The new store - Rapallo

We have a secret

Written by Published | Rapallo AV Team

We have a secret. 

When Rapallo moved to our Polaris Place location a few years ago, it was a first step in the transition from being an online store towards becoming a hybrid shop. We added a demo room and started inviting customers to come and see us, check out AV products,  and engage in a conversation about what we can do to help them achieve their AV goals. 

Rapallo kept growing. Deano came along, Ben followed suit, our design and installation services significantly increased in demand and we started looking at home automation as part of the solutions that we can offer our clients. Traditionally a home theatre store, with audiophile Deano on board, we also started catering for the serious music and vinyl lover.

And still Rapallo kept growing. To the point that we now have seriously outgrown our Polaris Place offices. We needed a location that is more accessible to our clients, we needed a proper show room and a better demo room. We were dreaming of  a full-fledged physical shop with all the bells and whistles on top of our online shop. One that is a spacious and pleasant environment for our customers to check out their future gear (obviously without going overboard on marble floors. Let’s be clear on that).

And so we went on a quest. Location? South-Southeast Auckland with easy access from the main arterial routes and motorway. Easy parking. And with all the requirements we mentioned above: better demo room, more show room, a pleasant environment to meet and greet our customers.

So did we find what we were looking for? We’re pleased to say that absolutely, we did!

As we speak, we are in the process of pre-wiring our home theatre demo room, installing air conditioning and security systems. We are on the hunt for furniture, painting is in process, signage is under way. One of our suppliers mentioned that Rapallo will be the largest dedicated AV shop in Auckland. Let’s just keep it at ‘we want to be the BEST dedicated AV store’ and we’ll go out of our way to do just that.

But what will it look like? And where will you find us? For these answers you will have to wait just a little bit longer. What we can let you in on is that mid-June is a big date in our diary.

We are really, really excited to keep improving on your experience as a customer and we think that these new premises will be ticking all the right boxes.

So will there be a change in brands we represent? While we were plotting our big move, there has also been some significant reshuffle in distribution of some of the major AV brands happening in both New Zealand and Australia. Some of it is still in the process. Some of it was expected, some was a bit of a surprise. But all is good.

At this stage, there will be no massive changes in what we have on offer. But you know us; always on the look for improvement.

The thing to take from it for our customers is that, in all we do, we have you on our mind. Our aim is to provide you with the best possible product options at the best possible price with the best possible service. And with that, we’re off again to pick up the paint brush to have a go on that wall in ‘Rapallo blue’.