Sony of Canada Ltd., Canada's leading electronic and computer products solutions provider for consumers and business, announced it has opened a new and unique Sony store today in the Smart Centres Leaside Court Centre shopping complex - a power centre concept store devoted to providing its customers with the latest home entertainment and Information Technology solutions.

To help kick-off the latest Toronto location in style, all visitors to the Smart Centres Leaside Court Centre tomorrow (Saturday May 27) between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. will have the opportunity to get their photograph taken free-of-charge with the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup trophy as well as with CFL coaching legend Leo Cahill and the Molson cheerleaders. Radio Station Q107 will also be live onsite, sharing information about the latest Sony products and services with listeners and interviewing local celebrities.

Finally, this is the final weekend that visitors to the new store will be able to experience the Sony store's movie-themed event, "Uncover The Code At the Sony store." Based on Sony Picture Entertainment's theatrical release, The DaVinci Code, consumers will be encouraged to uncover the code through the use of ultraviolet lights to receive a scratch-and-win voucher, affording them an opportunity to win various prizes, including one of 100 copies of the best-selling novel, The DaVinci Code, by author Dan Brown; and one of 200 pairs of tickets to what is sure to be the hottest movie in town, The DaVinci Code. And, all who participate are encouraged to become members of Pulse, the Sony store rewards program, for a chance to win a trip for two to Paris, which includes a prize pack of great Sony consumer electronics products.

Using soft colour tones, contemporary materials and impressive graphics, the latest Sony store offers consumers an interactive shopping experience in a warm and comfortable environment. For example, visitors to the newest of more than 75 Sony stores across Canada will find a home theatre section, rather than one area devoted to Sony's market share-leading Grand WEGA or BRAVIA televisions and another focused solely on its market share-leading DVD Dream Systems. Similarly, customers can browse through a digital camera solutions area, rather than having to visit one area devoted to Sony's style-leading Cyber-shot digital cameras and another built around the Company's innovation-leading photo printers.

"With the advent of High-Definition television technology and a growing desire by Canadians to have a cinema-like experience in their homes, Sony is the clear leader, providing them with a one-stop, total entertainment solution experience at the Sony store," said Barry Crystal, Vice President, Retail Division, Sony of Canada Ltd. "Customers no longer have to figure out for themselves how to put together a home entertainment solution or a home digital photo studio, for example. At the Sony store, we show them how it all fits together - and how we can put it together for them, if that's what they want."

The 4,700-square foot Sony store is located at Smart Centres Leaside Court Centre, 65 Wickstead Avenue (south of Eglinton Avenue East and Laird Drive). The telephone number is (416) 645-3250. The store manager is Ron Aitken.

About the Sony store

The Sony store (Maison Sony in Quebec) is a unique national chain of home entertainment stores owned and operated by Sony of Canada Ltd. Currently, with more than 75 stores across Canada fully dedicated to the Sony brand, the Sony store is the consumer's window to the world of Sony innovation. The Sony stores feature a broad selection of Sony products including Cyber-shot(R) digital cameras; Handycam(R) camcorders; VAIO(R) PCs; WEGA(TM) and BRAVIA(TM) televisions; PlayStation(R) entertainment consoles and software; and Walkman(R) portable audio products.

About Sony of Canada Ltd.

Established in 1955, Sony of Canada Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, a world leader in the manufacture and marketing of electronic and computer products for consumer, business, electronics publishing and multimedia applications on a global scale. With headquarters in Toronto, sales offices in Vancouver and Montreal and distribution centres in Coquitlam, British Columbia, and Whitby, Ontario, approximately 1,000 employees support 77 Sony stores and a network of more than 500 authorized dealers across Canada.

For further information: please visit us at www.sony.ca, www.thesonystore.ca, www.sonybiz.ca or www.sonystyle.ca, Sony's product information and e-commerce Web site, or contact: John B. Challinor II APR, General Manager, Advertising, & Corporate Communications, Sony of Canada Ltd., (416) 495-3740, john_challinor@sony.ca; Sarah Hatfield, Account Coordinator, Technology Practice, Silverhammer Public Relations, (416) 324-2024, Ext. 7, sarah_hatfield@silver-hammer.com

Source: newswire