San Diego – Sony
Electronics has closed 11 Sony Style stores in as many states.
The closings, conducted on
March 20, leave the chain with 45 direct-channel locations, including 16 outlets
and a new
that opened to the public last week in Century City, Calif.
Sony operated some 44
Sony Style stores at their peak in 2008, with plans to expand that number to
60. No additional store closings are planned.
According to a Sony
spokesperson, the closings were “a result of our ongoing evaluations and
careful review of our future direction. Sony continually evaluates all areas of
our retail business to ensure that we are offering the best consumer experience
while maximizing profitability.”
In a statement, Sony
Corp. global sales and marketing officer Kiyoshi Shikano described the
new Century City concept store as “a significant step in building a blueprint
for future Sony stores, both in the U.S. and around the world,” but did not
provide a timetable for the build out.
In the meantime, branding for all of the company’s stores and
websites worldwide will transition from Sony Style to Sony, and the U.S. outlet
stores will be renamed Sony Factory Outlet.
The list of last month’s closures
includes stores in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts,
Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
