New York – It was a healthy 2004 for mobile electronics dealers, particularly the large CE chains, as the Top 25 retailers, as ranked by TWICE, rang up $3.3 billion dollars in sales in the category, up a hefty 33.1 percent over 2003.
This year’s TWICE Top 25 Mobile Electronics Retailers report shows the market shifting toward newer technology products like satellite radio and portable GPS, bringing bigger shares of the total pie and double-digit sales gains for big-box chains Best Buy (No. 1 at $981 million), Circuit City (No. 2, $586 milllion) and Wal-Mart (No. 3, $500 million).
Significantly, non-traditional outlets put the squeeze on 12-volt specialists in the rankings as computer chains and pure-play e-tailers increasingly focus on the category. PC specialists like Harmony Computers and Electronics and CompUSA attributed strong gains to higher-margin satellite radio and GPS sales specifically.
And not to be left out, warehouse chains Costco and Sam’s Club (No. 12 and 15, respectively) combined for $74 million is mobile sales, an 85 percent increase over 2003.
The full report will be available for purchase at www.twice.com on May 23.
