Telstra sets up shop in Melbourne

Today in Melbourne Telstra opened up its newest interactive T [life] retail store, which the telco giant claims is the largest of its kind in Australia.

The Melbourne store, located at the corner of Bourke and Swanson Streets, joins other T [life] stores in Sydney, Geelong, Chadstone, and Doncaster.

The store is the size equivalent to seven tennis courts and includes areas for visitors to test more than 100 different products, seek expert advice from staff, and try out video TelePresence for face-to-face conference calling.

Telstra says the expansion of a new store is the result of speaking with more than 900,000 Australians, who wish for more autonomy and input on their telco solutions.

“Australians told us that they want a store where the display mobiles work so they can ‘play before they buy’, where one-on-one expert advice accompanies live demonstrations, and where ‘how to' classes are available all day, every day,” said Telstra CEO Mr Sol Trujillo.

“At Telstra, we understand that the traditional business hours of 9 to 5 don’t meet everyone’s needs so we have extended trading hours in our Melbourne store, seven days a week.”

T [life] Melbourne is topped with a 22 metre by 2.5 metre LCD screen, the largest one in Oz today, which Telstra believes will become a staple landmark of the Melbourne CBD.

Telstra faced consumer competition in Sydney recently with the opening of the new Apple store, which saw punters waiting in line for hours in hopes of winning a coveted 3G iPhone.