Segway of America shuts down retail store

[MagiMike]

Went by the Gallaria Mall in Houston today and saw that Segway of America ( formerly Segway of Texas) was closing the retail Segway store there. A sign noted that they were " Gliding on to a larger location for more room" The "new" address 208 Post Oak seems to be the old office space they have always had. Sad to see this mall retail store close after only six months. They also closed an operation in the Woodlands mall after only three months. Guess sales were not what they expected.

Mike in Houston TX.
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_2_112.gif

[pkradd]

Mall leases are very expensive. They would need to sell at least 10 a week I'd guess to make it viable. Bring on colors and lower prices. Marketing is the name of the game, something Segway has really lacked. Perhaps the new people on board will soon address that.

[Stewbonz]

Seems the rental biz is the way to go.
Nobody wants to buy one, Everybody wants to try one!

JEFF JARVIS
http://www.thailandsegwaytours.com/

[god1138]

Actually, it looks as if they're opening up a new store somewhere other than their warehouse/orientation facility... just did a search on Mapquest, and I don't think that both their previous facility and their new facility are one in the same.

-robert

__________
urr vvalcoom vvain k

[Ninja]

Heard on the news today that Gateway computers is closing ALL of their retail stores and something like 2500 employees will lose their jobs. Thank goodness they are just moving and not pulling the plug.

Aloha,
Randy
http://alohasegway.com

[Sal]

This is interesting. When the idea for the Apple Store was being bantered about, noone thought it would fly, but it did. I think it's the product, it's the skill of the sales people, and the passion.

I think it's too soon for dedicated Segway stores... Have them begin to market themselves better first, commercials, print ads, media buzz again. Then people will begin looking to try one out more than they are now.

-Sal

Think Different
www.apple.com

Answers that Matter
www.lilly.com


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[Lohja]

quote:Originally posted by salkulkarni

I think it's too soon for dedicated Segway stores... Have them begin to market themselves better first, commercials, print ads, media buzz again. Then people will begin looking to try one out more than they are now.
-Sal

Would anything be better than getting some media exposure from the Florida SegFest? Imagine all those HTs in one place at one time. Is anyone working on this?

[Ground Loop]

Does anyone here know the Segway of America(/Texas) owner? It would be very interesting to get an interview or some comments from him. He could say for sure whether this was an expansion or reduction, and how Segway sales are progressing.

[IndyFIRSTengineer]

quote:Originally posted by X-man


Moving out of a mall makes sense to me. Very hard to give a good demo to people if you lack the space. Warehousing is an issue also.

The Lone Glider! :)
Especially if the mall doesn't allow Segway gliding - as has been my experience thus far (been "asked" to leave at two locations). In fact, that is one of the main reasons why so few Brookstone stores have units available to demo.

Stuart Bloom - Rolls-Royce Corporation
FIRST Team 1018 - Pike High School "RoboDevils"

“Who goes out and says, ‘You have a better probability of winning the state lottery than making a nickel in professional sports. And by the way, last year two million exciting technical jobs went unfilled in this country because you weren't there to take that job. And it pays you 10 times as much as flipping burgers, and it's fun and it's exciting and you get to create things and build things and help make the world a better place and help make yourself a better living.’ Who tells them this?”
Dean Kamen, founder - FIRST Robotics

[Florida Ever-Glides]

I deal with Segway of TX on a regular basis. They are probably one of the best or the best 'original' dealership in the country. They are the easiest people to work with if you need replacement parts fast...

Tom Jacobson