London Nokia Flagship Store: Now Closed

by Ben Smith on 4th March 2010

  Comment Icon18

Although announced late last year, I’d completely forgotten that the closure of the flagship store was creeping up on us until I saw their tweet today. And now it’s gone…


The Nokia flagship store on Regent Street has closedCosting - apparently - £4m to open in February 2008 the store was opposite Apple’s own London flagship store and comparisons were unavoidable… Apple’s store was packed - the most profitable per square foot in London earning Apple around £60m per year - Nokia’s was less so. Obviously the role of the Nokia store was far more as a flagship - few consumers would buy devices there with network operator shops on every high-street - but in the end it proved too costly.

I shall miss the store - it was never a place to go for the first access to new devices or public events and whist the staff were friendly they lacked much real enthusiasm on my last visit (and who can blame them), but it was there, it was well stocked and - at its best - made a great launch venue for the devices like the 5800.

Like so many things Nokia, it was flawed, but I loved it. It feels like an opportunity missed.

The land - owned by the Queen (well, the Crown) - is some of London’s most prime retail space and is expected to be snapped up quickly. Other Nokia stores in the UK will remain open - including the one in Heathrow’s Terminal 5, but Vertu customers (there was a ‘shop within a shop’) will have to get their chauffeurs to drop them at the dedicated Boutique Store on Old Bond Street nearby.

At the Nokia Flagship Store on Regent Street for the 5800XM launch

In happier times at the 5800XM launch at the Nokia Flagship Store on Regent Street

Title image credit: chivacongelado, Flickr

Tagged as: Flagship Store, London, Nokia, Regent Street

  • http://www.thehotiron.com/ thehotiron

    The Flagship store in Chicago is slated to close this year at some point too. The other night I was walking by and workers were up on a lift putting up a new Finnish flag, so I guess it’s going to be around for a little more time.

    I have the same opinion on this store - it’s not where I would go to shop, especially with the high sales tax in Chicago, but it was fun to look there.

    Incidentally, before it became the Flagship store, it was scene for the art gallery where Jennifer Aniston worked in the movie “The Break-Up” as it was before that a Timberland boot store.

    Chicago’s Magnificent Mile will be a little less magnificent when Nokia pulls out.

    mp/m

  • http://www.blackphoebe.com/msjen Ms. Jen

    From the UK perspective with Nokia on every High Street, having a Flagship store is more about a high profile. But in the US where the local Main Street cell phone store barely carries Nokia at all and when they do it is a cheap feature phone, Nokia would do well to Expand their flagship stores beyond New York & Chicago to LA, SF, Seattle (lots of Nokia fans at MicroSquash), Dallas, Atlanta, etc.

    I frequently have people ask about the Nokia Nseries phones I use but when they hear that there is nowhere locally that they can go to touch, feel, and try out the display phone, the interest drops. Most folks aren’t so entranced with gadget lust that they will buy sight unseen on the internet.

  • http://www.thehotiron.com/ thehotiron

    The Flagship store in Chicago is slated to close this year at some point too. The other night I was walking by and workers were up on a lift putting up a new Finnish flag, so I guess it's going to be around for a little more time.I have the same opinion on this store - it's not where I would go to shop, especially with the high sales tax in Chicago, but it was fun to look there.Incidentally, before it became the Flagship store, it was scene for the art gallery where Jennifer Aniston worked in the movie “The Break-Up” as it was before that a Timberland boot store.Chicago's Magnificent Mile will be a little less magnificent when Nokia pulls out.mp/m

  • http://www.thehotiron.com/ thehotiron

    The Flagship store in Chicago is slated to close this year at some point too. The other night I was walking by and workers were up on a lift putting up a new Finnish flag, so I guess it's going to be around for a little more time.

    I have the same opinion on this store - it's not where I would go to shop, especially with the high sales tax in Chicago, but it was fun to look there.

    Incidentally, before it became the Flagship store, it was scene for the art gallery where Jennifer Aniston worked in the movie “The Break-Up” as it was before that a Timberland boot store.

    Chicago's Magnificent Mile will be a little less magnificent when Nokia pulls out.

    mp/m

  • http://www.blackphoebe.com/msjen Ms. Jen

    From the UK perspective with Nokia on every High Street, having a Flagship store is more about a high profile. But in the US where the local Main Street cell phone store barely carries Nokia at all and when they do it is a cheap feature phone, Nokia would do well to Expand their flagship stores beyond New York & Chicago to LA, SF, Seattle (lots of Nokia fans at MicroSquash), Dallas, Atlanta, etc. I frequently have people ask about the Nokia Nseries phones I use but when they here that there is no where locally that they can go to touch, feel, and try out the display phone, the interest drops. Most folks aren't so entranced with gadget lust that they will buy sight unseen on the internet.

