Samsung to open US retail stores

Francisco: Samsung will open three US retail stores to promote its Galaxy line of smartphones as the South Korean giant sets to launch an updated flagship handset.

The move ramps up Samsung´s efforts to compete on the home turf of Apple, which has hundreds of retail outlets in the US and around the world.

Samsung said in a statement it made the move after feedback from customers.

"They told us that they love having the ability to walk into a store and experience how the latest technology from Samsung works together to create a unique, immersive experience," the company said in a statement.

"Galaxy fans, in particular, mentioned that they were looking for a space to call their own, a place where they can get a feel for Samsung products first-hand."

The new stores will be at the Americana at Brand mall in Los Angeles; Roosevelt Field in Garden City, New York; and The Galleria in Houston, Texas.

Samsung is holding a product launch Wednesday in San Francisco amid speculation it may launch a folding smartphone, which would make it the first of the major handset makers in the segment.