ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hello All
For those who don't know me personally, my name is Nick Dale.
It is with great sorrow I have to annunce that the showroom in Liverppol will cease trading on Wednesday 30th September.
The store was opened in 2002 by Nigel Sherlock and his empire grew to take on the existing stores in Bramhall & Macclesfield before opening a four storey showroom on Deansgate in Manchester.
At that time I was managing the King Street showroom in Manchester, a franchise owned and operated by Plumbs. In 2007 Plumbs went into adminsitration and I was made redundant. The following day Nigel invited me to join him to manage the Liverpool store.
I have been based here since. A couple of years later Nigel had to relinquish control and Bang & Olufsen UK took over the running of the showroom.
Times have been challenging in recent years. Each new senior manager has had his own ideas on how to move forward with the company owned stores. The idea was floated to convert the Liverpool showroom into Bang & Olufsen's first official "Outlet". During this period we successfully moved through a great deal of end of line and ex display stock.
At the end of 2014 we were advised that the store may close however that decision was then reveresed. We were told that we would revert back to a premium showroom. We completed a major "re-zoning" of the interior to accomodate all of the brand new products and store elements.
The signs were promising that we could make a success of this new life of the showroom. Sadly our efforts have proved to be not enough for those higher up the chain.
Maybe I will surface somewhere else in another Bang & Olufsen store, maybe this will bring to an end my 30 year association with the brand I have come to love.
I will let you know where I end up and will continue to offer help whenever I can.
Regards
Opman
Nick Dale
Im sure it is a bitter pill to swallow, especially for the loyal customers you had. I wish you all the luck.
"Believe nothing you read and only half of what you see, let your ears tell you the truth."
Nick,
Really sorry to have that confirmation of the Liverpool store closure.
You and Lee have provided great personal service: I hope that B&O can re-emerge in the Liverpool area again at some time in the future, hopefully with you at the helm again.
Graham
we tend to forget there is more to design than designing.
Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.
It's a sad state of affairs Nick and I wish you well. Looks like another long motorway trip for Matt and Lee from Lifestyle AV! Wilmslow are going through a major change at the moment so I hope they can make it work. Mind you, with the catchment of Wilmslow, Knutsford and Alderley Edge, if they can't nobody can!
Again, it seems that B&O have let down yet another outlet. Allowing them to upgrade, modernise - probably at their own expense only to pull the plug after messing them around - will it close, won't it close?. As someone else said recently, 'who'd want to risk being a franchise holder'?.
Dave.
Best of luck in your next endeavor.
Best of Luck Nick and I wish you well in whatever you do next! Also I have enjoyed reading your very helpful tips and hints on things on the forum!
I remember Liverpool Castle Street itself (not the B&O store!) from my early youth. I guess that as areas change so the shops change.... it's all part of the changing living and business cycle.
Castle Street was once firmly in the business area of Liverpool, full of banks including the Bank of England, and teaming with Insurance and shipping line office staff. A few shops in the area were geared to servicing the wealthy businessman for his weekend relaxation... I can recall at least two gunsmiths and fishing tackle shops.
Now many banks, insurance offices and shipping company premises have been converted to apartments and hotels, so the lunchtime footfall from business staff has fallen away dramatically.
B&O Liverpool is right on the boundary of the old business district, and just outside the new retail area of Liverpool One. It's just outside the main walking route from James Street Station to Liverpool One.
So what am I saying? I think that the B&O staff have done a brilliant job to keep this expensive yet less than ideal store location going for so many years! The location might have looked right for the original franchisee 15 or 20 years ago, and it might have done well from the office to apartment or hotel conversions. However, what it needs right now is not closure, but a move into the Liverpool One retail zone!
Removed from the B&O store locator this morning.
It's a tragedy that B&O has decided that this store should close; it was in a really lovely building, and the store layout itself was excellent and very welcoming after the recent refurbishment. Given that we are beginning to see some signs of economic recovery here in the North West of England, one would have thought B&O might have given this store more of a chance.
Of course, the best thing about B&O Liverpool was the superb service and deep product knowledge of the staff - especially Nick, who definitely went above and beyond in his efforts to bring me back into the B&O fold after many years away. I was very much looking forward to this becoming my local store until Nick told me the sad news earlier this month.
I'd like to wish all of the staff well, and hope they find some security and happiness in whatever they do next.
https
Someone had a sense of humour in this mess!
vikinger: https Someone had a sense of humour in this mess!
Picture on the Liverpool B&O facebook page.........picture page link does not work for some reason.
https://www.facebook.com/bangolufsenliverpool
vikinger: Someone had a sense of humour in this mess!
Guilty as charged ;-)
Sad day today as I left the store for the last time. Sign was taken down yesterday and the store is now an empty shell.
Strange that the showroom is no longer on the Bang & Olufsen store locator but the store web page is still on line.
Sad day today.
Nick, sorry to hear of the loss of your job and the closure of the store.
I hope things work out for you in what ever you do next for work. I recently lost my job and after a few weeks of applying for jobs I am now in the position of trying to work out which one of the 4 jobs I have been offered would suit me best, so there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
I managed to copy the store website customer feedback front page before it was removed.
I hope B&O HQ read this thread and appreciate what a mistake they have made regarding this store and the staff. How about reopening it in Liverpool One?
........
