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SIERRA VISTA — This mountain view town will soon be home to a host of the latest gadgets and digital accessories.
As one of eight new stores opening nationwide, Best Buy will be celebrating the location at the Mall at Sierra Vista with a grand opening for the public on Friday at 10 a.m.
“We’ve already been working together and are very excited to have them,” said Alicia Brusini, marketing director for the mall. “It’s a great opportunity for Best Buy to be a part of the community.”
The 20,000-square-foot location represents the latest concept in design of Best Buy stores. The layout model is open and inviting, said General Manager Nathan Johnston.
 Tony Fierros, customer experience manager at the new Sierra Vista Best Buy store, checks the bank of televisions Tuesday as store employees prepare for Friday’s grand opening. (Mark Levy-Herald/Review) |
Best Buy had about 1,000 job applications to consider before hiring the more than 90 people now employed at the location. The company held a number of recruiting activities, including a three-month job fair in the mall.
“We did look for experienced employees, but mostly we considered work ethic and a willingness to learn,” Johnston said.
Like other locations, the Sierra Vista store will host a “Geek Squad” of about 12 employees, who work on solving technical problems related to computers, other electronic devices and help with the learning curve of some of the latest electronic toys.
“They are there to help people use the product to the full potential, and help them with questions they might have,” Johnston said.
Because of the weekend draw of shoppers from Mexico, managers of the location also worked on hiring bilingual associates who will service Spanish-speaking customers.
“Our goal is to respect our customers — to differentiate ourselves and make it a very personable experience so we can take care of them,” said Johnston, who moved from Tucson to Sierra Vista to take the new position, “People were always asking us in Tucson when a store would come to them in Sierra Vista. There was just a very high demand for this type of service.”
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, expectations are running high for the location.
“We think it will be very successful,” Brusini said. “Best Buy did a lot of promoting, and we’ve been getting phone calls asking when it will open. The town has been very receptive.”
The location also can benefit from the traffic already passing through the mall.
“Our sales here have been increasing for the past two years,” said Kenneth Cecil, general manager of the Mall at Sierra Vista. “This Best Buy will be outstanding and will benefit the mall and the community. And any time you bring a new merchant to town, it influences other merchants to come to our market.”
To help launch itself in the community, the Sierra Vista Best Buy, along with other Best Buys, will donate money to a nonprofit organization.
“We are donating $10,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Sierra Vista,” Johnston said, “And we strongly encourage our employees to volunteer. They participate in a lot of raffles for charity and select the receiving organization.”
Also on Friday, Best Buy employees will be present at the unveiling of a Habitat For Humanity mock house, which will remain in the mall as a fund-raising device.
“They will be there to help out,” Brusini said. “The house will have notes representing every family in Cochise County living below the poverty line.”
Other features at the grand opening will include a slew of giveaways, discounts and the NASCAR Best Buy racing car.
This will be the 19th Best Buy store in Arizona, with the first in the state opening in 1993.
REPORTER Fiona de Young can be reached at 515-4683 or by e-mail at fiona.deyoung@svherald.com.
