Inside Nothing’s first EVER store: MailOnline goes behind the scenes at the futuristic London flagship where shoppers can get hands on with smartphones and earphones
- EXCLUSIVE: Nothing released the first British smartphone for 6 years in summer
- Now it’s opening its first physical store – in central London’s trendy Soho district
- MailOnline got an exclusive peak prior to its opening to the public on Saturday
British technology company Nothing has put the finishing touches to its first ever physical shop in London’s fashionable Soho district.
The 785-square-foot space is stocked with the firm’s three products – one smartphone and two earphones – as well as accessories and merchandise.
This week, MailOnline got an exclusive peak inside the two-storey, boutique-style store, which opens to the public on at 11:30am on Saturday morning.
Nothing is led by Carl Pei, a Beijing-born Swedish entrepreneur who co-founded Chinese consumer electronics firm OnePlus back in 2013.
The new store, in London’s fashionable Soho district, opens to the public at 11:30am on Saturday
The 785 square foot custom-built store stocks the firm’s three products, including one smartphone and two earphones as well as accessories, merchandise and limited edition drops
Location
4 Peter Street, Soho, London, W1F 0AD
Opening times
Monday to Saturday: 10am – 7pm
Sunday: 12pm – 6pm
On opening day, Saturday, December 10, the store will open from 11:30am
‘We are a hardware company first and foremost but Nothing store Soho will act as a window into the brand for customers and our loyal community,’ Pei told MailOnline.
‘The space will allow people to get hands-on with the product and experience more of the brand.’
The store is not like your normal shop, nor does it look anything like Apple Store.
Much like Nothing’s devices, the layout is minimalist and boutique-style, but full of quirky touches.
Right in the centre, looking like something from a spaceship, is a custom-built demo table with hidden drawers that swing out to reveal Nothing products, including Phone (1), the company’s only smartphone.
Released in the summer, the £399 Phone (1) is the first British smartphone to be released in six years and comes with a ‘glyph interface’ on the back that lights up.
The shop’s centerpiece is a custom-built demo table with hidden drawers that swing out to reveal the firm’s products
The new Soho shop stocks the firm’s three products – ‘Phone (1)’, ‘Ear (1)’ and the new ‘Ear (stick)’, pictured
Released in the summer, Phone (1) is the first British smartphone to be released in six years
Fixed to the wall are the different components that make up Phone (1), the only smartphone the firm offers
Nothing Phone (1): Specs
– Glyph interface
– Recycled aluminum frame
– Transparent back glass
– Wireless charging
– Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
– Runs ‘Nothing OS’
– £399
Also available are accessories for the phone that are sold separately – a charging brick, screen protector and case.
Meanwhile, a transparent phone booth has been installed where Phone (1) operates as the official store helpline.
On the opposite wall is a 4,000 flip dot system that can be programmed on the spot to create a constantly revolving graphic, like the display of a 1980s game console.
The store also has a basement, which will act as space for exhibitions, talks and other events.
On Saturday, the store’s opening day, the first 100 visitors will be able to buy exclusive branded merchandise and one of 100 laser engraved versions of its latest product, ‘Ear (stick)’.
Released in November, the wireless Bluetooth earphones, priced at £99, come in a lipstick-inspired tube that provides up to 29 hours of listening time.
The store also stocks curated collections from fashion and design brands, as well as audio products from Stockholm-based collaborators Teenage Engineering.
A transparent phone booth has been installed where Nothing’s Phone (1) operates as the official store landline
On the shop wall is a 4,000 flip dot system that can be programmed on the spot to create a revolving graphic, like the display of a 1980s game console
The new store also has a basement, which will act as space for exhibitions, talks and other events
The store stocks curated collections from fashion and design brands as well as audio products from Stockholm-based collaborators Teenage Engineering
The shop’s opening rounds off what Pei called a ‘milestone year’ for his company, which was only founded in autumn 2020.
Pei told MailOnline that he based the company in London as it’s ‘the best place in the world to attract the right mix of talent’ with a ‘well organised financial industry’.
‘It has been a few years and we haven’t seen any real contender in the consumer tech space emerge from Europe,’ he said.
‘With over 1 million Nothing products sold to date we’ve proved that we deserve a seat at the table.’
Pei also said Nothing will focus mostly on software in 2023 with regular updates for Phone (1), although the fourth Nothing device could be revealed soon.
‘We will announce new products in due time but in the meantime we are actively focusing on improving Nothing OS and elevating the overall experience,’ he said.
He already said on Twitter this week that ‘Phone (2) isn’t launching anytime soon’, because the firm doesn’t want to ‘churn out dozens of products a year like many others’.
WHO IS CARL PEI?
Nothing is a consumer technology company based in London, England, founded in October 2020 Carl Pei.
Pei is a Beijing-born Swedish entrepreneur who co-founded Chinese consumer electronics firm OnePlus back in 2013.
He claims the Nothing phone, ‘Phone (1), offers ‘the most compelling alternative to Apple’s ecosystem’.
‘For too long, the smartphone market has been dominated by the same players and that’s led to unimaginative, bland design across the board,’ said Pei.
Nothing boss Carl Pei (pictured) claims the Nothing phone will be ‘the most compelling alternative to Apple’s ecosystem’
‘These players have created closed-off ecosystems that lock people in, limiting their choice about the products they can access and use. This is what I want to change with Nothing.’
According to Pei, the UK has a strong track record of creating software companies, but not hardware.
In August 2021, Nothing released a pair of £99 earphones, ‘ear (1)’, which have sold 560,000 units as of July.
In March 2022, Nothing announced it raised $70 million (£53 million) in a fundraising round, bringing total investments to $144 million (£109 million).
The firm is privately owned and has backing from investors including GV (formerly Google Ventures), Kevin Lin (co-founder of live streaming service Twitch) and Steve Huffman (co-founder and CEO of Reddit).
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