Headquarters: 2265 E. 220th St., Long Beach, CA 90810
Phone: 213-PIONEER or 800-526-0363
Fax: 310-952-2809
Website URL: www.pioneeranimation.com, www.tenchitv.com, www.kidsanimation.com
Business founded: Established as a subsidiary of Pioneer Electronics in 1994, converted from a limited partnership to a corporation in 2001.
Employees: 80+
Number of locations: Corporate office, 3 sales branches and 1 warehouse.
Consumer/Customer service contact:
Handled by The RightStuf, Inc.
Phone: 1-800-421-1621
Fax: 1-515-252-0555
First-time retailer contact:
Phone: 1-800-526-0363
First-time distributor contact:
Phone: 1-800-526-0363
Properties
The majority of Pioneer's products are based on licensed properties. The most notable properties include Akira, Pokemon (a joint venture with Viz), Tenchi Muyo, Sailor Moon, Cardcaptors, Dragonball Z, Ah! My Goddess, Fushigi Yugi, Trigun, Serial Experiments: Lain, and Armitage III. They have also licensed their properties primarily for merchandising and apparel to companies such as McFarlane Toys, Giant Merchandising, Palisades Toys and others.
Products
Popular Japanese anime programming made available on VHS and DVD formats (Akira, Pokemon, Tenchi Muyo, Sailor Moon, Cardcaptors, Dragonball Z, Ah! My Goddess, Fushigi Yugi, Trigun, Serial Experiments: Lain, and Armitage III). Products are sold through such channels as the specialty brick and mortar retailers, which include comic stores, video stores, toy stores, game stores and video game stores; and catalogue retailers and e-commerce retailers.
Becoming an account
Pioneer does not sell directly to consumers (all direct orders are handled by their fulfillment house, The RightStuff, Inc.). Retailers can purchase Pioneer products through most major hobby distributors such as Diamond Comic Distributors, Alliance Game Distributors, Georgia Music and FM International. Video distributors that carry pioneer products include Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Valley, and Alliance Music.
Retailers can order directly but must meet certain minimum criteria: $5,000 initial order, $50,000 wholesale order/year, a good credit history, and have a valid retail certificate. The standard credit terms are 1% net 10 and maximum credit terms are net 60.
Marketing
Consumer marketing: advertising in magazines, radio, and distributor catalogues. Conventions attended and a website is maintained. Trade marketing: advertising in trade magazines, online, and distributor catalogues. Trade shows attended, retailer mailings, and e-mails.
Products/orders
Orders are solicited in advance of manufacturing and the results are used to help gauge production quantities. Products are generally available for reorders.
Retailer sales
A straight discount structure is used for retailer sales (volume incentives are available that can lead to rebates and additional discounts). Co-op advertising is available for direct customers and through distributor programs. Returns are accepted for damages/mistakes and limited returns are available on a case-by-case basis. Sales are primarily to U.S. and Canada. Products are available to International accounts via various licenses.