Press Releases

Best Buy Buys Cellphone Company For Baby Boomers

Best Buy has purchased GreatCall, a cellphone company geared to older adults, for $800 million.
 
In the first purchase by the chain under its new CEO Hubert Joly, who took over in 2012, Best Buy is targeting older users rather than Millenials.  GreatCall has 900,000 subscribers for its easy to use phones that can connect to call centers if the user has a medical or other emergency.
 
By 2030, about a fifth of the country’s adults will be 65 or older and technology is expected to play a role in helping these individuals remain in their homes, said Best Buy.

Joly said in a statement, “Now, we have a great opportunity to serve the needs of these customers by combining GreatCall’s expertise with Best Buy’s unique merchandising, marketing, sales and services capabilities.”

Best Buy said it is specifically focused on addressing the growing needs of the aging population with the help of technology products, services and solutions. “The health space is a large, growing market where technology can help in particular address the needs of aging consumers, their caregivers, payers and providers. Today, there are approximately 50 million Americans over age 65, a number that is expected to increase by more than 50 percent within the next 20 years.” said a Best Buy statement.

GreatCall will maintain its San Diego headquarters, as well as its Care Centers in Carlsbad, California, and Reno, Nevada. David Inns, who has been with GreatCall since its formation in 2006, will remain as CEO.

Source: Best Buy via the Star Tribune

Ben

I am the owner of Cerebral-overload.com and the Verizon Wireless Reviewer for Techburgh.com. My love of gadgets came from his lack of a Nintendo Game Boy when he was a child . I vowed from that day on to get his hands on as many tech products as possible. My approach to a review is to make it informative for the technofile while still making it understandable to everyone. Ben is a new voice in the tech industry and is looking to make a mark wherever he goes. When not reviewing products, I is also a 911 Telecommunicator just outside of Pittsburgh PA. Twitter: @gizmoboaks

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button