Feature Story:
Car Toys, the 48-store Seattle-based chain is exiting the cellular phone market (with a few exceptions) at its retail stores. It will fill that extra merchandising space with car audio and automotive offerings including driver safety, powersports and marine audio, said Car Toys President Greg Parsonson.
Car Toys’ sister company Wireless Advocates, will continue to operate cellphone kiosks in stores such as Costco.
Cellphone sales through Car Toys retail stores had been losing ground to wireless carrier stores and Apple Stores, said Car Toys.
Parsonson said, “We’re removing the vast majority of our wireless phones throughout our chain. It’s an area that we feel can be better occupied by automotive products.” He added that some Car Toys locations will still feature a small wireless display of pre-paid phones. And the stores will continue to carry a large assortment of automotive phone mounts and chargers. “There is still a lot to do with wireless in the car without the handsets,” Parsonson added.
The chain began to exit the cellphone market in Q4 last year.
“We are “refocusing on some of our car audio origins, and also looking at the new trends in the automotive space. We will be testing a number of categories,” added VP Sales Tom Healy. “We will emphasize the quality of our installation training and certification of our installation technicians and sales staff related to audio.”
Some stores now feature powersports vehicles in the showroom, where cellphones once resided. And some stores are starting to focus on motorcycle audio.
The company said it will be testing a number of new automotive related categories under the direction of new VP Merchandising and Supply Chain, Janine Mitchell who replaced outgoing VP Sales and Merchandising Jim Warren late last year. Mitchell was previously VP and General Merchandise Manager at GNC stores, and was VP of Merchandising for Radio Shack prior to GNC. Earlier in her career, she was Senior Director, Division Merchandise Manager for Office Depot.
