Long after abandoning its TV and home audio aisles, Macy’s continues to dabble in consumer electronics.
In its latest CE endeavor, the Federated Department Stores division will feature DVD players, custom home theater systems and other electronics products at its flagship Herald Square store in Manhattan beginning next month. The assortment will be part of “The Experience,” a virtual store slated to debut in Macy’s celebrated housewares section, The Cellar, beginning July 18.
According to a Macy’s spokesperson, the shop will house no inventory but will be staffed by reps who can “schedule at-home visits for those interested in purchasing home theater” systems. Vendors will include Philips Consumer Electronics North America, which, as the exclusive video supplier, will showcase its Matchline collection of flat-screen TVs and LCD and plasma panels, along with its Cineos product line. Philips president Larry Blanford described The Experience as “a solutions-oriented” merchandising concept (see TWICE, June 23, p. 10).
Macy’s last major CE promotion was held less than two years ago when The Cellar hosted a Tech Shop featuring a digital audio kiosk where Samsung’s Yepp line of MP3 players were sold.
Sister Federated division Bloomingdale’s has similarly skirted the CE periphery by selling compact CD audio systems in store. Both chains offer a wider electronics assortment online, where “tech toy” offerings include digital cameras and accessories, personal A/V, and cordless and cellular phones.
