| Wed 19 Sep 2001, 0:00 | | Press Release By New Clicks Holdings |
|
New Clicks Holdings Limited
Share code: NCL
ISIN: ZAE000014585
New Clicks creates a unique music cultural venue in Cape Town
Multibrand retailer New Clicks Holdings will open its flagship Compact
Disc Wherehouse store in Cape Town on 21 September 2001, at a premier
location in the V&A Waterfront.
The old Dock Road venue next to the Craft Market has been transformed
back to its historic beauty, providing 1 600 m2 of retail space.
With more than 100 000 titles across all genres, as well as videos,
DVD's, books and magazines, the Compact Disc Wherehouse at the V&A
Waterfront will be the largest CD store in the southern hemisphere.
Lara Bryant, brand leader for the New Clicks music division, says: "We
believe we are bringing something quite unique to life. The venue is
historically and architecturally rich, and it provides the perfect setting
in which to revive and promote a cultural music tradition.
"More than simply a CD store, our flagship Compact Disc Wherehouse will
be a destination in itself. It is a true music lovers' centre, complete with
a host of attractions that will together make Compact Disc Wherehouse the
place to see, hear, and meet local and international musicians."
Such attractions include a House of Coffees in-store coffee bar, a mini
DVD cinema, and a music heritage centre, which will be of special interest
for anyone interested in South African and African music and culture.
A partnership with Wordsworth Books will offer rare music-related books
and magazines, and an in-store live stage, complete with top of the range PA
equipment, will regularly host South Africa's top performers. These free
concerts and music events will promote local gigs, new CD's, DVD's, and book
releases.
The Compact Disc Wherehouse will also start a new tradition of Sunday
classical breakfasts, at which customers can listen to live performances by
classical musicians while enjoying breakfast in a caf -environment.
Bryant says Compact Disc Wherehouse has a diversity of music material
unmatched in South Africa. "The promise of Compact Disc Wherehouse is that
we stock virtually every single release by every single artist and, if for
some reason we don't have it, our special orders department will source it
for you. This is a shopping experience about music and the discovery of new
music."
She says the store will be staffed by specially-trained music consultants
who specialise in the variety of music genres stocked in the store,
providing customers with an in-depth view about the musicians and their
music.
The Compact Disc Wherehouse brand is well-known in Johannesburg, where it
has been a landmark destination since the late 80s. New Clicks acquired the
brand in July 1997, with the intention of rolling it out on a select basis
nationwide. The group currently operates two highly successful stores in
Rosebank and Sandton, and the Cape Town store has been widely anticipated
for some time.
Raymond Godfrey, head of New Clicks South Africa, says "it was worth the
wait as we were determined to find the right location for this premier music
brand. We believe strongly in the promotion of local music, and the new
Compact Disc Wherehouse provides the platform from which to do this."
Who said old-fashioned music retailing was dying?
