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
Seanie_230:I think John Lewis in Milton Keynes used to sell B&o
John Lewis dealt in Beoplay but the products were too interesting . When I mentioned our Airplay issues at Bluewater John Lewis they said they'd sold one Beolit 12 and it was in the storeroom having been returned.
Beo Century ,Beoplay V1, Beocenter 6, Ex-Beolit 12, Beotime , A8. Beolit 15 , Form 2i , Beolab 2000, Beoplay A3.Beosound 1
StUrrock:Your key point seems to imply the franchise system in a B&O type of business doesn't work? The MacDonald thing does not stand comparison as, as far as I know, the MacDonald franchise requires NO after sales service (food poisoning aside ).
I have just noticed on the B&O Bath website that the store is reopening in Autumn with a brand new Concept showroom!
I knew bath would never go!
we tend to forget there is more to design than designing.
essence: I have just noticed on the B&O Bath website that the store is reopening in Autumn with a brand new Concept showroom!
Maybe I'm wrong, but I was told by someone relatively close to B&O UK that it's B&O opening this store!
Interesting times if correct.
Sad to see another store close - wonder if it still makes sense to have dedicated brand stores around. The bigger problem is that B&O has somewhat lost its brand cache, compared to the 1970s-1990s. The design is still great, but not as great as it used to be. The prices are in the stratosphere, but B&O has not done a great job in communicating the value. I use the 11-55 as an example - it is so much more than a TV and the sound is incredible. I literally saved thousands by not needing separate components. Same for the speakers with built in amps. I think of McIntosh here in the US as a great success story that has done a great job of maintaining a unique brand (and high prices), and continues to succeed. There is still a market out there for hi-fidelity outside of the TV's.
BV11-55, BS9000, BL1, BL19, Transmitter 1, Beo4, Beocom 6000, BeoTalk1 200, Sennheiser HD600, McIntosh MHA100
Just a quick update. Was told today that the new Bath concept store, from B&O, will be open from August! Only two months away.
B&O store Herning - Denmark
As nice as this is, it could look daft in the UK. I have seen the new store concept and expect Bath may have the internal fix up with wooden floors and fancy lighting. Very nice finish I would add.
essence: As nice as this is, it could look daft in the UK.
As nice as this is, it could look daft in the UK.
Not forgetting anything like that would need planning permission and in the notoriously old-fashioned Bath. large display signs are not allowed, never mind lights or anything neon.
The new store in Bath sounds great. Is it in the same shop or a larger one nearby? Most importantly, where do you stand, Moxxey, with the money you have paid? Does this mean you have a good chance of either a refund or the products? Fingers crossed!
clifft: The new store in Bath sounds great. Is it in the same shop or a larger one nearby? Most importantly, where do you stand, Moxxey, with the money you have paid? Does this mean you have a good chance of either a refund or the products? Fingers crossed!
Yes, it's all great on the money front. Came good and then some :)
Not sure if it will be the existing store. Wasn't a great location, but perhaps the new concept store can be more centrally located, perhaps down the bottom end of town, Southgate. I walked past the existing store yesterday and there's no work going on in there.
N
BeoBoy68: B&O store Herning - Denmark
Mark:what came first BeoLit 12 or Concept Store.....
TheOracle: Apparently the kitchen nonsense...
Apparently the kitchen nonsense...
To be fair, it was a kitchen showroom and design centre before a B&O showroom and it's not too bad. It's only an L-shape kitchen unit. Had many a glass of champagne and decent espresso courtesy of that small kitchen. And, like Audience down the road, all these locations are effectively a 'drop in' centre.
The reason the store failed was the change of location. You might want to bear that in mind. You don't get many passing visitors in that part of Bath. You have to go out of your way to go there. The new store was definitely wasn't a 'drop in centre'.
Just be careful you don't alienate your audience before you get in there. Very fine line between professionalism and arrogance!
The store in Herning is a complete new building.
Don't expect every new 'concept store' to be like that.
Some of the stores in (Denmark) are 'just' getting rebuilt in the old locations.
Nice atmosphere there - more of a compete experience, when you come in.
Some have the speakers wall with turning speakers, others with static speakers.
