THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 29, 1996 TAG: 9602290430
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
Circuit City Stores Inc., the Richmond-based consumer electronics and appliance retailer, has opened its largest Virginia store in Chesapeake's Greenbrier community.
The 42,000-square-foot store, across the street from Greenbrier Mall, uses the company's newest shopper-friendly format, making it easier for customers to find what they want.
``It's a much more open format,'' company spokesman Paul Rakov said. ``You can see the entire store from the front. It really opens it up and lets customer have the feeling for the selection we have and where to head to in the stores.''
Circuit City has cleared the store of shelves, products and other items that once blocked customers' views of merchandise.
That means customers probably won't have to flag down a sales associate to find where the cordless telephones are stashed.
Inside, shoppers can listen to a car stereo in a teal Camaro, which stretches across the sales floor, or test hi-fi's and TVs in seven home-entertainment theaters.
Circuit City also offers 40,000 compact discs, which is good news for shoppers and very bad news for local music retailers.
For example, music group TLC's CrazySexyCool compact disc costs $12.95 at regular price or $10.99 at a promotional price, while a nearby Blockbuster Music charges $16.99.
Circuit City heavily discounts its compact discs to draw customers to its stores. The chain purposefully makes little money on compact discs in hopes shoppers will wander into its personal computer or stereo areas.
Edwin L. Underwood, a retail analyst with Scott & Stringfellow in Richmond points out that not everything in Circuit City's CD selection is cheap.
``I think, given the mix, they hope to make a little bit of money,'' he said. ``But basically, they use them to build traffic, get customers into the stores.''
The Greenbrier store, which opened last Friday, is the newest format for Circuit City. These stores, which are anywhere from 40,000 to 45,000 square feet, also have opened in Milwaukee, Wis.; Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y.; and in Florida.
Circuit City, the nation's largest retailer of consumer electronics and appliances, has more than 400 locations nationwide. It operates five stores in South Hampton Roads. by CNB