Netflix plans to open physical stores, mainly to showcase merchandise related to its shows.
In a truly baffling decision, streaming service Netflix is now planning an expansion into the brick-and-mortar world with physical stores opening in 2025.
Over the past year, Netflix has been in the internet spotlight thanks to some truly dumb business moves. Whether it’s cracking down on people who share passwords with friends and family, raising subscription prices, or running ads on its programs after years of promising not to, the once-popular streaming service has now become a laughing stock on the internet.
But this expansion appears to be their attempt to restore their public image. In an interview with BloombergNetflix Vice President of Consumer Products Josh Simon detailed the reasons for this decision. “We’ve seen how many fans love to immerse themselves in the world of our films and TV shows, and we’ve been thinking a lot about how we can take that to the next level.”
According to this article from NPRThe stores will be called Netflix House and will offer retail, dining and entertainment services to customers. This shift to physical locations follows similar tactics used by Amazon and, most famously, Disney. The first Netflix House locations will open in two yet-to-be-announced US cities, with plans to expand to other cities in the future.
While there’s certainly precedent for online companies setting up physical service centers, Netflix may have left too much of a sour taste in people’s mouths for them to give it a chance. As previously stated, Netflix has come under fire for its efforts to curb the sharing of passwords among subscribers. And just recently there were rumors that they were going to increase subscription fees once the Hollywood actors’ strike was over, according to a report from Reuters.
Is it too little, too late for Netflix? Are they too far from grace for these physical reserves to make any difference? Time will tell, but I know of one country DJ, who will remain nameless, who is not going to quit protesting that Netflix kicked him out of their brother’s account.
