Re-Tales

Attracting new customers is essential for brick-and-mortar dealerships' long-term survival. Over the last several years, many b&m dealerships have continued to expand into home automation and custom installation. Home theater is also undergoing a resurgence. These services can support—and complement—two-channel audio-equipment sales.

Such was the case at Pittsburgh's new dealership, Stereo Stereo, which I wrote about in September's Re-Tales column. The recently opened CasaHiFi in Miami's affluent Coconut Grove area is another example. Both stores have diversified their offerings to these other market segments. And both aim to deliver memorable experiences—something customers can't get when they buy online—and to make the at-home hi-fi experience accessible to a wider range of people.

In a prior Re-Tales, I wrote about Focal-Naim's plans to expand its retail presence worldwide via new "Focal Powered by Naim" (FPbN) boutiques and Focal-Naim "Shop-in-Shops" (SiS) inside existing dealerships. Miami's CasaHiFi, which recently became an FPbN dealership (footnote 1), takes a meticulously designed, multisensory approach, aiming to set an appropriate tone for a range of customers beyond those who typically frequent hi-fi stores: music-loving fledgling audiophiles; home-theater aficionados; architects and interior designers. CasaHiFi aims to feature equipment that's accessible to more people: It should be attractive, easy to set up and use, and it should fit well in domestic spaces.

Perfectionist audiophiles are very much welcome at CasaHiFi, but they are not at the core of the new store's mission. "I want to bring a different conversation," CasaHiFi owner Antonio Gaspard told me. Design plays a critical role throughout the store, but it's a casual approach: Gaspard believes that the store's few semiopen-plan listening rooms—including their imperfections—better mirror the homes of most of his potential customers. CasaHiFi provides home-setup service, and they often work closely with interior designers. "We're all about adapting, embracing what the client wants," he said. "We take care of their design, enhance it." Although "in 90% of cases, we don't mess with the design. The designer and client feel more respected."

Gaspard wants all his customers to feel at home in every sense. It's in the name, CasaHiFi, as in "Mi casa es su casa." Casual, luxurious Italian leather couches and chairs make it easy to feel comfortable in the living-room–styled areas. The store smells nice: The Gaspards chose special candles with a subtle scent. For taste, there's gourmet coffee from an espresso machine. The store is visually attractive, and of course, it provides plenty of good sounds.

Gaspard encourages people to touch the gear, to try it. As customers enter, Gaspard hands them an iPad and lets them relax and enjoy the music, without pressure to buy. "We're not concerned about clients scratching the product," he said. "We want to make it feel accessible, user-friendly." Two-week home trials are possible.

"What we're trying to achieve here is that somebody who has a very tight budget, ... even though when they enter the store they might feel overwhelmed because of the type of product they see, we can please them too." He told me that most people who come in buy something, whether it's a $500 item or a full-blown system. He provides a gift with every purchase: a copy of Gideon Schwartz's book Hi-Fi: The History of High-End Audio Design, for example. "At the end of the day we need to have small clients," he said, "so they can become medium and large in the future."

Although the Focal-Naim store network is a global, branded concept, it relies on the local expertise of individual dealers, according to Cédrick Boutonet, president and CEO of Vervent, Focal and Naim's parent company, who attended CasaHiFi's grand opening. "I do not want to duplicate over and over again the same concept," he said, addressing the store's design. "About 80% is guideline and 20% is local bespoke." CasaHiFi had orchids and Miami-themed books strewn around. It's a high-end store with a laid-back vibe befitting a tropical climate.

Gaspard grew up in Venezuela, came to Boston for college in 1993, and later worked in telecommunications. But he isn't new to audio. His two brothers started a pro-audio distribution business focused on Latin America—Antonio joined later—then started distributing Bowers & Wilkins and McIntosh in some Latin American countries. They still distribute Focal and Naim and also McIntosh and some McIntosh Group brands in Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama, Gaspard told me. CasaHiFi, which is co-owned by the three brothers, also sells those brands.

Might this focus on design alienate perfectionist, traditional audiophiles? "We love audiophiles," Boutonet said. "They provide legitimacy." He observed, though, that many traditional audiophile companies aren't interested in deploying an approach like his to attract new customers. But he and others in the company thought it was worth trying: "That's why we made the decision to go for it."

Key to this new approach is a new, fundamental attitude. "Everybody in the industry needs to be humble," Gaspard said. "There's [too] much ego in this industry. It gets boring." Get rid of the ego but keep the fun and the enjoyment of music. "Music is meant to be felt. It's about the celebration of life."

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Footnote 1: CasaHiFi could also be considered a Focal-Naim "shop-in-shop," since they carry a few other hi-fi and custom-install brands—not just Focal and Naim.