Electric car manufacturer Tesla is to open a store at Westfield London, Retail Week understands.

It is an unusual move for a car brand to sell from a shopping centre, and it is not known if the store would act more as a brand showroom rather than a commercial enterprise.

According to Tesla’s website a store is about to open in an undisclosed location in London. “Tesla brings our revolutionary retail concept to the London area. From interactive experiences to friendly product specialists, Tesla is redefining the way cars are sold,” the site says.

There have been previous attempts to bridge car selling and more traditional retail. Best Buy introduced electric cars in some stores when it launched in the UK, but the US electricals giant ended up quitting the UK.

Mini launched a pop-up store to coincide with the London Olympics last year, at Westfield Stratford. Ferrari decided to close its Regent Street store after launching to much fanfare in 2009.

Westfield declined to comment. Nobody at Tesla could not be reached at the time of writing.

Topics