Taking the cue from Apple and Microsoft, Google has decided to jump into the retail game by opening its first store in London. Google’s “Chromezone” store resides within Tottenham Court Road’s PC World.

Google’s 285 square foot store is seen as a “low-key experiment” that could prove to be the start of something much bigger for Google in the retail space. The Chromezone mainly serves to sell Google’s Chromebook laptop.

The London Evening Standard reports that Google has opened its first store in PC World. The “shop within a shop” is intended to attract potential customers with the Chromebook and a few other computer accessories that Google sells.

Arvind Desikan, head of consumer marketing at Google UK, said:

“We found anecdotally that when people tried the device and played with it, that made a huge difference to their understanding of what the Chromebook is all about. People will be able to go in and have a play with the devices. We want to see whether people understand what this device is all about and monitor their reaction when they try it out.”

The shop will only be open through Christmas, and then Google will evaluate its success based on sales and interest.

Google’s second “Chromezone” will open on October 7 at the Lakeside shopping centre in Essex. More of these pop-up stores are planned to open around the world in the coming months. A Google spokeswoman said, “We’ve put a lot of effort into making it feel welcoming, homely and, dare I say it, ‘Googley’.”

Since Google is a mostly web and software based company, it’s difficult to imagine that a Google retail chain would be much of a success.

In case you were wondering, Google currently employs about 1,500 people in London.

(image via 9to5Google)