16 posts and columns on big box

Voices

Best Buy to Close 50 Stores, Cut Costs

in News on March 29 at 10:15 am PT

Best Buy Co. is beginning to acknowledge that its big-box business model, which dominated electronics retailing for much of the past two decades, is no longer working.

Voices

Best Buy to Shrink "Big Box" Strategy

in News on April 14, 2011 at 9:31 am PT

Best Buy Co. outlined a plan to expand its online and mobile businesses while scaling back “big box” retail space as part of a broader strategy to combat declining sales and rising competition.

News Byte

Best Buy Reports Soft December, but Online Sales Are Up

in Commerce on January 7, 2011 at 2:41 pm PT

Best Buy reported today that U.S. same-store sales declined 5 percent in December compared to a strong 9.3 percent sales growth in the same period last year. The company’s performance matched the experiences of other retailers, which also reported declines at year end. In the case of the big-box electronics retailer, it said the drop was driven by softness in entertainment software and TV, but was partially offset by growth in Best Buy Mobile and appliances. Online sales were also strong, resulting in a 13 percent increase in December year-over-year.

Target Buys Black Friday From Twitter–But Wal-Mart Gets Justin Bieber

in Media on November 26, 2010 at 1:52 pm PT

Target pays Twitter for top billing today. But a pop idol boost gives Wal-Mart plenty of exposure, too–and Twitter doesn’t make a dime for that.

IPad Hits Wal-Mart Friday

in News on October 12, 2010 at 7:00 am PT

With the holiday shopping season nearly upon us, Wal-Mart is gearing up to sell the iPad. The big box retailer says Apple’s tablet will go on sale at hundreds of its stores on Friday, October 15, reaching all 2,300 by November.

Wal-Mart “Anticipates” Having the iPad? Does Apple Anticipate Letting It?

in Mobile on May 13, 2010 at 8:03 am PT

Now that Apple has begun meeting its own iPad shipping schedules, the company may be considering expanding the device’s distribution in the U.S. And if it’s not, there are some big-box retailers that would clearly like it to–Wal-Mart, for example. In an interview with Bloomberg today, Gary Severson, senior vice president of entertainment for Wal-Mart’s U.S. stores, said the company hopes to sell Apple’s newest gadget in the coming months.

iPads Available at “Most Best Buy Stores” This Saturday

in News on March 29, 2010 at 6:25 am PT

When Apple’s iPad goes on sale this Saturday, it will be available at all of the company’s 221 U.S. Apple retail outlets and most Best Buy stores. In other news, some of the earliest early iPad adopters have begun receiving shipping notifications for the devices.

Is Walmart Ready to Try Web TV Again, With Vudu’s Help?

in Media on January 12, 2010 at 3:00 am PT

Walmart has tried twice to deliver movies and TV shows to its customers. Is it ready to try again? Maybe. Sources tell me Web video start-up Vudu is in “meaningful” acquisition discussions, and industry executives believe Walmart is the likely buyer.
vudu-logo-001

Two More Nokia Flagship Stores Sunk

in News on December 10, 2009 at 11:01 am PT

Nokia’s flagship retail stores in the United States evidently haven’t done much to bolster the company’s single-digit market share in North America. Nokia said today it is shutting down stores in New York and Chicago as part of a new retail strategy that includes more cooperation with carriers and big-box retailers–and, one hopes, better sales.
nok

Our Macs? They’re in the Back Between the Toasters and PCs.

in News on May 19, 2009 at 11:15 am PT

Those store-within-a-store Apple boutiques that have been appearing in Best Buys around the country may soon start popping up in Wal-Marts as well. That’s the word from Ben Reitzes, an analyst with Barclays Capital, who believes the retailer hopes to add the Mac to the PC lines it peddles.

How Many iPhones Could Wal-Mart Sell? Well, That's Obvious, Isn't It?

in News, December 11, 2008 at 1:01 pm PT

How Many iPhones Could Wal-Mart Sell? Well, That’s Obvious, Isn’t It?

in News, December 11, 2008 at 1:01 pm PT

Why Are Music Sales Dropping? Because It’s Hard to Buy Music

in Media, December 2, 2008 at 4:34 am PT

Best Buy Lands iPhone Deal

in News, August 13, 2008 at 11:00 am PT

No, Steve Won't Be Attending the Best Buy Launch. Your Logo Hurts His Eyes.

in News, August 13, 2008 at 8:08 am PT

No, Steve Won’t Be Attending the Best Buy Launch. Your Logo Hurts His Eyes.

in News, August 13, 2008 at 8:08 am PT