EE sees double in West Midlands with launch today of new Experience store in Dudley’s Merry Hill shopping centre

EE is today opening a new Experience store in Dudley’s Merry Hill shopping centre, the second of its experiential stores to go live in the West Midlands in the past year.

This is EE’s third such launch of 2025, following openings in Nottingham in May and Sheffield earlier this month, and forms part of the company's £3 million investment into bricks and mortar retail this year.

It features Experience Zones themed around four key areas - Game, Work, Learn, and Home - along with a Tech Home area showcasing the future of connected living.  

Asif Aziz, Retail Director at EE, comments: “Our mission for our Experience stores is to create immersive and welcoming spaces where shoppers can explore, play and feel connected with technology, all with the expert support of our EE Guides.”

“As the new school year approaches, we know millions of families across the UK will be having conversations around device use, which is why we are also rolling out in-store online safety appointments across over 400 stores throughout the country, including Merry Hill.”

“I would encourage anyone, whether they’re looking for help managing their child’s device use, or keen to make the most of their own connected tech, to drop by and speak to our excellent team.”  

Jonathan Poole, Centre Manager at The Merry Hill Centre, says: "We’re thrilled to welcome EE’s innovative new Experience store to Merry Hill - a next-generation concept that adds something genuinely new for our visitors. From its hands-on Gaming Zone to its vibrant community hub, the store offers experiences that go well beyond traditional retail, giving people more reasons to spend time here and engage with the latest technology in an interactive way.”

"The opening comes as we continue to evolve the centre to meet changing customer expectations. People want destinations that combine great shopping with opportunities to play and connect. This dynamic addition strengthens Merry Hill’s position as the West Midlands’ go-to place for immersive, experience led shopping and entertainment, and we can’t wait to see how our community embraces it.” 

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.