WOW Sight & Sound

WOW Sight & Sound was an Australian audiovisual and consumer-electronics retail brand founded in 2003. It began with a single store in Townsville, Queensland, and expanded into a multi-state chain with 15 stores across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. Its assortment covered televisions, set-top boxes, portable media players, mobile phones, car-audio equipment, navigation systems, CB radios and related accessories. The retailer also sold DVDs, video-game consoles, video games and music CDs, reflecting the broad entertainment and electronics mix common to Australian specialty chains of the period. The business used the Vue and Nashi names for selected house-brand consumer-electronics products. It also operated as a Ticketek reseller for a period, adding ticketing to its retail and entertainment proposition. In 2008, WOW expanded into e-commerce, allowing customers to purchase much of the merchandise available in its stores through an online shop. The online channel became strategically important after the original retail company entered administration. The original business encountered severe financial pressure in the early 2010s. Its revenue declined by 7.7 percent in 2011, while it was reportedly owed approximately A$20 million by Aristicon, a property-development investment company that had failed. National Australia Bank placed the company into administration in February 2012. A buyer for the store network could not be found, and receivers and managers Ferrier Hodgson closed all 15 stores in March 2012. In June 2012, the WOW Sight & Sound name was acquired from the administrators by an entity unrelated to the original company and its owners, Sam Savvas and Sotiris Sotiris. The revived operation was online-only. The brand name was relaunched as an online store in July 2014, with the new operation organized around three websites that shared a single checkout. This later incarnation continued trading until operations ceased in March 2019. WOW Sight & Sound was also active in Australian sports sponsorship. It held naming-rights relationships with Supercars teams Team Dynamik in 2005, WPS Racing in 2006 and 2007, and Brad Jones Racing in 2008 and 2009. In 2008 it became naming-rights sponsor of the Brisbane Broncos and also sponsored Brisbane Roar and Australia Zoo. The brand is now defunct, and no current operating website, parent company or listed-company affiliation is identified in the supplied reference material.

WOW Sight & Sound was established in 2003 as an Australian audiovisual retailer, opening its first store in Townsville, Queensland. The business developed from a local store into a broader retail chain, eventually operating 15 outlets across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. Its merchandising strategy combined mainstream electronics with physical entertainment media and gaming products. Customers could purchase televisions, set-top boxes, portable media players, mobile phones, car-audio systems, navigation devices, CB radios and accessories, alongside DVDs, music CDs, video-game consoles and video games. The retailer also offered products under the Vue and Nashi house brands. These private-label lines complemented third-party electronics and gave the chain a proprietary product presence. For a period, WOW Sight & Sound additionally acted as a Ticketek reseller, extending its relationship with entertainment consumers beyond merchandise. Digital retailing became part of the business in 2008, when WOW launched an online store. Most products available in its physical outlets could also be ordered online, giving the company a channel for national reach beyond its store footprint. The move was significant because the business later abandoned its physical network and attempted to preserve the brand through e-commerce. The original company suffered a financial crisis in the early 2010s. Revenue fell 7.7 percent in 2011, and the business was owed around A$20 million by Aristicon, a failed property-development investment company. National Australia Bank placed WOW Sight & Sound into administration in February 2012. A sale of the operating business or store network could not be completed, and Ferrier Hodgson, acting as receivers and managers, closed all 15 stores in March 2012. The brand did not disappear immediately. In June 2012, an unrelated entity bought the WOW Sight & Sound name from the administrators. The successor did not revive the former store estate; instead, it operated as an online-only retailer. In July 2014, the name was relaunched as an online store, structured around three websites that allowed customers to use one checkout across the sites. This second phase continued until the company ceased operations in March 2019. Marketing and sponsorship were also part of the brand's public profile. WOW Sight & Sound held naming rights for Team Dynamik in the Supercars Championship in 2005, WPS Racing in 2006 and 2007, and Brad Jones Racing in 2008 and 2009. In 2008 it became naming-rights sponsor of the Brisbane Broncos and also sponsored Brisbane Roar and Australia Zoo. These partnerships associated the retailer with motorsport, rugby league, football and wildlife tourism while it was expanding its national presence. The brand is now defunct. The supplied reference material does not identify a current owner, headquarters, website, listed status or continuing corporate group.

• 2019

  Operations end

  [1]WOW Sight & Sounden.wikipedia.org

  The later online-only operation ceases trading in March.

• 2014

  Online brand relaunch

  [1]WOW Sight & Sounden.wikipedia.org

  The new owner relaunches WOW Sight & Sound as an online store operating through three websites with a shared checkout.

• 2012

  Administration and store closures

  [1]WOW Sight & Sounden.wikipedia.org

  The original company enters administration in February, and all 15 stores close in March after a buyer cannot be found.

• 2012

  Brand name acquired for online operation

  [1]WOW Sight & Sounden.wikipedia.org

  An entity unrelated to the original company acquires the WOW Sight & Sound name from the administrators and uses it for an online-only business.

