CarMax Educates Consumers on Buying/Maintaining Their Cars
23 June 1998
CarMax Changing The Way Consumers Buy Cars Company Provides 220 Jobs At New Schaumburg Location; Educates Consumers on Buying/Maintaining Their Cars RICHMOND, Va., June 22 -- CarMax(R), the pioneer of the used-
car superstore concept, will extend its "stress-free" car-buying experience to
another Chicago suburb with the grand opening of its Schaumburg superstore
June 29.
CarMax announced today a schedule of Grand Opening activities to welcome
Schaumburg and northwest suburban shoppers to its new store, located at 250
East Golf Road. Among the many events planned is a sneak preview that
includes a country and western barbecue Saturday, June 27 from 12 noon to
4 p.m. Consumers are encouraged to attend this preview and enjoy food, games
and family fun and witness for themselves CarMax's revolutionary car-buying
experience. In addition, a series of special events begins June 29 and
includes everything from consumer education seminars on "How to Buy a Used
Car" to youth soccer clinics hosted in partnership with the Chicago Fire.
"CarMax looks forward to becoming part of the Schaumburg area and
Chicago's northwest suburbs," said W. Austin Ligon, president of CarMax. "We
feel these events will help introduce the community to CarMax's consumer-
friendly car-buying experience." CarMax will employ approximately 220 people
at the 23-acre, 80,000-square-foot Schaumburg sales and service facility, and
this store will be one of the largest CarMax locations serving Chicagoland.
"We are pleased that CarMax has chosen Schaumburg as one of its premier
locations," said Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson. "We wish them much success and
look forward to them doing business on Golf Road and thriving in our
community."
Used-car sales total about $300 billion a year -- as big a business as new
cars. Consumers buy three times as many used cars as new cars annually.
CarMax has been revolutionizing the way consumers buy cars since opening its
first store in 1993. CarMax locations offer hundreds of top-quality used cars
and trucks; low, no-haggle prices; quality guarantees; customer-friendly
service throughout the buying experience; and convenient, quality repair
service. The company began development of the auto superstore concept in 1991
and opened the first store of its kind in Richmond, Va. The company expects
to operate approximately 27 locations by the end of its current fiscal year
and to add another 10 stores next year.
The Schaumburg location has capacity for more than 600 used vehicles,
including light and full-size trucks; sport-utility vehicles; minivans; sub-
compact, compact and luxury cars. Store hours are Monday through Friday,
11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Service hours are Monday
through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The Schaumburg location is the fourth CarMax store to open in the
Chicagoland area and the 22nd to open in the country. CarMax entered the
Chicago market in late February with the opening of its Naperville store. The
second store, in Tinley Park, opened in April, and a third location in
Hillside began operations in May.
"The Schaumburg location gives more Chicagoland consumers convenient
access to CarMax's distinctly different consumer offer," said Ligon.
CarMax is a subsidiary of Circuit City Stores, Inc., the nation's leading
retailer of brand-name consumer electronics and major appliances and a leading
retailer of personal computers and music software. With headquarters in
Richmond, Va., Circuit City operates 22 CarMax Auto Superstores, including the
Schaumburg location; 505 Circuit City Superstores; four consumer electronics-
only stores; and 52 mall-based Circuit City Express stores. The company's
CarMax Group common stock trades under the symbol . Additional
CarMax information is available at http://www.carmax.com. The Circuit City
Group common stock trades under the symbol . Additional Circuit
City information is available at http://www.circuitcity.com.
CarMax
Schaumburg Grand Opening Schedule of Events
Pre-Opening Activities...Week of June 22, 1998
June 27, 1998
* Community sneak preview "CarMax Country barbecue"
- Food and entertainment available (12 p.m. - 3 p.m.)
- Snacks (12 p.m. - 4 p.m.)
* Children's activities...
- Clown
Grand Opening...Week of June 29, 1998
June 29, 1998
* Grand Opening Activities
* Coffee available (10 a.m. - 1 p.m.)
* Breakfast available (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.)
* Soccer clinic for the kids, hosted in partnership with the Chicago Fire
(3 p.m. - 5 p.m.)
Wednesday, July 1, 1998
* CarMax Consumer Series, (1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.)
Topic: How to buy a used car
Saturday, July 4, 1998
* Fourth of July Celebration
* Holiday Cookout available (12 p.m. - 2 p.m.)
* Holiday snacks available (12 p.m. - 4 p.m.)
* Entries accepted for the CarMax/Chicago Fire MLS All Star Weekend
Sweepstakes
* General children's activities
- Clown
- Tattoos
