Reaching out to more people
Corner Brook tech business opens new store at Valley Mall
PhoneTech hopes the opening of a new store will make it more accessible and reach a wider audience.
The Corner Brook owned and operated company, which provides telecommunications, security, computer and cellphone services, has opened its first retail outlet location at the Valley Mall in Corner Brook.
The Valley Mall store is PhoneTech’s second location to open, with its main headquarters at 122 Country Rd. The business was started in 2004 by Steve Churchill. The new store had its soft opening just before Christmas and opened to customers in early January.
Sandy Goulding, PhoneTech sales manager, believes the new store will make it easier for customers to get to them.
“We’re always trying to find new ways to reach our target markets,” he tells West Coast Wire. “And this location is strategically located for us. We (have) a lot of faith in the mall and in Corner Brook.”
He says PhoneTech can now access foot traffic passing through the mall, including shoppers from out of town, who they couldn’t engage before. The Valley Mall also offers superior parking options and a garage.
“We’re very excited by the initial traffic and the responses we’ve been getting from customers,” says Goulding. “And we’re quite happy to be able to just talk to people who are inquiring about what this is about or what that is about. It gives us an opportunity to do that.”
The store offers a number of services, including cellphone, smartphone, computer, tablet and gaming repairs. PhoneTech deals in both Xplornet and Shaw Direct satellite TV services. Goulding believes the new store will help them reach markets with these products.
“The old ways of doing sales with these types of things was to go door-to-door,” he explains.
“That’s probably a thing of the past, at least for now, and this seems to be a smart approach to go about that.”
A new location also provides them the space to show off their CCTV video security system product to customers and allow them to see how they operate.
PhoneTech also offers factory refurbished iPhones, laptops and personalized phone cases.
The company has hired two new full-time employees and will look to hire two more part-time employees for the summer, once pandemic restrictions are lifted.
PhoneTech is available for remote appointments, in-store visits, or at-home repairs.
Goulding says if everything works out well with the new store, PhoneTech will be looking at more locations across the island.
The Valley Mall PhoneTech store (on the lower level of the Valley Mall) is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. When pandemic restrictions are lifted, the store’s hours will expand until 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and will be open noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
To learn more about PhoneTech, visit phone-tech.net or the company’s Facebook page, @phonetechnl; phone 709-640-6609, or email info@phone-tech.net