The company's primary store format is its "large box" retail store of 17,000 sf, about 135 of which the Guitar Center operates today, Albertson told the crowd. Although Albertson talked of the potential for a total of "about 160" of those large box stores, he noted that "In Chicago about two weeks ago, we opened three more stores on one night to see if we could get greater saturation out of large cities, and if that proves successful, we will see many more opportunities for large boxes in the US."

The second-largest format is the company's 10,000-sf store, which is designed for cities with populations of from 250,000 to 900,000. The Guitar Center operates 46 of these today and believes there are opportunities to expand to 160 locations.

The third format is the 5,000-sf store, two of which are in operation, with another scheduled to open this year. If the new format succeeds, the chain sees the potential for 90 to 100 of the 5,000-sf stores, Albertson said.