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WOODLAND HILLS, CALIF. In the last year, Akai Product Holdings has made significant inroads into mass merchant, big-box consumer electronics chains and assorted regional electronics accounts with lines of CRT rear-projection, CRT direct-view, LCD direct-view and plasma display monitors.
Gary Lafferty, Akai's chief operating officer and Philips' veteran, said the company's midtier strategy has helped it double revenue in the last year and expand its dealer base from a handful of players to approximately 30 dealers covering some 1,500 retail storefronts for projection TV/microdisplay products.
For plasma display panels, Akai has added 29 retailers and nearly 900 stores, while also expanding its SKU count.
Lafferty said Akai's LCD and DLP products also "show great promise and potential."
The company continues to try to expand distribution to assisted sales floors while building on its warehouse club business.
Today, Akai lists Circuit City and Costco as key accounts, and will look to expand its dealer ranks at CES in January using a product line that is positioned for high value and...