Dive Brief:
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Guitar Center has tapped Eddie Combs, a vice president of marketing at Sears Holdings Corp., to be its senior vice president of marketing.
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The music instrument retail chain is also opening more stores, including eight this year, with a Times Square location opened Thursday. 15 to 20 new stores each year are also planned for an undefined number of years.
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The chain says it is creating vastly new in-store experiences and boosting its content marketing. It is currently working with NPR station 88.5 KCSN Los Angeles to create a weekly radio show called Connections made by Guitar Center that is distributed nationally.
Dive Insight:
Guitar Center has apparently faced the music when it comes to brick-and-mortar retail, but instead of going solo with e-commerce, the company is including an expansion of its footprint in a big way. The retailer seems to be betting that music is the ultimate customer experience, done best with an instrument in hand. New spaces will provide better areas for trying out instruments, lessons, shows, and even recording sessions, and the company will increase opportunities for renting as well as selling instruments.