| USA. Garmin opens retail store on Chicago's Magnificent Mile |
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| Monday, 13 November 2006 | |
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Company news: Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN) , opened its first retail store at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 11, 2006. The store is located on Chicago's "Magnificent Mile" at 663 N. Michigan Avenue, and is the only store in the world dedicated to GPS (Global Positioning System) devices. "Michigan Avenue's vibrant shopping area is an ideal place for the Garmin store," said Kevin Rauckman, Garmin's chief financial officer. "We expect the store to attract a very diverse audience. From those who already own a Garmin GPS to window shoppers who are intrigued by what they see, the Garmin store is the perfect place for people to come to test our products and discover which one best fits their lifestyle." To celebrate the grand opening, Garmin is hosted several well-known guest speakers on Saturday, November 11. These seminars were free and open to the public, and they featured presenters from Runner's World magazine, Geocaching.com, Popular Science magazine, and more. Garmin has also commissioned a commemorative geocoin that were given away. Geocoins are a token used in geocaching, a high-tech outdoor treasure hunt that requires a GPS receiver. Geocaches are hidden around the world and are identified by their latitude and longitude lines. The Garmin store also displayed the newest motorcycle in Tonight Show Host Jay Leno's garage. The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 will be equipped with the Garmin zumo, Garmin's new motorcycle GPS that will be in stores for the holiday season. Considered the world's most powerful production motorcycle, the ZX-14 will be on display through the first of the year. In addition, Garmin has established a partnership with Chicago's After School Matters, a non-profit organization that partners with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Public Library, the Chicago Department of Children and Youth Services and Community-Based Organizations to expand out-of-school opportunities for Chicago teens. This nationally recognized non-profit organization has established programs that allow Chicago teens to take part in engaging activities that provide skills that translate to the workplace. Garmin and After School Matters are hosted a by invitation only sneak-preview VIP event at the Garmin store on Friday, where After School Matters' teens screened their computer animation short films. As a sign of Garmin's support to the community and After School Matters, Garmin made a donation to After School Matters during the event. In addition, artwork from After School Matters' gallery37 program was available for purchase. "Everyone at After School Matters is very excited that a high-tech company like Garmin has invested in the community and Chicago teens upon their Michigan Avenue opening," said David Sinski, Executive Director at After School Matters. "Corporate partners like Garmin help us give more teens access to cutting-edge technology, with the goal of attaining high digital literacy," he continued. The hands-on Garmin store will include over 50 Garmin GPS products that are full functioning so that customers can test-drive Garmin's entire product line. Customers visiting Garmin will be greeted by a knowledgeable team that can answer questions and demonstrate a wide variety of Garmin products. Regularly scheduled training and seminars will also be held to educate current and future customers about the benefits of GPS and Garmin products. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 13 November 2006 ) |
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