  • http://www.blackphoebe.com/msjen Ms. Jen

    From the UK perspective with Nokia on every High Street, having a Flagship store is more about a high profile. But in the US where the local Main Street cell phone store barely carries Nokia at all and when they do it is a cheap feature phone, Nokia would do well to Expand their flagship stores beyond New York & Chicago to LA, SF, Seattle (lots of Nokia fans at MicroSquash), Dallas, Atlanta, etc.

    I frequently have people ask about the Nokia Nseries phones I use but when they here that there is no where locally that they can go to touch, feel, and try out the display phone, the interest drops. Most folks aren't so entranced with gadget lust that they will buy sight unseen on the internet.

  • http://nomadsteve.com SteveRowlands

    A sad day, but when looking at the profit/loss figures, I’m sure it wasn’t pretty. To be completely honest, the store wasn’t overly well placed and advertised. I would have easily walked past it, had I not specifically made a trip to go there. It needed to be a bit bigger and brighter to entice the passing public in. Especially with everyone’s passing eyes transfixed on the big bright Apple shop over the road.

    A great place to get your hands on all the latest Nokia devices, but ultimately a great deal of consumers will always be offered huge discounts from their operator.

    It just didn’t do enough to entice the crowds in. If the mobile networks started selling Apple laptops for £100 with a 2 year data contract, I’m fairly sure the Apple store would struggle too.

  • http://benjam.in Ben Smith

    I always half-assumed they’d try to make it as much of a destination as the Apple store is, with events and a ‘drop in’ space… that might have offered a bit more of an incentive to go.

  • http://thenokianetwork.com SteveRowlands

    A sad day, but when looking at the profit/loss figures, I'm sure it wasn't pretty. To be completely honest, the store wasn't overly well placed and advertised. I would have easily walked past it, had I not specifically made a trip to go there. It needed to be a bit bigger and brighter to entice the passing public in. Especially with everyone's passing eyes transfixed on the big bright Apple shop over the road.A great place to get your hands on all the latest Nokia devices, but ultimately a great deal of consumers will always be offered huge discounts from their operator.It just didn't do enough to entice the crowds in. If the mobile networks started selling Apple laptops for £100 with a 2 year data contract, I'm fairly sure the Apple store would struggle too.

  • http://thenokianetwork.com SteveRowlands

    A sad day, but when looking at the profit/loss figures, I'm sure it wasn't pretty. To be completely honest, the store wasn't overly well placed and advertised. I would have easily walked past it, had I not specifically made a trip to go there. It needed to be a bit bigger and brighter to entice the passing public in. Especially with everyone's passing eyes transfixed on the big bright Apple shop over the road.

    A great place to get your hands on all the latest Nokia devices, but ultimately a great deal of consumers will always be offered huge discounts from their operator.

    It just didn't do enough to entice the crowds in. If the mobile networks started selling Apple laptops for £100 with a 2 year data contract, I'm fairly sure the Apple store would struggle too.

  • http://benjam.in Ben Smith

    I always half-assumed they'd try to make it as much of a destination as the Apple store is, with events and a 'drop in' space… that might have offered a bit more of an incentive to go.

  • http://benjam.in Ben Smith

    I always half-assumed they'd try to make it as much of a destination as the Apple store is, with events and a 'drop in' space… that might have offered a bit more of an incentive to go.

  • http://tabulacrypticum.wordpress.com Anonymous

    Right. It’s not so much that the stores failed or lost money, but that Nokia failed to utilize them properly. Mindshare, Nokia, MINDSHARE.

  • http://tabulacrypticum.wordpress.com texrat

    Right. It's not so much that the stores failed or lost money, but that Nokia failed to utilize them properly. Mindshare, Nokia, MINDSHARE.

  • http://tabulacrypticum.wordpress.com texrat

    Right. It's not so much that the stores failed or lost money, but that Nokia failed to utilize them properly. Mindshare, Nokia, MINDSHARE.

  • Anonymous

    Good riddance to bad rubbish…..I practically lived in that store through the summer of 2009 trying to get my 6700 fixed. Cock up after cock up, surly staff and extremely bad service. I had to email the head office in Finland to get a result. And there were always more staff than customers in that cavernous oversized store. They got what they deserved….

  • divauk

    Good riddance to bad rubbish…..I practically lived in that store through the summer of 2009 trying to get my 6700 fixed. Cock up after cock up, surly staff and extremely bad service. I had to email the head office in Finland to get a result. And there were always more staff than customers in that cavernous oversized store. They got what they deserved….

  • divauk

    Good riddance to bad rubbish…..I practically lived in that store through the summer of 2009 trying to get my 6700 fixed. Cock up after cock up, surly staff and extremely bad service. I had to email the head office in Finland to get a result. And there were always more staff than customers in that cavernous oversized store. They got what they deserved….

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