Abt Electronics
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retailing |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Headquarters | Glenview, Illinois, USA |
| Products | Consumer Electronics Appliances |
Number of employees | 1200 |
| Website | http://www.abt.com |
Abt Electronics (Abt.com) is the country's largest independent retailer of consumer electronics, major appliances and furniture. Abt operates at a single location in Glenview, IL on 37-acres of land and through their online retail site. Abt is a family-owned business maintaining loyal customers through unprecedented customer service and expert sales advice that has been serving the chicagoland market for 67 years. In 1997 Abt turned to internet retailing. Applying the same principles and philosophies to emulate in-store operations, Abt is now ranked in the top 500 of internet retailers.[1]
History
Abt Electronics began in 1936 when Jewel Abt gave $800 to her husband David to start a business. Originally named Abt Radio (since it only sold small electronics) Abt Electronics has since become the place to shop for many people in the Midwest. Starting with three employees in a small storefront in the Logan Square area of Chicago, Abt Electronics has grown to more than 1100 employees and occupies 37 acres in Glenview IL, a suburb of Chicago. Abt now operates 60 large delivery trucks, 45 custom installation trucks, and more than 100 service vans. [2]
Store Features
In May 2002 Abt opened a 358,000-square-foot Glenview store with attached warehouse. It is home to a 7,500-gallon saltwater fish tank. The 7,500-gallon salt-water fish aquarium is a magnet for visitors, especially children. At 20 feet long, 8 feet deep and 8 feet tall, the aquarium features an artificial coral reef and more than 100 brilliantly colored, exotic fish, including a moray eel, puffers, triggers and a 30-inch-long leopard shark. Besides the aquarium, other features have been built into the store to entertain and delight customers. These features include a vast central courtyard/atrium with a dancing fountain, a museum of antique appliances and a two-ton granite globe that floats in a thin stream of water so customers can rotate it easily with their hands. High on a wall behind the fountain, a series of plasma panels aligned like the blades of a windmill display changing video loops of artistic images as they rotate. Additionally, a gourmet shop off the atrium offers top-of-the-line kitchen accessories and classes ranging from cooking romantic dinners to honing kitchen knife skills.[3] Another main attraction is the Panasonic Professional Plasma 103-inch 1080p HDTV which currently ranks as the largest consumer television. [4]
Green Efforts
In 2006, the company decided to build the recycling center, which collects the company's used cardboard, plastic and plastic-foam packaging and prepares it to be sold for recycling. [5] The new center provides 14 dock doors for Abt’s fleet of nearly 150 biodiesel trucks to drop off recyclables. [6] The processes keep 150 loads of Styrofoam and 200 loads of cardboard from going to the landfill every year. Abt also recycles 20,000 wood pallets a week and plastic bags. Abt is also in the process of installing a solar windmill on the roof to help reduce energy at their store. [7]
Awards
Consumer Electronics Association - CE Hall of Fame Retailer – 2008
Hot 100 Best Retailers of the Year Internet Retailer - 2007
AudioVideo Magazine –Retailer of the Year Award – 2003, 2004, 2005, & 2006
BizRate Circle Of Excellence Award - Gold Honoree - Rated by millions of online customers – 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, & 2006
Excellence in Retailing Awards Best CE Appliance Dealer - 2006
Best Web Value Online Seller for Audio & DVD Players - 2005
Retailer of the Year Mobile Electronics Store Winner – 2003, 2004, 2005, & 2006
UIC Winner of Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame -2003
Illinois Family Business of the Year Loyola University - Family Business Center - 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996 (finalist)
Angie's List Super Service Award - 2001
Mobile Electronics Top 12 Installer of the Year Award MERA (Mobile Electronics Retailers Association) - 1999
National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics Better Business Bureau – 1998
References
- ^ http://www.hoovers.com/abt/--ID__106168--/free-co-profile.xhtml
- ^ http://www.abt.com/about/abtAbout.php3
- ^ http://www.abt.com/about/news/narda_0404.php3
- ^ http://www.abt.com/about/news/beep_060908.php3
- ^ http://www.abt.com/about/news/wsj_032408.php3
- ^ http://www.abt.com/about/news/cc_0508.php3
- ^ http://www.abt.com/about/news/glenview_010308.php3
- ^ http://www.abt.com/about/abtAboutAwards.php3