BEST BUY TO OPEN IN W. HOLLYWOOD.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

WEST HOLLYWOOD - Best Buy has a hunger for hipsters.

The giant electronics store announced on Thursday that it will open a 45,000-square-foot flagship store in the new West Hollywood Gateway this summer. The big-box chain picked the spot in the mixed office and retail center at the corner of La Brea Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard for its proximity to the entertainment industry, reputation for trendsetting and appealing demographics. As part of a larger expansion that will add 24 new stores to its current list of 600 next year, the new flagship gives Best Buy a chance to showcase new concepts and products before they make it to regular shops.

``It will be dramatically different,'' said Ben Moore, the company's director of real estate. ``It's a blueprint on steroids, with everything (in a normal store) and more, a lab that'll be testing things you won't see in other stores.''

The chain has long tried to crack West Hollywood, eyeing locations since it first entered the Los Angeles marketplace 10 years ago. Though it has several nearby spots in Westwood, West LA and Culver City, Moore estimates there are 575,000 people in West Hollywood's small trade area who would shop at the store rather than drive elsewhere. With its large size - most Best Buys range between 30,000 square feet and 45,000 square feet - it will stock a wider, deeper variety of product than its neighboring stores.

``It's an attractive neighborhood,'' said Jim Ragan, a senior equity analyst with Los Angeles investment bank Crowell, Weedon & Co. ``Other stores have done well there, the income's good and it has a reputation of being the hub of the music industry.''

With one of the largest footprints in the chain, the new store will have bigger displays allowing shoppers to interact with merchandise and greater inventory. David Campbell, a retail analyst with Richmond, Va.-based brokerage Davenport & Co., foresees Best Buy using the flagship as a destination shopping experience, much like its high-end Magnolia Audio Video subsidiary. Though it's been successful with its past expansion, Campbell noted the chain has only a 13 percent nationwide market share in consumer electronics, offering ample room to grow.

``They use Magnolia to showcase newer technology, which gives them a good window to see what consumers are into,'' said Campbell, who owns shares in the company. ``They use that to bring things into a regular Best Buy, so they'll probably be doing some similar things in the flagship.''

The West Hollywood location will be specifically merchandised for its market, Moore said, allowing it to sell new products unavailable in regular locations. Rather than just rows of televisions and stereos, he said the store will be broken up into ``experience zones,'' giving shoppers a chance to play with the gadgets before making a purchase.

``It's no longer stack-it-high-and-let-it-fly,'' he said. ``We're taking it a step beyond. We want you to experience the home theater, the computer and the digital products.''

Brent Hopkins, [phone]

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com