EE to drop £6 million into its retail estate

A new site in the Metrocentre in Gateshead opens today and will be the first of ‘more than ten’ new EE Experience stores set to open in the UK over the next year – whether more than ten means eleven or something greater was not specified.

The new form retail stores were announced in June last year with the launch of the first one in Westfield London, White City. They feature things like ‘immersive digital spas’ and gaming zones, and that shop has apparently enjoyed 250% of footfall compared to the previous EE store in the same location. Experience stores in Kent, Cardiff and Manchester have all seen footfall increase by 35% as well.

“We are excited to launch our latest Experience store in the brilliant tech hub of Newcastle, giving our customers and the local community a chance to experience the newest innovations across smart home and gaming,” said Asif Aziz OBE, Retail Director at EE. “We are committed to elevating the retail experience for shoppers across the UK through a multi-million-pound investment that will transform our stores over the next year. Our ambition is to be the most personal, customer-focused brand in the UK, and our new Gateshead Experience store plays a key part in bringing this to life”. 

Ben Cox, Senior Asset Manager at Sovereign Centros added: “EE’s new Experience store is a fantastic addition to the Metrocentre’s Platinum Mall, embedding itself next to key retailers within the scheme. It emphasises the importance of physical and experiential retail in elevating the shopping experience for visitors and following EE’s previous success at Metrocentre in Red Mall, we’re pleased to see further commitment by the brand in a new and enhanced space as the centre continues to evolve, following a strong 2023”.

As well as gaming the stores also make a showcase of smart home tech for living rooms and kit designed for home office setups – essentially its all about letting customers get their hands on various categories of consumer tech, and seems to align with EE’s ambitions of being more than a connectivity provider and extend its customer base beyond its contract customers.