The Hindu Business Line : Sony plans retail outlets for car audio equipment

SONY India, which has a Rs 50-crore share of the Rs 1,500-crore car audio market, is planning to launch a string of retail outlets specifically for the car audio segment.

The company, whose car audio systems carry the label `Xplod', has branded its retail outlets, largely franchises, as Xplod Pit Stops.

The General Manager of Sony India, Mr Mohit Parasher, told Business Line that the lifestyle outlets would have a number of other facilities such as hair-dressing saloons, music, Playstations, and Internet surfing facilities.

"The outlets would be on the lines of a lounge and about 10 such outlets will be rolled out over the next few months," he said.

The retail outlets would be opened in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata besides some smaller towns by the end of the next quarter, he said. The company plans to follow an aggressive growth plan for India, which was a strategic market, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. The digital video camera and digital still camera segments, he said, held good growth potential, as did the large-screen TV and plasma screen segments.

Though these products were targeted at a niche clientele, the market for them was growing rapidly, he added.

The market for 43-inch colour TV sets was estimated at 15,000-20,000 units annually, while that for 29-inch screens was estimated at about three lakh units. The flat panel market was growing fast and it may outpace the demand for picture tubes soon, he said.

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