World’s 1st iStore Prototype Opens Next Week

The world’s first comprehensive iStore opens next week, on the third level of Montreal’s Centre Rockland. The stunning, 3,000 square foot space is a prototype for future locations, as the retailer plans to eventually open stores across Canada.

iStore is a novel digital lifestyle boutique carrying a broad range of digital products from leading tech brands. The comprehensive collections include mobile devices, fashionable cases and accessories, audio goods, entertainment and lifestyle toys and gadgets, health and fitness products and other technologies for a connected home. iStore is also an Apple Authorized Reseller.

The company describes the new store as a “sleek, glamorous setting and wide array of cutting‐edge digital accessories [and a] unique and exciting shopping destination”. Its uncluttered interior features black and white patterned high‐gloss ceramic floors, contrasting with the store’s predominantly white colour scheme. Curved modular Corian tables feature floating trays, where out‐of‐box products are displayed. The colour of its LED exterior and back wall are customizable.

Currently, iStore has 15 small airport-based locations in Canada and the United States. These include Canadian airports in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. American iStore locations are at airports in Boston, Houston, Indianapolis, New York (JFK) and in Los Angeles. These shops carry only a limited selection, whereas Rockland’s prototype is far more comprehensive. 

In 2013, iStore also partnered with Chapters/Indigo in the creation of Indigotech boutiques, which are now featured in 37 store locations across Canada.

“Technology has gone far beyond being a simple tool,” explains Joel Teitelbaum, CEO of iStore Inc. “It is a fashionable form of self-expression and individuality. With so many options available to consumers, our goal was to create a unique, interactive environment that highlights a dynamic and imaginative selection of the latest digital solutions and accessories. At iStore our goal is to entertain, educate and empower our customers to get more out of the mobile devices they own.”

“The digital world and all of its capabilities can sometimes feel overwhelming to customers,” explains Mike Battat, president of iStore Inc. “Our aim is to simplify its complexity, so that our customers can truly maximize their enjoyment of the digital products they use. Our advanced, in-house training ensures that our staff can easily educate and address every question that a customer might have.” 

Today’s retail news from around the web: August 8, 2014