Samsung to expand retail presence in Europe and US to fend off competition and sustain growth

Samsung and Apple are the two biggest smartphone vendors in the world, but unlike Apple, the Korean manufacturer has managed to become a dominant force in the industry without relying on its own retail stores. However, that's something the company has been working on changing recently, and according to The Wall Street Journal, Samsung will make a heavy push for increasing its retail presence in Europe and North America, in an effort to fend off competition from low-cost device manufacturers and to sustain its growth and profitability, both of which took a dive in the company's latest financial quarter.

In Europe, Samsung is reportedly planning to triple the number of retail stores it owns by spring this year, while opening more than 90 kiosks within big retail stores like Best Buy in the US and Future Shops in Canada. The company's recent hiring of an ex-Apple retail store designer should come in handy in this endeavor – Samsung has relied on marketing and presence of its products in carrier shops for smartphone and tablet sales, but with the figure of manufacturers creating low-cost devices on the rise, the Korean giant is hoping to stay in the game by taking a leaf out of Apple's book and letting consumers check out its devices at its own chain of retail shops.