Just when it looked like online-only brands would take every last penny of brick-and-mortar retailers’ lunch money, digital merchants started opening up B&M store fronts like it was the newest fad in town. Now, it’s online electronics merchant Newegg‘s turn to put down more roots in the physical world, but it’s doing so on its own terms.
Newegg took Tuesday (July 12) to announce that it would be officially opening its new “Hybrid Centre” located outside of Toronto in Richmond Hill, Ontario, on Friday (July 15). The Hybrid Centre occupies nearly 3,800 square feet of a larger 81,000-sq-ft warehouse that Newegg operates (to the tune of 2,000 daily orders processed). Unlike a cut-and-dry fulfillment center, though, Newegg plans on using the Hybrid Centre as a place where consumers can pick up orders, browse a selection of products and attend educational seminars run by Newegg employees.
It’s a column A/column B approach to omnichannel retailing that Newegg CEO Danny Lee believes will work well in the greater Toronto area.
“Canadian customers play a vital role in our North American business, and this new Hybrid Centre stands as a testament to our commitment to put down roots in Canada to serve those customers more directly,” Lee said in a statement. “The Hybrid Centre is convenient for shoppers nearby and will stream PC-building seminars and other tech information for all customers in Canada.”
This marks Newegg’s second physical retail location, with its Toronto Hybrid Centre joining its Americanized Hybrid Center located next to the company’s global headquarters in Los Angeles. With any luck, the gaming tournaments and celebrity appearances that have put the L.A. Hybrid Center on the map will follow in Toronto, as Newegg prepares for its grand opening complete with demos of virtual reality headsets and a computer speed-building competition.
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