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The company formerly known as Facebook had been discussing the possibility of opening retail stores long before it rebranded itself as Meta. According to reports, talks about opening physical stores began last year, but nothing has been finalized, and the project could still be scrapped.

Reports stated that Facebook executives floated the idea of a physical retail store last year, but the project is now gaining traction following the company’s rebranding to “Meta.” The store’s early designs feature a minimal and modern design, with Meta wanting customers to feel curious and close. The company has considered a number of names for its retail chain, with “Facebook Store” being one of the top contenders.

The aim of the stores is to make the world “more open and connected,” according to the company documents viewed by The Times. They are also intended to spark emotions like “curiosity, closeness,” as well as a sense of feeling “welcomed” while experimenting with headsets in a “judgment-free journey,” according to the documents.
Early designs for Meta’s stores appeared modern, with a flat, minimalist aesthetic to the building exteriors and subtle placement of the Facebook brand, according to the documents. The company considered naming its stores Facebook Hub, Facebook Commons, Facebook Innovations, Facebook Reality Store and From Facebook, before eventually settling on the Facebook Store as a leading candidate, the documents said.

Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of transforming Facebook into more than just a social media company, but a metaverse company includes the rebranding to Meta. According to Zuckerberg, the rebranding paved the way for the company’s next chapter. Despite being renamed to Meta, Facebook’s app and service will continue to be known as Facebook. In addition, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger will not be affected.

If Meta does open physical locations, they will reportedly be more like experience stores where people can learn about the devices developed by its Reality Labs division rather than traditional retail stores.

The virtual reality headsets Oculus Quest (soon to be Meta Quest) and the Portal gadgets, which were designed primarily for video calling, are among those devices. The stores could also feature Facebook’s Stories augmented reality smart glasses, which it developed with Ray-Ban.

According to the documents seen by a news outlet, Meta’s goal is to pique customers’ “curiosity” and “closeness” with its stores, as well as provide a welcoming environment where they can have a “judgment-free journey” while experimenting with headsets.

Meta envisions shops with a modern, minimalist aesthetic and subtle branding placement, based on the same documents.

Facebook Hub, Facebook Commons, Facebook Innovations, Facebook Reality Store, and From Facebook were all considered as possible names. It eventually settled on Facebook Store, but now that the company has been renamed, that will most likely change.

If Meta goes ahead with this plan, the company’s first retail/experience store will be in Burlingame, California, where Reality Labs is based. The project could eventually span the globe with locations in various countries and regions.