Forest legend Viv Anderson cuts ribbon as EE opens first East Midlands Experience store in Nottingham’s Victoria Centre

EE will tomorrow open the doors of its first East Midlands Experience store in Nottingham’s Victoria Centre. Local legend and former footballer Viv Anderson will cut the ribbon and welcome the first visitors to the new experiential retail space. 

The Experience location is EE’s first of 2025 and forms part of a £3 million investment this year into bricks and mortar concept stores. It features zones themed around four key areas - Game, Work, Learn, and Home - along with a Tech Home area showcasing the future of connected living. 

The latter allows customers to visualise their ideal connected home setup with smart TVs, lighting, security systems and EE’s fast broadband, complemented by advice from EE’s staff.

Anderson says: “As a techie and someone born and raised in Nottingham, I’m thrilled that EE has opened a new space in the heart of the city. Innovative spaces like this give people the opportunity to get hands-on with the technology that’s shaping our future.”

“Nottingham has always been full of talent and creativity, and with the support of EE’s in-store guides, anyone can seek tailored advice to make the most out of their tech and devices. I can’t wait to see how it sparks ambition in the next generation.” 

Asif Aziz, Retail Director at EE, comments: “We are committed to continue reinvigorating the British high street through another multi-million-pound investment to transform our stores into exciting experiential spaces for shoppers, of which Nottingham is our first of the year.”

“Our new Experience store is a space for shoppers to explore, learn, and feel confident with technology, with our expert in-store guides always on hand to support customers at every step of their tech journey. We can’t wait to welcome the first visitors.”

Nigel Wheatley, Centre Director at Victoria Centre, comments: “We’re thrilled to welcome East Midland’s first EE Experience store at Victoria Centre this Spring. With a community of tech enthusiasts, we’re confident that the investment into upgrading the store will elevate the in-store experience and be a great addition to our retail offering.”  

The store opens at 12pm tomorrow, with, in addition to an appearance from Anderson, a live set from DJ and EE Guide, Nick Pavlov. Throughout opening day, shoppers will also have the opportunity to win one of five pairs of tickets to the England vs Senegal match at The City Ground on Tuesday 10th June. Every person who makes a purchase in the store between 12pm and 4pm on Thursday will be placed into a draw with five winners chosen at random. 

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.