Anaheim, Calif. — Al’s Stereo & Communications of Racine, Wis., has joined Mobile Entertainment Source (ME Source), the specialty mobile entertainment division of the Brand Source buying group, becoming its 75th member.
The addition underscores the rapid expansion of the group’s membership ranks since its official launch in March.
The not-for-profit marketing and promotion organization offers its dealers approximately 18 brands through nine suppliers, including Alpine, Eclipse and JL Audio. Recent additions include car video supplier Myron & Davis, which will drop ship products to member dealers and participate in the group’s Expert Warehouse program, and Spec USA, a maker of iPod integration products.
ME Source services include inventory financing, marketing solutions and zero-interest consumer-finance programs. The latter has been especially popular, the group reports, as many mobile entertainment retailers have historically struggled with below-average approval rates.
Indeed, Mitch Schaffer, owner of Mobile Edge in Lehighton, Pa., said the group’s consumer-finance program has allowed him to “capitalize on new business opportunities as a result of a higher approval rate. More importantly,” he added, “we’ve exceeded the expectations of many of our customers.” As a result, Schaffer has added zero-interest consumer-finance messaging to his company’s Web site and exterior signage, ME Source reported.
