Samsung Electronics and illycaffè, premium coffee roaster have formed a multiyear partnership that “aims at enhancing the consumer experience in their respective retail flagship stores.” As part of the deal, both companies will leverage each other’s strengths wherein illycaffè will give Samsung a superior coffee experience in their stores and events worldwide will the Korean company will help illycaffè digitalise their stores with Samsung devices.
Samsung will provide mobile devices like smartphones and tablets and other solutions that will be made specifically for illycaffè. The first store to get the Samsung treatment will be illycaffè's Regent Street store in London and will even have “Samsung Angels” to provide assistance to customers on-site. New stores will be marked as “digitalized by Samsung” and illycaffè expects to expand to more stores by end of 2014.
The partnership is interesting to say the least but illycaffè's CEO reckons Samsung as a “natural ally” since Samsung can help them develop new retail concept.
