SUPER BOWL Retailers expect spike in sales of televisions
Nearly 6 percent of partyers plan on buying a new TV.
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL STAR TRIBUNE
Never mind the NFL's title game Sunday. It's already Super Bowl week for the nation's consumer electronics dealers.
Retailers such as Best Buy Co. Inc., Circuit City Stores Inc. and Ultimate Electronics Inc. always are aggressive in advertising televisions and other home theater products in the days leading up to the game. All three chains, for example, have promised that in-stock, big-screen TVs bought by midday Saturday can be delivered in time for kickoff Sunday.
After recording strong holiday sales of digital TVs, retailers are as eager as ever to lure shoppers who want to upgrade to the latest high-tech sets, whether plasma, rear-projection or the slimmest micro-display models that can span 70 inches.
Merchants know the Super Bowl is prime time for consumer spending. The first four pages of Best Buy's most recent weekly circular feature a bevy of big-screen models, from a modest 32-inch stereo TV for $349.99 to a 50-inch plasma TV for $8,999.99.
"It's a standout couple of weeks for us," said George Danko, senior vice president of consumer electronics and home essentials for the Richfield-based retailer. He noted that other peak TV buying times are the week before Christmas, and just before the start of the NFL season, the March college basketball tournament and Father's Day.
Sales prediction
The National Retail Federation predicts that 1.5 million TV sets will be sold in anticipation of Sunday's game between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers.
Danko said that Best Buy might see a bit of a spike in the markets where the teams are from but that television buying at this time of year is pretty widespread nationally.
The Super Bowl is well-known for its splashy, expensive ads and glittery halftime entertainment. But the game's impact on retail spending tends to be underestimated, NRF spokeswoman Ellen Tolley said.
The trade group, in a survey released this week, said that nearly 6 percent of those who plan to throw or attend a Super Bowl party expect to buy a television beforehand. While that's a fraction of the nearly 90 percent who plan to buy food and beverages, it's still a significant one-time spur to TV sales.
The NRF predicts that 44 million party-goers will attend 7.5 million game-day parties Sunday. "Really, everyone gets involved in the Super Bowl -- it's Valentine's Day for men," Tolley said.