Netflix to Open Brick-and-Mortar Locations
You would think after running Blockbuster and other brick-and-mortar movie stores out of business, Netflix and streaming services would leave well enough alone. But it seems Netflix has other plans, although they might not have anything to do with actually watching movies.
The streaming giant told Bloomberg News that it plans to open permanent physical stores, a concept it’s calling Netflix House. And instead of selling movies, the stores will offer merchandise and curated in-store dining experiences and live events inspired by some of its most popular original movies and shows, such as “Squid Game,” “Stranger Things” and “Peaky Blinders.”
According to Bloomberg, the first two brick-and-mortar locations are expected to debut in the U.S. in 2025, in undisclosed cities, followed by a global expansion.
The restaurant experience will offer a range of menu items seen on Netflix’s food-based/cooking reality shows, such as “Nailed It,” including casual and high-end dining options, per the report.
“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," Josh Simon, Netflix’s VP of consumer products, told Bloomberg.
Earlier this year, Netflix tested a restaurant pop-up experience, which apparently saw such great success that the streaming service wants to make installations like that permanent.
Netflix House wouldn’t exactly be the streamer’s first foray into the physical space. In 2022, Netflix announced it would open in-store Netflix Hubs in more than 2,400 Walmart stores nationwide, offering a licensed product assortment (e.g., music, apparel, collectibles, games and seasonal items) inspired by popular Netflix shows and films as well as low-price streaming gift cards, exclusively at the mass merchant.
Prior to that, in 2021, Walmart debuted the Netflix Hub online in a move to establish the retailer as the Netflix destination for family entertainment experiences.
Other major media giants like Disney have been in the retail, dining and live entertainment spaces long before Netflix even existed. (Think Disney World theme park.)
The timing of this news also comes shortly after Best Buy revealed it would stop selling DVDs and Blu-Ray discs in stores after the holidays.