Google Joins Brick-And-Mortar Retail In London

You can now go inside Google.

Specifically, you can go inside a Google shop, which is itself inside another store — Currys PC World — in London.

On Wednesday (March 11), the Internet behemoth unveiled its first brick-and-mortar store — or “shop in shop,” as Google’s press release calls it — on Tottenham Court Road.

The Google shop offers the company’s range of products, such as Android phones and tablets, Chromebook laptops and Chromecasts, as well as providing visitors the opportunity to interact with Google’s software tools and apps in unique installations.

The installations include an immersive surround screen device called a Portal, where users can “fly” to faraway locales using Google Earth. Customers can also create virtual graffiti, using digital spray cans, on a Doodle Wall, or they can watch Google Play Movies, YouTube videos and more on a Chromecast Pod.

Additionally, Google plans to use the new shop to host regular classes and events for the public; the classes will include topics such as online security and device knowledge. For children, coding basics will be taught in Virtual Space Camps, and teachers will be kept apprised of Google’s free educational tools at Open House events.

“We’re incredibly excited to launch this space – the first of its kind anywhere in the world – in London with Currys PC World,” said James Elias, Google’s U.K. marketing director, in the release. “The pace of innovation of the devices we all use is incredible, yet the way we buy them has remained the same for years. With the Google shop, we want to offer people a place where they can play, experiment and learn about all of what Google has to offer; from an incredible range of devices to a totally-connected, seamless online life. We think it’s a genuinely unique try-before-you-buy experience.”