Polaroid will make its first foray into retail when it announces plans for a new store concept at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The Polaroid Fotobar will attempt to draw in customers eager to unlock photos from their smartphones and turn them into "museum-quality art," the announcement said.
A patent-pending technology will allow in-store customers to select pictures on their smartphones and wirelessly transmit them to one of the store's bar-top workstations. The platform also allows customers to locate their favorite photos and upload them from social media sites including Facebook, Instagram and Picasa. Uploaded photos can be enhanced on the bar-top workstations using photo-effect technologies, with any questions or problems addressed by the on-site "phototenders."
The company plans to open at least ten Polaroid Fotobar locations in 2013, starting with its flagship in Delray Beach, Florida, slated to open in February.
"Polaroid has always been about much more than just taking pictures," said Polaroid President and CEO Scott W. Hardy. "Polaroid is about sharing life's most precious and memorable moments. We have been, and continue to be, about self-expression, creativity and fun. Polaroid Fotobar retail stores represent a perfect modern expression of the values for which we have stood for 75 years. We are very excited about the opening of these stores, and the opportunities they will create for millions of consumers to have classic Polaroid experiences."
Read more about specialty stores.
Like Apple Stores though, they would need to have both in-store expertise and a growing retail network to get real confidence and inertia behind it as a proposition.