"The tech big box store reduced its footprint from 1,500 US stores in 2010 to around 1,200 in 2025, according to Statista. We could blame the pandemic for sending everyone into their homes and keeping them there, or rising retail space rents, or for its e-commerce platform that made it easier to shop nonchalantly in the comfort of one's own home."
"Situated in New York City's Times Square, tm:rw is part tech store and part immersive, experiential exhibit. The store is equally as motivated to provide customers with the opportunity to interact with what's next as it is to sell it. This is underpinned by in-store, bookable experiences like a robot massage, race car simulator or VR gaming appointment, larger-than-life displays (the store has the largest hologram in a retail location on its second floor), and a tight Rolodex of exclusive and brand-new tech stock."
Physical retail stores have declined for over a decade, with a major tech big-box reducing its US footprint from 1,500 stores in 2010 to about 1,200 in 2025. Pandemic lockdowns, rising retail rents, and convenient e-commerce shopping contributed to reduced in-person visits. A new Times Square shop, tm:rw, opened earlier this year and curates a selective range of tasteful tech rather than mass inventory. The store blends retail with immersive exhibits, offers bookable in-store experiences like robot massages, race-car simulators, and VR gaming, and uses large holographic displays and openly displayed merchandise to encourage prolonged, hands-on customer engagement.
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