Hello J-Lo! Jenny From The Block Opens Cell Phone Chain
NEW YORK (AP) — "Jenny from the Block" wants the block to buy Verizon phones from her.
Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez says she's opening a chain of 15 cellphone stores and a website under the Viva Movil brand. The aim is to sell Verizon phones and services to Latinos.
The first store will open in New York on June 15. Stores are reportedly set to follow in Miami and Los Angeles.
Lopez says the stores will have bilingual staff and provide a "culturally relevant shopping experience."
Viva Movil will be an authorized Verizon reseller, with the same prices and plans as regular Verizon stores.
Marketing cellphone service specifically to Latinos has not been a winning formula so far in the U.S. One company targeting Spanish speakers, Movida Communications, raised $40 million in 2007 and filed for bankruptcy the following year.
Lopez announced plans for her new business venture Wednesday at a press conference in Las Vegas.
