The Akhtarzads’ first major statement in custom came three years ago with the opening of Just One Touch, a galleria-style showroom located across the street from the original Santa Monica store. It requires too much of a personal touch.” Lots of folks go out of business in custom, and I don’t think the big chains can survive in this business either. “There are no more margins left in retail, so custom installation is the answer, if you do it right. “We knew this was the future direction,” he said. While the retail locations continue to thrive, Joseph, who holds a master’s degree in electronics, realized that given the price compression in CE, and the needs of his upscale and celebrity clientele, the future of his company and livelihood lay in custom home installation.
Selling a broad spectrum of low- to high-end CE, and finding their niche alongside behemoths like Best Buy, Circuit City and Good Guys, the store became a Los Angeles area fixture and “one of the strongest retailers in Southern California,” Joseph said, prompting the opening of a second location in nearby Torrence. Consumer electronics retailing was a different animal 23 years ago, when brothers Joseph and Mayer Akhtarzad opened their first A/V store here on Wilshire Blvd. Product mix: opening price point to premium audio, video and accessories custom installation, home automation and security Joseph Akhtarzad, VP, Video & Audio Center president, Just One Touch showroom
VAC has taken custom home installation demonstration to new heights with its new fully automated $10 million smart home in Beverly Hills, while Tresch, which began as an electrical contracting concern, successfully branched off into home integration and now traditional retail sales for consumers within California’s upscale Marin County. The second annual Retailers To Watch installment concludes this week with examinations of Video & Audio Center (VAC) and Tresch Galleria. In the previous issue of TWICE, four dealers were profiled as part of our annual Retailers To Watch series, which highlights CE and major appliance merchants who have built successful businesses based on marketing, store design, strategy, service and/or selection.
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