Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) scored another win when they recently hired a senior store designer for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Tim Gudgel. He is now general manager and vice president of retail sales operations. TheInformation.com reported the matter earlier.
The South Korean tech company only has a few retail stores outside the United States; the company is limited to Best Buy locations where the retailer gives the brand their own “mini-store”. This is where prospective buyers can test out and look at their most popular devices.
Gudgel’s experience with Apple
Wall Street Journal’s blog post explained, “According to his LinkedIn page, Gudgel had worked as a director at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) since March 2008. Before that, he spent six years at Gehry Partners, founded by legendary architect Frank Gehry. Among Gudgel’s accomplishments at Apple, he was a designer on a patent filing for the curved glass roof of the Apple store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930), the two dominant forces in the smartphone industry, are locked in a series of lawsuits over patents pertaining to mobile-device technology. Last month, a federal jury orderd Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) to pay Apple $290 million, bringing the total damages it owes to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to $930 million. The case was a retrial of a portion of the $1.05 billion in damages awarded in the original case in 2012.”
Competition heats up
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) isn’t the only tech company to garner interest in creating retail store for their brands. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has launched their own line of Microsoft stores which sell their products, gadgets, and software. Back in 2009, they planned to launch their stores in locations close to Apple retail stores complete with a Guru Bar that would be their answer to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s Genius Bar.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s success has inspired many of their tech rivals to compete directly with the company which has led to numerous lawsuits from both companies.
