New European magazine kiosks will feature preview touch screens

Pushing back against the erosion of single copy magazine sales and the closing of many newsstands in Europe, a leading shopping mall owner will be launching a new kind of  sales outlet, according to a story from  lesaffaires.com. Unibail-Rodamco, which owns a hundred shopping malls in Europe and 35 in France, is partnering wtih Mediakiosq, a company which controls some 800 newsstands in France. The new kiosks are created by leading designers, including Ora Ito of France.

The new newsstands remind visitors of  sleek iPad or iPhone technology and the analogy is not just in appearance. The space traditionally used for promotion (posters, pockets etc)  is largely foregone in favour of touchscreens that allow prospective buyers to preview various publications before they buy. The first kiosks will be installed in the next few months.
[thanks Michel]