the attentive Nokia Flagship Store team is close at hand to walk guests through any questions or concerns that they may have regarding wireless technology. All Nokia Flagship Store team members are highly trained graduates of Nokia's award-winning Nokia Academy program, allowing them to provide accurate, personalized guidance on topics of interest ranging from choosing the perfect phone for each guest to explaining how to get the most out of the features found on today's wireless devices.
Along with a wide selection of Nokia handsets, the Chicago Nokia Flagship Store will also be the home of the first Vertu Lounge "store-in-a-store" in the United States. Marked by the highest possible level of craftsmanship and materials, the Vertu line includes the Signature and Ascent series of handsets. Each Vertu personal communication device is individually hand crafted with materials not found on any other wireless device, including sapphire crystals, fine leather, polished ceramic, ruby bearings and luxurious housings of gold, stainless steel, titanium and other fine metals. "Just a few years ago, consumers looking to purchase a mobile phone only had to choose from a limited selection of voice-only devices. Today, the choices have increased exponentially -- with specific wireless devices designed to meet virtually any customer need or desire. The Nokia Flagship Store concept was developed to offer consumers unparalleled selection and guidance in this complex environment, and to do it in a way that transforms the process of acquiring a new wireless device from a task into a pleasure," said Cliff Crosbie, director of global retail and trade marketing for Nokia. "By locating the Nokia Flagship Stores in the world's premier shopping locations, like Michigan Avenue in Chicago and Fifth Avenue in New York, we will be attracting people who truly enjoy the experience of shopping, and we think that the service, selection and surroundings that we are delivering will exceed the expectations of even these most experienced shoppers."
Along with being a showplace for Nokia's range of devices, the Nokia Flagship Store will act as a retail laboratory that will benefit the over 300,000 outlets that make up Nokia's retail and operator channel globally. "While the Nokia Flagship Stores are an important part of our overall retail strategy, the vast majority of Nokia's sales will be made by the hundreds of thousands of operator and retail locations around the world that make up Nokia's global retail distribution network," said Crosbie.