By Patrick Avenell

BRISBANE: WOW Sight & Sound has given Current.com.au an insight into its business strategy, with retail marketing manager John Karibalis talking about the process behind new retail store openings.

It’s a pertinent topic for the Queensland-based chain, with WOW set to open new stores in Canberra and Shepparton sometime before the Christmas this year. The ambiguity over this date is intentional, with WOW marketers and directors keeping the exact dates of openings secret in order to enhance the surprise impact of a new venture.

Karibalis told Current.com.au that the precise opening dates for all new stores are not made public until three days before the opening. This is followed by a high impact marketing campaign used to generate interest in, and attendance at, the launch event. A second advantage of this strategy is that it keeps WOW’s competitors in the dark for as long as possible, making it harder for them to divert attention away from the openings.

“We announce the date three days before,” said Karibalis. “It’s a formula that has always worked.”

Karibalis continued to say that this strategy leads to attendances of “30,000 people in the first four days”.

This strategy looks as though it will be used with increasing frequency in the near future, with Karibalis indicating that WOW is set to launch more stores in more states.

Talking at the launch of WOW’s new sponsorship agreement with the Queensland Roar, Karibalis said, “WOW is becoming increasingly recognised as Australia’s most accessible and affordable retailer.

“We have a couple of new superstores scheduled to open before the end of the year and a comprehensive plan to rollout more throughout 2009 and beyond.”

This sponsorship agreement is another sign that WOW is rapidly increasing its national brand awareness, with the Roar scheduled to play televised matches in all mainland states, plus New Zealand, over the next six months.