Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Best Buy's Date With Hancock

Best Buy has set a date to open its bi-level boutique in the John Hancock Center .  According to a news release on its web site, the electronics store will open Saturday, May 16th, 2009 at 10:00am.

The Hancock Center Best Buy isn't supposed to be like every other store.  It's supposed to be closer to an Apple Store in its boutique style, and it won't try to stock every little crappy gadget under the sun.  Instead, it will focus on certain upscale (and presumably high-priced) product lines.

Here's the full release:


Best Buy Opens Eight New Stores In First Fiscal Quarter


Stores support local non-profit organizations and offer employment opportunities for local communities


MINNEAPOLIS, April 14, 2009 – Best Buy today announced the grand opening of eight new U.S. Best Buy stores for the first fiscal quarter 2010. The new stores are set to open this month and next in the following cities:
Duarte, Calif. (Thursday, May 14th at 6:00 p.m. local time)
Goleta, Calif. (Friday, May 15th at 10:00a.m. local time)
Woodland, Calif. (Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 a.m. local time)
Chicago, Ill. -- John Hancock Tower (Saturday, May 16th at 10:00 a.m. local time)
Kansas City, Kans. – Speedway (Friday, April 17th at 9:00 a.m. local time)
Branson, MO (Thursday, April 16th at 6:00 p.m. local time)
Waynesville, NC (Friday, April 17th at 10:00 a.m. local time)
Kingsport, Tenn. (Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 a.m. local time)
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies and $10,000 check presentations to local nonprofits mark the opening of the new destinations. Updated layouts, highly trained employees, and interactive displays create a unique and engaging experience for customers. Featuring the latest products and services, the new Best Buy stores provide customers with the solutions to meet all of their technology needs.
As of May 30, Best Buy expects to operate 1031 U.S. Best Buy stores in 49 states and in Puerto Rico, among other operations.
Best Buy Employees: A People Powered Organization
The company’s Blue Shirt employees are the core of Best Buy. As a people-powered organization, Best Buy invests heavily in discovering and training employees in customer service, product knowledge and financial acumen. As the store employees are closest to the customers, the company relies on them for their innovative ideas and feedback to enhance customers’ shopping experiences. Whether an individual’s passion is to be the best salesperson on the floor, a Geek Squad Agent, home theater installer or the next CEO, Best Buy fuels employees with the knowledge and resources to achieve their personal ambitions.
Committed to the Community
Best Buy commits to being a vital community partner. Last year alone, Best Buy and the Best Buy Children’s Foundation donated approximately $30 million to their communities. For more information about Best Buy’s philanthropic efforts, including the Best Buy Teach program, visit www.BestBuy.com and click on the “Community Relations” link.
About Best Buy Co., Inc.
With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China and Mexico, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $45 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy; Audiovisions; The Carphone Warehouse; Future Shop; Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five
Star; Magnolia Audio Video; Napster; Pacific Sales; The Phone House; and Speakeasy. Approximately 155,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way we do business at Best Buy. In fiscal 2009, we donated a combined $33.4 million to improve the vitality of the communities where our employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com.

1 comment:

You can write a comment about this article below, but that's kind of just a one-way street. For full whiz-bang interactivity, click here to comment on this article at the Chicago Architecture Info Forum.