Apple picker March 21, 3 was not only a nice spring day, but also the new shopping center Forum Nová Karolina was opening in Ostrava. It belongs to one of the largest, most modern and also the most luxurious in the Czech Republic, and Quentin opened its own here Qstore.
The place where Nová Karolina stands was Old Karolina, which was once a pit and a coke plant. The Karolina restoration project is relatively old. If you happen to be from Ostrava, you could see how the long reclamation of the land and the difficult construction took place. Karolina literally grew before our eyes.
We couldn't wait for Karolina. For a long time before its opening, there was speculation as to what shops could be in Karolina. Many people hoped that the first official Apple store could be here. In Karolina, however, we can find the Qstore of Quentin, an Apple Premium Reseller, which is about 3 times larger than its competitor iStyle in Shopping Park. Don't forget to visit the Qstore when you're in New Carolina. You can find it on the first floor a short distance from the escalators.
I was lucky enough to be one of the first to visit the store. It is tastefully furnished, as befits an Apple retailer. All equipment is white and the interior matches the products beautifully. The staff of the store is made up of young and friendly people who are ready to help you not only with choosing a computer, but also with advice. As is good practice, you can try all the products on site.
Opening discounts are a nice attention for customers when opening a store. On the very first day, there was a 10% discount on computers and accessories. But of course it doesn't end there. Another 13 discounts on accessories are coming. Find everything on the website www.qstore.cz
I asked several questions to the store manager, Mr. Jakub Curus.
Why did Quentin decide to open a branch in Ostrava? Are you planning stores in other cities as well?
Our company had the opportunity to open a store in the newly opened Forum Nová Karolina shopping center. After a successful year of operating the Qstore branch in Prague in OC Galerie Harfa, we want to offer Apple products, accessories and above all top services in the North Moravian region as well, because we love Apple and Ostrava deserves our nice store.
An unprecedented number of APR stores have opened over the past few years. Aren't there too many for the small Czech market?
Given the growing popularity of Apple products, this is a natural development. We would probably like less of them :-), but the decisive thing is what is good for Mac users and they will of course appreciate that Apple is closer to them.
Can you tell our readers what key you used to select employees? Did you have any special requirements (language skills, previous experience in business...)
Ideally, every employee should have personal experience with the products. It is through personal experience that employees can best demonstrate products.
Furthermore, each of the employees must undergo sales and product training organized by Apple. And of course we want people who make a positive impression on us, because we hope they will make a positive impression on customers.
Apple is your supplier. Did he interfere in any way in the selection of the location, did he have any special requirements? Did you have to get the interior approved? how long did this process take?
Yes. The chosen location must meet a lot of strict criteria. Likewise, the interior is designed and approved directly by Apple. And we are very happy for that, we are using the experience that we would only gain very laboriously on our own.
What is Apple's marketing support?
We work very closely with Apple on marketing, we and they care a lot about the presentation of perfect products. We are partners and what our own marketing looks like is always the result of this cooperation.
Thanks for the interview.
I didn't understand the sentence: which is about 3x bigger than its competitor iStyle in Shopping Park.
That Qstore looks pretty small, so it definitely can't be 3x bigger than another APR.
Compared to QStore and Grand Central, it feels claustrophobic.
Well, maybe it's not extra big, but iStyle in the shopping park is extra small...:D
the first day of spring was 20.3. and not 21.3 as it used to be ;-)
Martin, that's a detail..