HTC who is believed to have the ‘Up For Sale’ sticker out has reported a 49% drop in revenue and a net loss of $345M loss.
David Richards
Toxic Relationship Between Dick Smith And Bankers Led To Collapse Administrators Set To Claim
A falling out between Dick Smith’s bankers and senior management at the mass retailer was fatal, an administrators report into the Companies collapse is set to report.
Sony Set To Close Online Store New Direct Sell Model To Be Rolled Out
Sony is set to close their current online store, no reasons has been given for the sudden announcement.
Pioneer Slammed By Channel Future Looks Grim
Pioneer Electronics has been slammed after they announced earlier today that they had done another flip flop in a desperate effort to cement themselves a position in the Australia display and sound market. After taking an each way bet between the specialist and mass channel the Company has now decided to concentrate on the specialist channel in an effort to deliver bottom line profits over revenue and losses. However the specialist channel may not support them.
Interviews done with the specialist channel by ChannelNews reveal that they are sceptical claiming “They don’t have the balls” to pull it off. Others have said “I will believe it when I see it”. “They are more interested in the mass market and have well and truly screwed the specialist channel in the past you only have to look at their web site to see this”.
During the next few months the Company claims that they will roll out an arsenal of new products including new plasma TV’s, a new generation of LCD TV’s made by Sharp as well as new home theatre kits, and high end sound systems all aimed at the specialist channel.
To facilitate the move newly appointed Pioneer Electronics Australia Managing Director Yasuo Sakuma has restructured his management team and is set to start rolling out new products however the specialist channel that Pioneer desperately need to support them do not trust Pioneer claiming that “Every year they change their mind in 2009 it will be back to the mass channel”.
Len Wallis of Len Wallis Audio in Sydney said “I don’t know whether they have the balls to pull this off, one minute they are in the specialist channel the next they are chasing mass retailers. They are constantly out of stock despite having excellent products”. He said.
He added “I have dealt with Pioneer for 30 years and they have constantly changed their loyalty. They very quickly drop their pants when the big boys call their bluff and say jump they jump”.
Adam Merlino a director at Pioneer specialist reseller Audio Connection in Sydney said “I will believe it when I see it. Their stock levels are always low and right now we have back orders for Pioneer plasma screens that they cannot fulfil”.
Peter Alexandrie of Audio Lifestyle in Melbourne who is also a specialist Pioneer dealer said “I don’t trust any of them. We set up nice show rooms, we spend hours of our own time going to training at Pioneer and they then go out and sell to the mass retailers who sell their product below our buy in price. The mass retailers know this and us as a benchmark so that they can sell under our plasma screen price”.
Another Sydney dealer who has dealt with Pioneer for 14 years said “It is all bullshit. They are in deep trouble and they now expect the specialist channel to bail them out. You only have to look at their web site where they have a preferred partner indicator. If you type in for example a 2000 code postcode the site spits out Pioneer partners within a 5klm radius. Not one of the top 10 is a specialist reseller it is all Bing Lee, Harvey Norman, JB Hi Fi and Domayne. There is your answer to what Pioneer think of the specialist channel”.
Mark Anning Marketing Manager for AV at Pioneer Electronics said “We have some bridges to mend. The past is the past we can only make decisions now and move forward from it” he said. “We are going to have face to face meetings with many of our partners in the specialist channel over the next few weeks” Anning also revealed that Pioneer will not have new plasma or LCD TV models until the end of the year and that during that period they will roll out new sound and home theatre systems.
ChannelNews has conducted an extensive interview with Pioneer this will appear during the next few days.
AS TIPPED: Kogan Snares Dick Smith + Move Brand Names, 1M Customer Database + Online Operations
As we exclusively tipped last month the Dick Smith and Move brand names along with all trademarks and online operations as well as the names and address of over 1M Dick Smith customers has been sold to online retailer Ruslan Kogan, several Companies sought to buy the package.
Clive Peeters Debt Balloons To Over $140M
LG Australia who in the last financial year only managed a profit of $13K from nearly a billion dollars turnover is facing the prospect of $25M exposure, after the collapse of retailer Clive Peeters with debts in excess of $150 million.
EXCLUSIVE: Telstra Management Report “Massive Failure” For Sony Xperia Z3
Up to 70% 0f Sony Xperia Z3 smartphones have failed when consumers have tried to reboot their smartphones after they have been activated at Telstra stores according to Telstra sources.
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Smart New Wireless Speakers To Be Launched By Cambridge
Cambridge Audio is set to launch a new AirPlay and Bluetooth-enabled speaker system in Australia called Minx Air.
The Cambridge Audio Minx Air 100 and 200 are set to be sold via specialist dealers in Australia. They allow a user to stream music from a smartphone or tablet.
The smaller Minx Air 100 model features two BMR (Balanced Mode Radiator) drivers, while the Minx Air 200 also adds a 6-inch subwoofer into the mix.
The speaker systems also have a Minx Air companion app, which allows users to access over 20,000 internet radio stations, as well as controlling volume and EQ settings.
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Built using Cambridge Audio’s patented BMR speaker technology, the Cambridge Audio Minx 200 features Digital Signal Processing capabilities that combine with the speaker to produce louder and fuller sounds than similar sized traditional speakers.
An on-board subwoofer offers enhanced bass tones and 200 Watts of sound power will bounce sound around any room despite the Cambridge Audio Minx 200’s compact design.
The compact speaker system connects to the majority of smart devices, including any Bluetooth enabled phone, tablet or computer. Utilising the Apple AirPlay technology, the Cambridge Audio Minx 200 will synch with desktop based iTunes libraries and to Apple devices like the Apple iPhone 5 or iPad mini.
Once set-up, any synched device will remain connected and play any audio application through the Cambridge Audio Minx 200 speaker system automatically. Music streamed from services such as the BBC iPlayer Radio, Spotify or YouTube can also play through the Cambridge Audio Minx 200 via any of the connected smart devices.
Dick Smith Stores Struggle As Takeover Claims Emerge
Dick Smith is facing the real possibility that several of their unprofitable stores will be closed down in the new year with several store managers claiming that foot traffic into their stores is extremely “slow”. We can also reveal that an Asian group is currently running a ruler over the struggling retail group.
Digital Conman Leaves Another Debt Trail As Third Business Goes Belly Up
He’s been described as a digital smartarse and conman, Jamie Silver, the founder and managing director of the Melbourne-based Dcodr Agency has done it again, gone broke leaving behind millions of dollars’ worth of debt.
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| Jamie Silver |







