EXCLUSIVE: A massive discount HI FI and Home Theatre outlet store that offers “bare bone” pricing has opened in Sydney, with top-end Hi Fi and Home Theatre brands discounted down by up to 70%.
Located in a former new car showroom at Leichhardt, the new discount outlet store is located on one of Australia’s busiest roads, minutes from the Sydney CBD. The three-level store is selling home theatre and Hi Fi gear spanning speakers, media centres, home theatre kits, receivers, amplifiers and sub-woofers to high-end HDMI cables.
The operator of the store Audio Connection believes consumers will research what they want online and then visit the store to collect their new Hi Fi gear at a discounted price.
The concept for the store is set to hurt specialist dealers and the likes of Eastwood Hi Fi, which operates a similar concept to that launched by Audio Connection.
The difference between Eastwood Hi Fi and the new Audio Connection outlet store is location, with the Eastwood Hi Fi store located at Dural, which is 27kms from Sydney CBD.
During a tour of the new store, which has three levels of window display facing onto Parramatta Road, ChannelNews saw row after row of branded top end Hi Fi that had been discounted out.
Joe Riediger, the CEO of Audio Connection, said: “We believe that the concept has enormous potential, because we deliver value for money. Specialist Hi Fi dealers are under pressure, consumers are visiting a store to pick the brains of Hi Fi experts and then going online, often to an overseas store to buy. What we are delivering is low-cost Hi Fi. We have the location and the buying power to deliver value for money deals”.
He adds: “A consumer can go online to work out what they want and then visit our outlet store to buy.”
Audio Connection staff say it is in a great location, close to the CBD and right on one of Australia’s busiest roads, feeding in and out of the Western suburbs. The store is currently working on new signage over three levels that will showcase the location and be seen by traffic in the morning as it snakes into the city.
During a visit to the store, ChannelNews saw several products that are not distributed by Audio Connection being sold, including JBL sound gear and Beyonwiz and Toshiba media centres. Some top-end branded products are being sold for as low as $50.
Running the operation is Philip Powell, a well-known audio expert who used to run an earlier Audio Connection store, which was shut down in late 2010.
