Apple manages to generate an incredible amount of business from its brick-and-mortar locations every year. Other technology companies have tried and failed to replicate Apple’s success, but Samsung is pulling out all the stops to ensure their renewed focus on retail won’t be in vain. According to The Information, Samsung “recently hired a senior Apple store designer, Tim Gudgel, as it ponders a deeper investment in U.S. retail, according to two people close to the company.”
Earlier in the year, we reported that Samsung had struck a deal with Best Buy to open 1,400 Samsung Experience Shops inside retail locations nationwide. This latest hire might be the first step to full-sized Samsung stores, although the report does note that Samsung-centric retail stores could still be quite a ways off. Microsoft has struggled to generate any excitement whatsoever in its own retail escapades, but with Samsung’s momentum and never-ending stream of devices, the South Korean company could be Apple’s first serious competition in the space.