I guess they will be pretty individual, but after all much more 'of the same concept', than the stores were earlier.
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Very fine line between professionalism and arrogance!
Very well said Moxxie. Thats why the Apple stores are so inviting, young and vibrant no matter which city in the world you go in! Many B&O showrooms are stuffy in comparison. B&O Bath mustn't be over confident - the majority of people aren't stupid when it comes to huge amounts of money!
Richard:Very business minded though - it won't be a drop-in centre, which is probably why the old store failed - it'll be a business so expect to be sold to!
Richard:Good luck to them.
Richard:I think Play is about footfall, high-end sales much less so. My biggest AV purchases have been at business park or out of the way outlets that the tyre kickers won't go to but where I've gone specifically to get a proper demo and make a purchase. Even bigger-ticket sales have been make by people who've come out to me. A high footfall store could find itself inundated with headphone footfall and every B&O dealer I speak to hates Play from a business, if not product, perspective. It's about bringing people in. Events. I've always fancied Lab 5s but never found a dealer who can make them sound as good as I think they can (due to B&O sources and them thinking MP3 is okay - it isn't) so given my experience with the Cardiff B&O owners when they were doing Linn and Meridian then I'm hoping they'll be able to make the new flagship B&O speakers sing (if they can afford to stock them).
Location is essential if your business relies on passing trade, less so if it is a destination. B&O stores are very much destination stores. You also have to balance the rental required of a prime location, get it wromg and your rent and rates bill will negate your sales very quickly. A great number of flashy brand outlets in the centre of major cities are flagship stores i.e. they are brand owned and run at a loss in order to promote the brand to a wide audience of shoppers. No franchisee can operate a business on that basis. B&O stores need to be in a good secondary location rather than say Regent street or an industrial estate. Perhaps Bath was operating from the wrong location for the business model to work properly, apart also from the deepest recession in living memory which would not have helped over that past few years.
From a fellow linn klimax user I agree, and I also feed beolabs in bedroom with majik dsm.
""BeoPlay" type of client took time away from more lucrative bespoke installations.
That is just pure arrogance. Any dealer that thinks like that really does not deserve any sales. My God, that's disgusting. Pure revolting. Seriously, that's pure greed and arrogance like that is what has given BANG&OLUFSEN such a bad name that it's tried to concur with Play. Shame on any sales guy to think like that!
Thank God, some of our B&O sales reps here in the UK don't think like that. Sheffield are amazing and I get the red carpet treatment from the boys in Harrods just when I pop in to say hi!
Richard: I don't like Moment as the "mood wheel" is just nonsense. "Cool" but, and therefore, pointless. Does nothing for me.
I don't like Moment as the "mood wheel" is just nonsense. "Cool" but, and therefore, pointless. Does nothing for me.
The MoodWheel is not 'nonsense' and 'pointless' - it is just not the way you listen to music.
What do you mean by:
'Moment will come alive when it's the hub of the multiroom update.'
Paul W:" "BeoPlay" type of client took time away from more lucrative bespoke installations. That is just pure arrogance. Any dealer that thinks like that really does not deserve any sales. My God, that's disgusting. Pure revolting. Seriously, that's pure greed and arrogance like that is what has given BANG&OLUFSEN such a bad name that it's tried to concur with Play. Shame on any sales guy to think like that! Thank God, some of our B&O sales reps here in the UK don't think like that. Sheffield are amazing and I get the red carpet treatment from the boys in Harrods just when I pop in to say hi!
Business reality and greed is what has ruined this world in 2015 Richard. The chances are, that a young B&O PLAY customer has saved and saved for an extremely long amount of time for that first Play product and they deserve the same kind attention as the rich guy who is spending £20K out his 'spare' cash.
When I bought my first B&O - A Century, it took me over 1 year to save up enough money for it. When I opened the box, there was a note from the CEO saying 'I know how you feel' and he took the time to tell his customer about his first experience. I always remembered that. When I later bought a BV6 and there was no note or attention to detail, the magic kind of went away :)
But for the BeoPlay customer, maybe one day, just maybe, he may work into that showroom and order a BV11 with speakers for around his house.
