The opening ceremony of the first POSITRONICA computer retail store took place in Naberezhnye Chelny on March 4. The store is an outlet of the first national retail computer store chain in Russia. By the end of 2006, 150 POSITRONICA computer retail stores will have opened in 50 regions of Russia.
MERLION, the leading Russian distributor of computer and digital devices in the Russian IT market, has developed the first national retail computer store chain. The aim of the project is to strengthen the position of MERLION's retail partners in the regional markets. The POSITRONICA chain is a joint project launched by MERLION and its dealers. The outlet stores are franchise operations run by MERLION partners. MERLION is providing the concept of the chain, its service standards, and the marketing and advertising strategy within the project. The stores are owned by the dealers, who are also responsible for running the business.
The POSITRONICA store in Naberezhnye Chelny was the first to open. On March 4, it had an opening ceremony, which included a press lunch with Igor Petrov, MERLION's CEO; Maria Artyemyeva, the POSITRONICA Brand Manager; and Violetta Erastova, a representative of the POSITRONICA outlet in Naberezhnye Chelny.
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"MERLION’s mission is to make high-technology products available to every Russian citizen. With the POSITRONICA project, we’ve made a step towards achieving this goal. The top distributor of computer and digital equipment manufactured by IT market leaders, MERLION will do its best to provide the chain's stores with the necessary products. What is more, the project is run by a professional and highly knowledgeable team. This is the reason why we are sure the project is going to be a success," Mr. Petrov said in his opening speech.
"All POSITRONICA specialty computer stores will provide high-quality customer service. Our goal is to make it easy for customers to buy sophisticated computer equipment. To do this, we take the following steps. First, we employ only highly skilled staff in our sales area. Second, the selection of our products covers the whole range of computer and digital equipment. This includes PCs, desktops, peripherals, components, consumables, office equipment, network hardware, digital cameras, video and audio products, phones, and more. Third, the eye-catching and simple decor of the outlets and its color-coded labeling according to product category will make it easy for our customers to navigate the store. To 'prove our store as a very positive place,' we’ll try to arrange as many special occasions at the stores as possible. The first such occasion, the opening ceremony, has already been held. We’ll do our best to keep our standards high," said Ms. Artyemyeva, the brand manager of the project, in her detailed speech about the project concept and the plans and outlook for the chain.
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Over 2000 people were able to enjoy the opening ceremony of the first POSITRONICA store. During the day, the store provided some entertainment for its customers. The show hosted Venechka, an Naberezhnye Chelny entertainment celebrity. Many people enjoyed the activities and the prizes given to them by such leading computer and digital equipment manufacturers as Sony, ATI, Oklick, Jetbalance, and Digma. Five hundred people attended the opening ceremony activities later in the day.
In March, new chain stores will open in Vologda, Omsk, Tula, Tolyatti, Ufa, and Arkhangel'sk.
