London, UK – 2 October 2006 – Sony Ericsson today announced plans to open its first dedicated store in central London enabling consumers to touch and try Sony Ericsson products, learn more about new features and applications first-hand in a relaxed, fun environment. The store, which will open at the end of November, will be located in Kensington High Street, one of London’s prime retail locations.
The new store will provide consumers with a warm and inviting environment where they can come to interact with the Sony Ericsson brand, ask questions and feel comfortable to experiment with new products, services and applications. Specially trained expert staff will be on hand to assist visitors who will also be able to purchase new Sony Ericsson phones, accessories and PC cards connected to a wide range of operator networks as part of a contract, prepay or upgrade package, thanks to a cooperation agreement with Carphone Warehouse who will operate and manage the store.
At street level, 7,300 feet will be dedicated to creating a best-in-class consumer experience bringing all Sony Ericsson’s products to life through demonstrations showcasing the product line-up’s music, imaging, gaming and connectivity capabilities. Emphasis will be placed on visitors to the store gaining hands-on experience with the products. Special customized events and promotions will target different categories of phones users, from established Sony Ericsson fans to potential new customers who have yet to experience the Sony Ericsson brand.
The basement level of the store will be customized to give Sony Ericsson new customer and corporate meeting and demonstration space, reflecting the need for additional central London facilities as the company grows to fulfil its ambitions of becoming one of the top three global mobile handset manufacturers.
“Today’s announcement is another exciting step in the growth and development of Sony Ericsson. Coinciding with the celebration of our 5th anniversary and announcement of the new Sony Ericsson brand treatment, the opening of a dedicated Sony Ericsson store in the heart of London will give us the opportunity to interact directly with our customers to better understand their needs and create even more appealing and consumer-focused products going forward” said Miles Flint, President of Sony Ericsson.
“We are extremely pleased to be opening this first store, which will offer consumers a new Sony Ericsson retail experience with all the benefit of a regular mobile phone store. Consumers will be able to come in, try products in a relaxed state-of-the art retail space, experiencing the very best of the Sony Ericsson brand, and then purchase or up-grade their phone just as they would in a regular store,” explained Salvatore D’angelo, Head of Global Retail at Sony Ericsson.
The Sony Ericsson store in London will reflect the new brand elements announced today in conjunction with the company’s 5th anniversary celebrations, and be the first of a number of similar retail spaces offering a fully Sony Ericsson branded experience in key cities throughout the world.