According to The New York Times, the company that was once known as Facebook had been talking about opening retail stores long before it changed its name to Meta. According to The New York Times, there were discussions last year about the possibility of opening brick-and mortar shops. However, nothing has been finalized and it could still be scrapped. However, Meta will likely open physical outlets that are more like experience shops, introducing customers to the devices it has developed through its Reality Labs division, rather than retail shops.
These devices include the Oculus Quest (soon Meta Quest), virtual reality headsets, and Portal gadgets that were designed for video calling. The store could also feature the Stories augmented reality smart glasses that Ray-Ban and Facebook have developed. According to The Times' documents, Metas goal was to inspire curiosity and closeness between its stores as well as provide customers a welcoming environment where they can experiment with headsets in a judgement-free manner.
These documents also show that Meta envisages shops with a minimalist, modern aesthetic and subtle branding placement. There were many possible names for the company, including Facebook Hub, Facebook Commons and Facebook Innovations. The company settled on Facebook Store. However, that name will most likely change as the company is renamed.
If Meta goes ahead with the plan, its first retail/experience shop will be in Burlingame (California), where it has a Reality Labs office. The Times claims that the project could eventually spread across the globe, but with locations in different countries and regions.
Editor's Note: This article first appeared on Engadget.
