On Friday, 31 October 2008, South Africa’s first Sony Centre opened its doors in Menlyn Shopping Centre in Pretoria, presenting the complete range of Sony’s world-renowned products in an interactive hands-on environment with a team of specialist staff that understands and can convey to consumers every new technology, feature and benefit of each and every product. Consumers are also able to touch, feel and hear products on the shop floor.

The Sony Centre covers 200 square metres and is located at Entrance 8 (shop G78). Sony’s widest and latest range of products available at the Sony Centre include home entertainment, mobile entertainment, camcorder and cameras, LCD televisions, computers, in-car entertainment, plus the latest offerings from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (responsible for producing a wide range of box-office hits on an international scale), Sony Music Entertainment (responsible for producing music by both local and international artists), Sony PlayStation3® (the world’s most advanced entertainment system) and Sony Ericsson (responsible for producing one of the largest ranges of stylish and feature-packed cell phones in the world).

There are currently more than 2000 Sony Centres worldwide. The shop in Menlyn will be the first Sony Centre to be opened in Africa. The next Sony Centre will open in Gabarone, Botswana in November. The second Sony Centre in Gauteng will be open before Christmas. The third Sony Centre in Gauteng will open in March or April 2009, followed by a number of other stores across the country.