Google Inc. may open its first stand-alone retail store in its European headquarters in Dublin after a trial at a computer shop in London, according to Bloomberg.
The 1,323-square foot store, located in the Montevetro office block on Dublin's Barrow Street, will sell unspecified Google merchandise.
Retail may be another way for Google to compete with Apple Inc., whose 361 stores sell iPods, iPhones and iPad tablet computers. Google, the world's biggest maker of smartphone operating software, is in the process of buying handset maker Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. for $12.5 billion to help it compete with Apple's phones and Microsoft Corp.'s mobile software.
"While we do have the option to open retail space, we are examining all potential uses," the Mountain View, California-based company said in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg. "No final decision has been taken."
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