SI: Sony And Comcast To Open Joint Retail Store In Philadelphia

[Christopher]

Despite the poor economy, Comcast and Sony plan to open a retail store Tuesday. The U.S. cable TV operator and the electronics company will use the store to showcase new technologies and products, taking a page from Apple Inc. The store will be called Sony StyleComcast Labs and ensconced in the Comcast Center (pictured above), the newest skyscraper in Philadelphia and headquarters of the United State’s largest cable operator.

The store, more than 315 square metres, will show off such things as home broadband equipment that would enable people to surf at 100 megabits a second - roughly 17 times the average speed of cable broadband. Comcast plans to roll out service that fast by year’s end.

Sony will display a new TV running Comcast’s TV interface. It uses Tru2way, which is software cable providers are rolling out to standardize their systems so the same set-top box can work with any cable operator. The store also will sell Sony PlayStations, laptops, cameras and camcorders.

Robert Faught, senior vice-president of retail and alternate channel sales at Comcast, said the company has no plans for now to expand beyond the one store, since the cable service already is being marketed through major retailers. But that could change depending on how this store performs.

Sony has over 40 retail stores in the United States, called Sony Style. The Comcast-Sony store will include Sony Style’s “concierge counter,” where staff will answer customers’ questions about products.

View the full article