electronics-retailer
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NPD: Apple ranked #5 US electronics retailer in 2009
Market research firm NPD Group has published its annual report profiling the consumer retail sector for 2009, and guess who made the list of top five electronics retailers? Hint: If you guessed the Microsoft Store, you would be wrong, and everyone would be pointing and laughing at you right now. No, I'm talking of course about Apple, who came in at a respectable number five, alongside such industry stalwarts as Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Dell, to name a few. While the report primarily details consumer spending trends throughout 2009, as well as other dry and boring data interesting only to bean counters and TUAW's own Mike Rose (because he loves numbers and cheats at poker), NPD's study does show some growth in Apple's favor, lifted no doubt on the back of iPhone's popularity. Especially when you consider that their competitors sell many, many brands, and Apple sells just their own product line, their achievement is that much more impressive. In other news, 98% of people surveyed in my own study find Apple to be awesome. And lest you question my sample source, I will reply that the TUAW staff are an excellent focus group for conducting such studies.
Circuit City considering shutting stores to avoid bankruptcy
It's made it through some tough times in the past (the other DIVX, anyone?), but it looks like Circuit City is now really up against the wall, and it's apparently considering some rather drastic measures to avoid becoming the largest retailer to enter bankruptcy protection in recent years. According to The Wall Street Journal, "people familiar with the company" say that Circuit City is contemplating closing at least 150 stores and making the associated high number of job cuts in order to get itself in a better position to shore up some much needed financing, which it has been unable to secure so far. To put things in a bit of perspective, before it packed up and went home, Blockbuster offered to buy Circuit City in February of this year for $6 to $8 a share. The company's share value as of this writing? 40 cents.[Via MarketWatch]
Best Buy to open Shanghai store
Looking to gain a foothold in China's burgeoning electronics and gaming market, American retailer Best Buy will be opening their first Chinese store in the Xujiahui district of Shanghai this summer. Executives at Chinese electronics chains Suning, Yolo, and Gome are denying rumors that they have formed an alliance to combat their new "laowai" competitor. However, Suning CEO Sun Weimin has suggested that the mainland retailers will continue their strategy of cooperation.Although console gaming is not very popular in China at the moment, online PC gaming is huge, and the presence of another "legitimate" games retailer should aid the Chinese government's plan to crack down on software and DVD piracy. Indeed, Chinese gamers will soon be able to plunk down 480 yuan and pre-order official copies of games 12-18 months in advance.