Graham - Wirral
The staff were very friendly. We communicated by email, they answered all my questions quickly and in detail, and they were helpful in providing details, and also in explaining some useful things on iTunes etc... which would help with the product, though not directly related to the product. The service from the staff was one key element in my decision to buy the product.
Phil - Liverpool
Nick and Lee are among my favourite staff in any retail store ever. Friendly, and very sharp, they are both extremely friendly and very capable technically - addressing questions from delivery to UPnP and DLNA with my BeoPlay loudspeakers. They are very nice guys and have done some real wonders with the store. Despite moving to London I still do all my dealings with B&O through Nick and Lee. Couldn't recommend them any higher.
Henry - London
We are thrilled to bits with this amazing product (BeoPlay A9). We would like to pass on thanks for all your help and great service.
Dave - Blackpool
Hi Nick! Just to say a big thank you with all your help and advice for the B&O docking station. It has pride of place and works perfectly! Thank you!
Phillippa - London
Lee Robinson re-joined the team at Liverpool in July 2008 year after a short spell out of the industry. Lee has worked in electrical retail for many years and gained invaluable experience with Plumbs, working in Southport, Wigan and Warrington. Lee tried his hand working in the motor industry for a while but the lure of coming back to Bang & Olufsen was too great for him to resist. An avid biker, Lee loves to ride his Ducati all over the North West and his ambition is to ride coast to coast across America. Lee is also a keen camper and likes to explore the country for sites with great views.
Nick Dale has been selling Bang & Olufsen for nearly 30 years. His passion for the designer brand grows with each passing year. Having been introduced to Bang & Olufsen when he joined Plumbs in 1985, Nick has accumulated a wealth of experience. Originally based in Plumbs Warrington showroom, Nick moved to Altrincham, St.Helens, Southport, and Wigan and then opened the King Street franchise in Manchester city centre. When Plumbs ceased trading, Nick moved down the M62 to Liverpool and has been based here since January 2007. Nick is very service driven and goes to great lengths to ensure that all customers’ expectations are met. He is very proud of the Liverpool showroom and strives to ensure that it is always in tip top condition. In January 2014 Nick was part of a 16 strong team that visited Tanzania to trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. They were raising funds for a children's organisation called Compassion. In his spare time Nick is heavily involved in the youth work at Sutton Village Church in St.Helens. He is also a keen astronomer and learning to play the guitar.
Macs Crane joined the team in April 2015 to oversee the marketing aspects of the store. After seven years studying and working in Architecture & Design he is excited to be joining the team in Liverpool on a part time basis. Macs first fell in love with Bang & Olufsen at the tender age of 14, and eleven years on his passion for the brand is still growing and evolving with the company. Macs is an avid foodie and if he isn’t at home cooking and baking for his friends, he is out sampling food at up and coming independent restaurants, predominantly in Liverpool. Macs enjoys walking and cycling whenever possible to keep fit and healthy, both physically and mentally. His favourite thing to do when walking around Liverpool City Centre is to look up. Maybe you should try it some time? You may be surprised at what you see!
Very sad. I bought two pairs of A8 earphones from them. I think way back in 2007, Nick told me that my BV6 was a 22" not a 23" as i'd originally thought when looked at a red BC6.
I had an apartment for many years on Albert Dock at had a great time at first but by 2004-5, I witnessed a great surge of professionals leaving the city. I still think the the city was at its strongest around 99-2000. I worked for a radio station there and I certainly felt the recession hit hard around 2007-8. I've not returned to the city since and never will as that recession made it go from a dream city to absolute hell on earth. It's not something that I like to talk about.
Paul W: Very sad. I bought two pairs of A8 earphones from them. I think way back in 2007, Nick told me that my BV6 was a 22" not a 23" as i'd originally thought when looked at a red BC6. I had an apartment for many years on Albert Dock at had a great time at first but by 2004-5, I witnessed a great surge of professionals leaving the city. I still think the the city was at its strongest around 99-2000. I worked for a radio station there and I certainly felt the recession hit hard around 2007-8. I've not returned to the city since and never will as that recession made it go from a dream city to absolute hell on earth. It's not something that I like to talk about.
An apartment on Albert Dock? You must have been in a good job Paul!
Strangely enough Liverpool completely bucked the recession so you obviously had an unusual experience.
Liverpool One. This is where B&O need a shop!
There's even a shop to cater for you Paul!
Albert Dock in the background.
Hello BeoWorlders
Firstly I would like to say a huge thank you to the many people who have contacted me both personally and via this forum to pass on their thanks for my contributions here and best wishes for the future.
It is certainly true that when one door closes, another opens. In this case the door closing in Liverpool has prompted a massive door in Wilmslow to open. I am delighted to let you know that I will be joining Stephen and the team on Monday at the new showroom on Alderley Road in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
For the last few months the showroom has been trading from a temporary site whilst the new premises have been fitted out with the very latest store elements. It is very exciting for me personally to be able to continue my association with this fantastic brand.
I look forward to being able to continue to offer advice and guidance where I can on this forum and also welcome any of you who may be in the area to pop in for a chat and a look round.
Onward & upwards
(Nick)
Congratulations Nick on your new job, enjoy
Toby
That's great news Nick - not too far away, so I'll pop in when I'm ready to buy my Avant 75... or anything else B&O for that matter!
Good luck on your new start.
J
Great news Nick!
great news nick !..
really pleased for you..