Bose closes all locations in North America - Japan - Europe and Australia
by Boston Business Journal
Bose Corp. will close all of its 119 stores in North America, Europe, Japan and Australia "in the coming months", as the Framingham-based consumer electronics company "handles the dramatic shift to online shopping in specific markets," the company announced Wednesday.
Bose has store locations in Burlington Mall and Colonie Center in Albany, New York, as well as factory stores in Wrentham, Merrimack, New Hampshire and Central Valley, New York.
The company will keep its store locations in India, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Greater China and the United Arab Emirates open.
The company refused to indicate how many employees are affected in the closures, but said the employees would be offered outplacement assistance and dismissal.
Bose opened its first store in 1993 as a way to give consumers a way to test CD and DVD-based home and entertainment systems, said Colette Burke, vice president of global sales for Bose, in a statement.
“At the time, it was a radical idea, but we focused on what our customers needed and where they needed it - and we're doing the same thing now. It's still difficult because the decision affects some of our great shopping teams that make us proud every day, "Burke's statement continued." They take care of every person who walks through our doors - whether that helps with a problem, expertly gives advice on whether someone just lets them take a break and listens to great music. Over the years they have set the standard for customer service. And everyone at Bose is grateful. "