Nokia to Close More Stores, This Time in the US Flagship Nokia Stores in Chicago & New York Closing Doors Early 2010

Following to last week's news that Nokia is trying to revamp their sales
by closing down their flagship store on Regent Street in London (how
bizarre isn't it?), it looks like the Finnish manufacturer is going to
do the same with their stores in Chicago and New York, as the company
confirmed today that the two retail stores are about to close gates
sometime early next year.
Considering Nokia's fragmentary market presence in the US where over 90
percent of consumer purchases are made through mobile carriers, and the
fact that the company is not doing so well against the iPhone, RIM's
BlackBerry, the new Motorola Droid and the whole bunch of appealing
smartphones that pop out every day, it's only sane that the company
comes up with better ways to market their handsets. After all they've
done a great job so far as consumer awareness in the US has grown
substantially . It's time for numbers, isn't it?
Check out Nokia's full statement below:
In North America, over 90 percent of consumer purchases are made
through carriers – Nokia continues to support our relationship
with carriers in this market, as well as the continued expansion of our
retail partner network with the likes of Amazon and Best Buy (for
example), in line with our strategy. As we continue to expand our
services and solutions offerings across these various channels, we have
decided to close the NY and Chicago stores to allow more concentration
on our other channels.
The Flagship stores were originally conceived to inspire and educate
consumers to the benefits of mobility through an innovative retail
experience, and to broaden the appeal of the Nokia brand. Since opening
the stores in NY and Chicago (2006), consumer awareness in the U.S. has
grown substantially. Weighing those dynamics with Nokia's clear strategy
in North America, and our well-established retail channel with third
parties, we will close these two stores (New York and Chicago) in early
2010.
This decision was made to create clear alignment with our local market
strategy and, in addition, as part of a global realignment of our retail
strategy in overall.