Service provider Telus, who has an IT reselling arm, is following in the footsteps of Apple and now Microsoft in opening up a retail location.
Telus (TSX: T) is saying that its retail facility will be a concept store to service the information technology business needs of the small-to-medium-sized business market. The Telus concept store is called Telus Business Store and will have its grand opening this Thursday in downtown Toronto (500 Yonge St.).
The Telus store will not have MacGenius’ nor a GeekSquad, but they will have specialized internal consultants who can provide one-on-one training and tutorials for customers. In comparison, the Microsoft Store does have an SMB Business area. The Apple Store currently does not. Microsoft Canada will be opening its first ever store in Toronto in the fall/winter time frame.
The Telus Business Store will also feature interactive display stations showcasing technology specific for SMBs including information on Telus’ networks and services.
With this concept store, Telus is trying to raise the bar in giving business customers an opportunity to use the products and services available through hands-on test drives with the user interface of each device to see what works best for them, according to the company.
Telus is a national telecommunications company with more than $10 billion of annual revenues. The company does have a reselling arm in Telus National Systems, which is a specialized part of Telus providing IT infrastructure solutions to major corporations across Canada as a single source solutions provider.