O.C. BUSINESS PLUS : At AirTouch, a New Reach to Latinos

In recognition of the growing size and buying power of the Latino market, AirTouch Cellular said it plans to open as many as 10 Southern California stores that will have bilingual displays and other features designed to appeal to Latino customers.

The first store, which has opened in Santa Ana, is staffed with bilingual salespeople, has displays in both English and Spanish and is brightened with purples, greens and other vibrant colors, a departure from the muted color scheme of other sites, said spokesman Andrew Colley.

“Our marketing research shows there’s a growing demand for wireless products within the Hispanic community,” Colley said.

The Santa Ana store also features wider aisles and a children’s play area, said Frank Villalobos, president of Barrio Planners, the Los Angeles architectural firm that helped with the design.

“Latinos take their whole family with them when they go shopping, including grandparents and kids,” he said. “They need room for baby carriages.”

With disposable income that reaches $62.5 billion annually, the 6.7 million Latinos in Southern California make up the largest portion of the the $301.1-billion U.S. Latino consumer market, said Dick Thomas, a senior vice president at Strategy Research Corp. in Miami. The Southland is now outpacing New York and Miami, he said.

“Marketers are recognizing the importance of the Hispanic market,” he said, and they realize that Latinos have money to spend on goods and services.

AirTouch, based in San Francisco, is one of several companies to target Latinos.

Wherehouse Music Inc. in Torrance, for example, has opened Tu Musica outlets that stock 10,000 to 12,000 Latin titles, said Stephen Rock, director of marketing. There are nine free-standing Tu Musica shops and 77 such Latin-themed outlets within bigger Wherehouse stores, he said.

Latin titles make up about 70% of the selection at Tu Musica stores, compared with about 4% at the typical Wherehouse.

The stores, which also feature huge posters of Latin recording artists, have been a hit, Rock said.

“We plan to open many more stores in the future,” he added.

Tailoring stores to the Latino market is no guarantee of success, however.

From 1987 to 1994, for instance, Vons had nine stand-alone Tianguis markets aimed at Latino shoppers. Though the stores were noted for their quality, all eventually closed. Industry analysts have speculated that the Tianguis chain faltered in part because of high prices.

AirTouch Cellular, a unit of Voda- fone AirTouch Group in Newbury, England, the world’s largest wireless communication firm, has 53 retail stores in California and 150 nationwide.