Netflixcemented itself at the top of the entertainment world throughout the 2010s, but amid growing competition from other streaming platforms, the company is looking for new ways to draw customers. They appeared to have found at least one new angle to pivot to, as Netflix will reportedly be opening a series of brick-and-mortar retail stores beginning in 2025, according toBloomberg.
While Netflix has not officially confirmed that these stores will open, the company’s vice president of consumer products,Josh Simon,appeared to corroborate Netflix’s retail plans. Simon told Bloomberg that these stores will feature “a mix of retail, dining, and live experiences.” The venues will be known as Netflix House, and the first two are slated to open in the United States sometime in 2025 before expanding across the globe. It remains unclear where in the U.S. these stores will open, but when they do, they will reportedly have rotating installationsrelated to Netflix’s films and shows. This includes a variety of themed food and drink offerings.
Bloomberg reported that Netflix House hoped to emulate the successful consumer products strategies used by other media companies to generate profit. This is something that Netflix has rarely – if ever – done, and is clearly looking to get into. However, the company’s management is hoping to use these stores more as a way to generate hype about their titles and less as a pure cash-generator, as reported. “We’ve seen how much fans love to immerse themselves in the world of our movies and TV shows, and we’ve been thinking a lot about how we take that to the next level,” Simon told the outlet.
Netflix House Will Be a New Venture for the Brand
Netflix House will notably be the first permanent brick-and-mortar sites from the streaming giant. However, they are not entirely in the dark when it comes to creating physical experiences for their consumers. Netflix has opened a variety of pop-up venues over the years, including some that have tied into their most popular shows.
The most notable of these pop-up experiences is based on their smash-hit period romanceBridgerton,and provides guests with drinks and dancing in the vein of the show. This includes “a unique immersive party with drinks, music, dancing, and flourishing romance,” according to thepop-up’s website, complete with period-appropriate clothing. The experience has already been a hit in several cities. Additional pop-up experiences have emerged in global cities such as Mexico City, New York City and Tokyo.
Netflix has also notably opened a number of live experiences in Los Angeles, unsurprising given that the company is headquartered in the city. This includes a pop-up store at an L.A. shopping mall, as well as a restaurant staffed by chefs who have previously appeared on Netflix shows. The company has also pivoted hard toward promoting their showStranger Things,andoffers branded foodfrom the series in large grocery chains, as well as merchandise.
An exact opening date for Netflix House has not been revealed, stay tuned to Collider for updates.
