San Antonio — The Progressive Retailers Organization was at the Westin La Cantera Hill Coun
Boston — Luxury-audio start-up AudioXperts is expanding its staff again with the creation of the new position of manager of international sales support.
The company said it appointed Jakob Jespersen to the new position to further strengthen its relationships with international distributors and expand the company’s specialty-dealer network. Jesperson will develop, implement and manage customer support programs for the distributors and retailers.
New York — Stampede made a stop on its Big Book AV Tour at the Hotel Pennsylvania, here, this morning, with around 25 suppliers and visits from 150 to 200 custom installers for the pro and consumer market, as well as retailers.
Kevin Kelly, president/COO, said all the stops on the tour are all about the same size. “We have 5 sales areas in the U.S. and three in Canada, and we hold two in each area per year — one in the spring and one in the fall.”
New York — Renowned singer-songwriter Paul Anka will make a guest appearance at J&R Music & Computer World this Friday, April 12.
Anka, whose hits include “Diana” and “You’re Having My Baby,” and who penned “My Way” for Frank Sinatra and co-wrote “This Is It” with Michael Jackson, will participate in a question-and-answer session at 5 p.m. hosted by famed pop music radio DJ “Cousin” Bruce Morrow.
Englewood Cliffs, N.J. — LG Electronics has no plans to open stand-alone showrooms or in-store shops in the U.S.
Despite a reported rollout of additional company stores overseas, and Samsung’s plans to open branded shops within Best Buy locations, LG has no plans to open or operate its own retail outlets, LG Electronics USA communications and public affairs VP John Taylor confirmed to TWICE in an email.
New York — The planned merger of office-supply chains OfficeMax and Office Depot remains on schedule, with the two retailers filing federal regulatory forms and forming transition committees.
In a joint update, the companies said they still expect the merger to close by year’s end, the original target date.
King of Prussia, Pa. — Microsoft is rolling out five more mini stores this month.
The corporate boutiques, which the software maker has variously described as “pop-up” and “specialty” stores, feature a curated selection of Microsoft products, including Surface PCs, Windows smartphones and Xbox gaming systems.
The latest locations will bring the number of mini stores to 33 nationwide.
Chester Springs, Pa. — Azione Unlimited (AU), the buying and educational group for integrators and custom retailers, added 14 dealer members to its ranks during the first quarter.
The new additions, described as high-end integrators, bring AU’s total dealer member count to 67.
AU president Richard Glikes attributed the young group’s growth to a focused and installer-friendly vendor lineup, free conferences and educational interaction, and a dues structure that delivers the best value.
Anaheim, Calif. – BrandSource today announced a new division dedicated to outdoor furniture and appliances.
Called OutdoorSource, the division will make available to BrandSource members products ranging from barbecues to generators to patio furniture. While BrandSource already carries a wide range of outdoor products the creation of OutdoorSource formalizes the category for the buying group.
OutdoorSource will operate under John White, BrandSource ‘s executive vice president, appliances and is now ready to accept retailer orders.
Grapevine, Texas — GameStop expanded its mobile-device trade-in program to accept smartphones and tablets made by a greater number of suppliers, including Samsung, Motorola and BlackBerry.
Under the trade-in program, stores accept tablets from Acer, Amazon, Asus, Apple, Samsung, Sony, Microsoft (Surface RT), Motorola and Toshiba. The stores accept phones from BlackBerry, HTC, Apple, LG, Motorola and Samsung. Apple media players are also accepted.
Consumers receive instant cash or in-store credit for their trade-ins.
UPDATED! Richfield, Minn. — Samsung will leverage the traffic in Best Buy stores by rolling out dedicated boutiques for its cellphones, tablets, laptops, cameras and accessories.
By early May, 900 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile specialty stores will feature the Samsung Experience Shop, with the remainder launching by early summer, Best Buy announced.
The shops enable consumers to interact with and buy Samsung’s mobile products “and experience how the devices connect together to enrich their lives,” the retailer said.