The Sony Park shoopfloor. Picture by Sanjay Chattopadhyaya

Plasma television sets, home theatres, handycams, digital cameras, music systems, the latest laptops? all in one stop, at Sony?s newest store on Park Street. Launched a month ago, Sony Park has generated enough interest to indicate rocking times for the electronic goods market in Calcutta.

The 1,600-sq-ft shop, the company?s sixth showroom in the city, is stocked with enough products to draw in a range of customers.

?People come in to buy their first handycam, corporate executives drop by looking for the Sony Vaio laptops... There is also a huge demand for various types of televisions,? says Kuntal Sarkar of Sony Park.

?Customers are very aware of what they want these days, even if they don?t know much about the product. That?s why we give demonstrations here. Educating the customer is the key. And with Sony offering EMIs and bank loans being available, affordability is not such a big issue anymore,? he adds.

Television is the bestseller in Calcutta, with Sony accounting for 18 per cent of the booming market, more than in any other city. Reaching into the interiors ? to small towns ? is the aim now, says Sabiha Kidwai, product head, TV, Sony.

?The sale of the plasma and LCD TVs is much better than expected here. We?re now focussing on strengthening the market,? she adds.

Home theatres, too, are in focus, as aspirational lifestyle products, particularly the Grand Wega. ?They?re becoming quite popular,? says Kidwai. ?The Calcutta market is so very unique,? she explains.

Sony?s plans in the country include launching a range of India-specific products, just for Indians, suited to their tastes, preferences and needs explains Jeremy Heng, officer, TV marketing, display marketing division, Sony Marketing Asia Pacific, who was recently in town from Singapore.

?There will be many more simultaneous launches here, with the rest of world, like we did with the Vaio and Grand Wega. India has big potential and is one of the company?s focus markets. The country will see a lot more interesting products, too, in the near future,? he adds.