Sony Opening Four New Style Stores

By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 3/27/2006

San Diego, Calif. — Sony Electronics is opening four new Sony Style CE boutiques this month, bringing the chain's store count to 32.

The new stores — located in the first-time markets of Edison, N.J.; Seattle; Indianapolis; and Portland, Ore. — fulfill Sony's previously stated goal of opening 15 new units during its current fiscal year, which ends March 1.

The Sony-owned stores are upscale electronics boutiques averaging about 6,000 square feet in size and are located in premium shopping malls around the country. The full-service stores showcase and sell an edited assortment of Sony products, and both the stores' design and the product offering are tailored toward women.

Besides the Sony Style chain and an e-tail presence at www.sonystyle.com, the vendor also operates two flagship showrooms, in New York and San Francisco, plus a dozen outlets for old and refurbished inventory located in factory outlet centers around the country.

“The stores give consumers the opportunity to see first-hand our wide array of product offerings,” said Dennis Syracuse, senior VP of consumer retail sales at Sony Electronics. “Each store enables us to interact directly with individual consumers to educate them about our products and services, and help them understand how Sony's technologies can enhance their lives.”

Syracuse added that sales at the stores were up 28 percent year over year during Thanksgiving weekend.