Netflix Plans to Open First Permanent Store in 2025

Netflix is eyeing recently vacated space at the mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, to open its first permanent brick-and-mortar concept, multiple media outlets have reported.

The streaming giant introduced “Netflix House” in October 2023, painting the idea as an immersive destination that, instead of selling movies, will offer merchandise and curated dining experiences as well as themed, live events inspired by some of its most popular original movies and shows, such as “Squid Game,” “Stranger Things” and “Peaky Blinders.”

Now, Netflix has applied to take over a 120,000-square-foot, two-story space, previously occupied by a Lord & Taylor department store, to bring the idea to life in 2025.

In March, the Upper Merion Township planning commission unanimously recommended approval of Netflix's conditional use application to turn the vacated store into a multipurpose entertainment venue, according to a report. PhillyVoice said the project has passed through several rounds of review, and the next vote will take place at an April 11 board meeting.

Netflix wrote in its application that it would fully renovate the building’s interior, adding a retail space, a permanent restaurant, a 250-seat theater and multiple experiential rooms for themed events and activities throughout the year, per the publication. Some of these activities and attractions may include fan meet-and-greets, book signings, comedy shows, escape rooms, mixed-reality games, art installations, theater performance and even one-off reunion events with actors from Netflix series.

In 2023, Bloomberg reported that 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.

Netflix House wouldn’t exactly be the streamer’s first foray into the physical space. In addition to various pop-up experiences in recent years, Netflix opened in-store Netflix Hubs in more than 2,400 Walmart stores nationwide in 2022. The in-store experience offers a licensed product assortment (e.g., music, apparel, collectibles, games and seasonal items) inspired by popular Netflix shows and films as well as streaming gift cards, exclusively at the mass merchant. 

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.)