Business & Tech
Google Flagship Store To Open In Chicago: Report
The tech giant is working out a deal to launch its 1st permanent retail spot in Fullerton Market.
CHICAGO — A two-level Google store is being planned for the Near West Side, and it will be the California-based internet giant's first permanent retail shop, according to the Chicago Tribune. The location would be in the 800 block of West Randolph Street in the Fullerton Market neighborhood as part of a lease deal the company is hoping to finalize soon, the report added.
If it goes through, Google would be occupying nearly 14,000 square feet in several connected buildings starting at 845 W. Randolph St., and ending at 853 W. Randolph, the report stated. The tech company already has Midwest corporate headquarters a few blocks away at 320 N. Morgan St., employing more than 900 people at that location.
Although Google has only done pop-up shops or stores-within-stores, this would mark the company's first permanent standalone store. And what will shoppers expect to find inside this bricks-and-mortar location? A selection of Google's physical products — smartphones, Chromebooks, home network systems — are expected to line the shelves.
Find out what's happening in Chicagofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
RELATED: After Amazon, Chicago Flirts With Wooing Apple, Google To City
Google would not confirm the possibility of a retail spot in Fullerton to the Tribune, nor has the company announced any other stores around the country.
Find out what's happening in Chicagofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A Google flagship store would be another technology feather in Chicago's business cap. Social media powerhouse Facebook announced it was expanding its footprint in the city with a spacious 263,000 square foot facility at 151 N. Franklin St. (the company already has an 100,000 square foot office at 191 N. Wacker Drive).
Chicago also has been wooing Amazon and Apple in an effort to land the second headquarters the two companies are expanding. And even if city officials are unsuccessful at luring Amazon's HQ2 to the area, that company still plans to open one of its no-checkout stores in the Loop.
The area in the 800 block of West Randolph Street where Google is expected to open a flagship retail shop. (Image via Google Earth)
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