• 2008

  Online retail store launches

  [1]WOW Sight & Sounden.wikipedia.org

  WOW Sight & Sound launches an online store carrying much of the range sold through its physical outlets.

• 2008

  Brisbane Broncos naming-rights sponsorship

  [1]WOW Sight & Sounden.wikipedia.org

  WOW Sight & Sound becomes naming-rights sponsor of the Brisbane Broncos and also sponsors Brisbane Roar and Australia Zoo.

• 2008

  Brad Jones Racing sponsorship begins

  [1]WOW Sight & Sounden.wikipedia.org

  The retailer begins a naming-rights relationship with Brad Jones Racing, continuing through 2009.

• 2006

  WPS Racing sponsorship begins

  [1]WOW Sight & Sounden.wikipedia.org

  The retailer begins a naming-rights sponsorship of WPS Racing, continuing through 2007.

• 2005

  Team Dynamik naming-rights sponsorship

  [1]WOW Sight & Sounden.wikipedia.org

  WOW Sight & Sound becomes naming-rights sponsor of Team Dynamik in the Supercars Championship.

• 2003

  First WOW Sight & Sound store opens

  [1]WOW Sight & Sounden.wikipedia.org

  WOW Sight & Sound begins trading with a single store in Townsville, Queensland.

A broad-format Australian electronics and entertainment retailer serving mainstream consumers through physical stores and, later, online channels.

• Home audiovisual equipment · 2003

  Televisions and set-top boxes

  Televisions and set-top boxes formed a central part of the retailer's home-entertainment assortment. They represented WOW Sight & Sound's core audiovisual positioning and were sold through both the physical store network and, from 2008, the online channel.

• Private-label consumer electronics

  Vue and Nashi

  Vue and Nashi were house-brand names used for selected consumer-electronics products sold by WOW Sight & Sound. The brands supplemented the retailer's range of third-party equipment and gave it proprietary offerings across parts of its electronics assortment.

• Personal electronics · 2003

  Portable and mobile electronics

  The retailer sold portable media players, mobile phones and accessories, broadening its range beyond fixed home-audio and television equipment into personal and mobile electronics.

• Automotive electronics · 2003

  Car audio, navigation and CB radios

  WOW Sight & Sound carried automotive-electronics products including car-audio systems, navigation equipment and CB radios. These products added an in-car and communications dimension to the retailer's consumer-electronics offer.

• Entertainment retail · 2003

  Entertainment media and gaming

  The chain sold DVDs, music CDs, video-game consoles and video games alongside hardware and accessories. This combination positioned its stores as destinations for both electronics and packaged entertainment.

• 2008Brad Jones Racing Supercars sponsorship

  Australia

  WOW Sight & Sound became naming-rights sponsor of Brad Jones Racing.

  Outcome. The sponsorship continued through 2009.

  Source
• 2008Brisbane Broncos sponsorship

  Australia

  WOW Sight & Sound became naming-rights sponsor of the Brisbane Broncos and also sponsored Brisbane Roar and Australia Zoo.

  Outcome. The supplied reference does not specify the duration or commercial results of these sponsorships.

  Source
• 2006WPS Racing Supercars sponsorship

  Australia

  The brand held naming rights for WPS Racing in the Supercars Championship.

  Outcome. The relationship continued through 2007.

  Source
• 2005Team Dynamik Supercars sponsorship

  Australia

  WOW Sight & Sound served as naming-rights sponsor of Team Dynamik in the Supercars Championship.

  Outcome. The sponsorship is identified for 2005.

  Source

• 2014

  Three-site online relaunchStrategy

  Background

  The acquired brand was being operated without the former physical store network.

  Action taken

  The new owner relaunched WOW Sight & Sound through three websites linked to one customer checkout.

  Aftermath

  The online operation remained active until March 2019.

  Source

• 2012

  Administration and closure of the store networkOther

  Background

  Revenue declined by 7.7 percent in 2011, and the company was reportedly owed approximately A$20 million by failed property-development investment company Aristicon.

  Action taken

  National Australia Bank placed the business into administration, after which Ferrier Hodgson closed all 15 stores when no buyer was found.

  Aftermath

  The original retail company ceased operating its physical chain, although the brand name was subsequently acquired for a separate online business.

  Revenue decline. -7.7% (2011)

  Source

• 2012

  Acquisition of the WOW Sight & Sound nameM&A

  Background

  The original company had entered administration and its physical stores had closed.

  Action taken

  An unrelated entity purchased the WOW Sight & Sound name from the administrators and relaunched the concept as an online-only retailer.

  Aftermath

  The successor later relaunched the online store in 2014 and continued until operations ended in 2019.

  Source

• 2008

  Launch of online retailStrategy

  Background

  The store network was expanding across several Australian states and territories, while consumer purchasing was increasingly moving online.

  Action taken

  WOW Sight & Sound launched an online store carrying most products available through its physical stores.

  Aftermath

  The online channel later provided the basis for the brand's post-administration, online-only incarnation.

  Source

1. 1WOW Sight & Sounden.wikipedia.org