LS travel retail and ZoomSystems open iStore Express

The first iStore Express at a Canadian airport opened in Calgary on 27 January; other locations will follow


CANADA. LS travel retail North America and ZoomSystems have opened the first iStore Express automated retail shop in a Canadian airport, at Calgary International.

Opened in Terminal D on 27 January, this automated retail shop offers consumers a wide range of personal mobile electronic devices and accessories. These include best-seller tablets, headphones, speakers and portable games from leading brands Apple, Sony, Monster, Blackberry and others.

More units are currently being deployed in various Canadian airports, including Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal and Ottawa, with additional locations set to open later in 2012.

“It brings us great pleasure to partner with both ZoomSystems and Boutique iStore to bring to Canadian travellers and consumers such a compelling retail offering. We look forward to continued placement and growth through this strong partnership,” said Jonathan Alpert, Vice President Merchandising for LS travel retail North America.

“We are excited to licence our brand for this innovative retail channel and bring our products to customers in a way that is fun, fast and secure. We look forward to eventually bringing iStore Express machines to other retail venues beyond airports in future,” said Mike Battat, President of Boutique iStore.

“This is a great partnership. The combined branding, merchandising, technology and distribution expertise will allow the iStore Express Automated Retail shop to deliver an immediate and rewarding experience to the customer,” said Jack Lawrence, President and CEO of ZoomSystems.

Boutique iStore is a Montreal-based retail and wholesale brand of mobile digital lifestyle products and is a certified Apple specialist. Founded in 2007, iStore develops lifestyle accessories marketed primarily through its own-branded retail channels alongside other leading brands.

ZoomSystems is a San Francisco-based technology and services company that is driving the development of automated retail. ZoomShops are unmanned machines that use touch screens, patented dispensing technology and back-end software and services to combine the benefits of online shopping and traditional stores.

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