'EXPERIENCE HEADPHONES' TO OPEN STORES ACROSS CANADA, BEGINNING WITH A VANCOUVER FLAGSHIP THIS MONTH

A Vancouver-based specialty headphones retailer called Experience Headphones is planning its Canada-wide store expansion, beginning with the opening of a store this month at 3057 Granville Street in Vancouver. Experience Headphones is Vancouver's only 'fashion-focussed' specialty headphone retailer. Two more Vancouver-area stores will open (at Metropolis at Metrotown and at the Vancouver International Airport), to be eventually followed by stores across Canada. 

The new Vancouver shop measures at 849 square feet according to CBRE, and the retailer is replacing Vancouver's only store location for the Rocky Mountain Soap Company. The new store will be located on Vancouver's upscale South Granville retail strip. 

Everyone is welcome to attend the store's grand opening on November 30th from 10:00am-6:00pm. The following is from a company press release: 

FASHION-FOCUSED HEADPHONE RETAILER, EXPERIENCE HEADPHONES INC. ANNOUNCES GRAND OPENING OF VANCOUVER FLAGSHIP STORE

Experience Headphones Inc. fills gap in the premium headphones market for fashion-conscious consumers

VANCOUVER, BC – November 19th, 2013: Today, Experience Headphones Inc., Vancouver’s only fashion-focused specialty headphone retailer, announced the grand opening of their first retail store. Located at 3057 South Granville St. in Vancouver, B.C., the flagship store will feature premium, forward thinking lines and is officially open to the public on November 30th, 2013 from 10am to 6pm.

Customers visiting the store on the grand opening will be the first to browse the full collection, with over 100 different styles of on-ear, in-ear, and over-ear headphones from premium lines, such as Frends, Urbanears, Molami, and WeSC. Customers can try on and experience every pair of earphones, with the exception of earbuds and will also get access to special pricing, giveaways, and live music from local Vancouver buskers.

The greatest innovation is making headphones as much fashion accessories as they are listening devices. Premium, fashion-forward headphones are now in high demand and are one of the fastest growing categories in the consumer electronics industry. They account for over 50% of the North America-wide sales. This represents roughly $1.6 billion in annual sales and continues to grow at a rate of over 20% per year. One quarter of those buyers list fashion and branding as their #1 purchase criteria.

Whereas other Vancouver retailers focus on the technical aspects of headphones and restrict customers to a limited selection of brands, Experience Headphones Inc. is the only local retailer offering premium headphones to a fashion-conscious consumer. The strong growth in retail sales, and the lack of innovation from local businesses that offer headphone products allows the rare opportunity for a first-mover advantage. The new location marks a milestone in the company’s growth and history, as it will act as the original and flagship store in metro Vancouver. Experience Headphones plans to open two additional stores in Vancouver, one at Metrotown and another at the airport, before venturing to other cities in the province and across the country.

“We started as an online shop but saw a gap in the market to open a storefront where customers can actually try on and experience the headphones, says CEO and Co-Founder, Dean Horsfield. He adds, "We are ushering in a new way of thinking about music marketing and consumer preferences by focusing on the experience. How you fee when you wear your headphones, how they sound when you plug them in, and how they look when you wear them on the street."

ABOUT EXPERIENCE HEADPHONES INC.
Experience Headphones Inc. was founded in July 2013 by Dean Horsfield, a former employee of Best Buy Corporate headquarters in Burnaby, Canada. He saw an opportunity to capitalize on the booming trend of fashion-forward headphones, and after unsuccessfully pitching the idea to Best Buy decided to build out the concept on his own. The company now has over 100 SKU’s from 11 different brands and is in talks with another three brands to be added early in the New Year. 

[Experience Headphones website]