Samsung KX might well be the coolest store in Britain. Part of the uber hip Coal Drops Yard shopping complex, Samsung have bagged the venue’s most central location – at the very point where the scheme’s iconic kissing roofs meet.
Not so much a shop as an experience, the venue showcase’s the Korean giant’s ever expanding family of products. Set on the third floor of the new complex, Samsung KX is housed in a quite monumental space, and one which perfectly utilizes the aforementioned roofs.
At one end of the store is a massive television screen and at the other is a range of roomscapes. In between are an array of experience zones, where a series of exciting technologies are showcased.
The roomscapes give visitors a chance to go hands on with a range of Samsung products as well as visualize how each technology might fit into their lives. So, we get a connected kitchen with the coolest refrigerator this writer has ever seen, a gaming room with a drop dead gorgeous television, and a designer living area with an achingly cool interior scheme.
Inemi takes me on a tour of the kitchen. The friendly young Londoner shows me a range of connected appliances including an induction hob, an in house dry cleaning unit, and an oven, however, it’s the fridge that really captures my imagination. The door of the appliance is adorned with screens, enabling the user to send digital messages, scroll the fridge’s contents and browse for recipes. A handy mobile app allows the contents of the fridge to be viewed remotely too, which would certainly come in handy if you were popping down to the shops after work.
The lovely Heaven (yes, this is her real name) takes me through the gaming roomscape. A 4K QLED television means that games come breathtakingly alive and I’m engrossed in the action from the word go. The second game in particular – FORZA – is incredible. A driving experience, the graphics are out of this world, and I’m forced to do a double check to ensure that I haven’t suddenly taken the wheel of an out of control car careering down the motorway.
Omiri introduces me to a message tree in the Augumented Reality section. Viewed on a Galaxy Note 10, the experience enables visitors to see a message bubble cluster on the ceiling of the Samsung store. I have to wave my hand at the illusion to ensure it’s not actually there but thanks to the image quality of the device I’m using, the AR is breathtakingly lifelife. Omiri makes a good guide and his friendly and welcoming personality make the experience a particular joy.
One of the coolest things about the new store (and there is certainly competition for that title) is the design your own phone case section. Heaven explains the phone case offer to me – and it almost sounds too good to be true. It seems that Samsung are currently offering free phone cases to owners of certain phone models. Owners can customize their free cases by adding backgrounds, patterns, emojis, doddles or text and once they are happy, the KX team turn those designs into finished cases.
The customer service at the Samsung DX store is uniformly excellent and each member of the team is seemingly only too happy to help visitors get the best of each experience. Moreover, there is never any pressure to buy and visitors are free to hang, chill, browse and play to their heart’s content.
A packed events programme underlines the new store’s role as a community hub. There’s something on most days with everything from disco aerobics to yoga classes to cooking classes taking place under the iconic kissing roofs. For example, when I visited the store, the giant screen had temporarily morphed into a giant graffiti wall and visitors were busy using virtual paint cans to paint images on the screen.
Samsung KX is a most welcome addition to London’s retail landscape. With a dazzling array of digital experiences, unparalleled customer service and a packed events programme, the store is a glorious digital playground for visitors of all ages.
More information about the Samsung DX store can be found here.
For information on other great shops and shopping destinations in London, please click here.