My first MINI Cooper, I travelled 150 miles to buy it. Why? Because the salesman treat my friends and myself with kindness and respect when we were poor students with no money. Three years later, I'd saved enough to buy one with all of the options and I visited him and proudly told him that he deserved the sale and he got it! Kindness and genuine care is the ULTIMATE quality in sales people and it separates the excellent from the downright lousy!
Gotta agree w5bno123, Nick is brilliant!
Richard:Oh, Christ, get me out of here. This is every bit as bad as the Quad, Naim and Classic Car forums. Will never visit another forum. I have music to listen to and a wife to go to bed with. Nighty night.
propaganda: Location is essential if your business relies on passing trade, less so if it is a destination. B&O stores are very much destination stores.
Location is essential if your business relies on passing trade, less so if it is a destination. B&O stores are very much destination stores.
Yes, but Richard contradicted this by saying it won't be a "drop in centre". You can't have a destination store, spreading the lifestyle vibe, but try and avoid people coming in to experience this lifestyle.
As a B&O customer of 15 years, I disagree with the point about location. The store on Lansdown Road is in a very strange location. Just too easy not to go in. Also, the store hours were insane. Wasn't open on a Sunday or a Monday, only open until 5pm on a Saturday and never on an evening. When are retailers going to understand, if you want to create this 'destination', you need to work within the time limitations of your intended customer. Retailers would be far better opening at 10am and staying open until 7pm, as an example. We need to bring this retail culture to the UK.
Some of the things I read on this board are swaying me away from the brand. My lack of posts on this forum is a good indication of how I feel lately. This forum thread hasn't exactly encouraged me. The new Bath B&O store owner (from B&O Cardiff) contacted me today, but I've been buying from B&O Cheltenham recently. I think I'll stick with Cheltenham.
You get it all the time in the car industry, company car buyers coming in to the dealership on a Saturday wanting test drives etc then sourcing car elsewere.
The sales team are on commission with families and mortgages to pay,and this just takes a potential sale away from them on a busy Saturday spending a couple of hrs with someone who is never going to buy a car.
To Paul w, who says about the young play customers, who save and save, a long time to spend £150-400 on play items.
Thats nonsense, as that kind of customers seems to find that kind of money for £150 trainers or ps4/Xbox consoles latest iPhone etc.nights out aswell.
I have been in sales and business for years and I agree that you should never prejudge and treat everyone the same and with respect, but reality is, that doesn't pay the bills or make you money, that's why you have processes in place to prioritise customers,And reappoint if needed.
You can either volume sell like currys/PC world ford/Vauxhall. Or high price aspirational B&o rangerover etc.
I play a lot of golf, and I know many people who go for a custom fit session at a rep day spent hrs,then buy the clubs cheaper elsewhere, it happens in every retail sales environment.Play customers do the same.
butch1: You get it all the time in the car industry, company car buyers coming in to the dealership on a Saturday wanting test drives etc then sourcing car elsewere. The sales team are on commission with families and mortgages to pay,and this just takes a potential sale away from them on a busy Saturday spending a couple of hrs with someone who is never going to buy a car. To Paul w, who says about the young play customers, who save and save, a long time to spend £150-400 on play items. Thats nonsense, as that kind of customers seems to find that kind of money for £150 trainers or ps4/Xbox consoles latest iPhone etc.nights out aswell. I have been in sales and business for years and I agree that you should never prejudge and treat everyone the same and with respect, but reality is, that doesn't pay the bills or make you money, that's why you have processes in place to prioritise customers,And reappoint if needed. You can either volume sell like currys/PC world ford/Vauxhall. Or high price aspirational B&o rangerover etc. I play a lot of golf, and I know many people who go for a custom fit session at a rep day spent hrs,then buy the clubs cheaper elsewhere, it happens in every retail sales environment.Play customers do the same.
As a person who actually designs and delivers products for the car industry I presented yesterday to field sales managers to explain what we do in the design studio. I heard the speakers who proceeded me talking about their world and it struck me that they work on a monthly cycle whereas we spend months on development of things the sales staff know nothing about. They just spend their time saying how " the sales manger is in a good mood today" to customers to reach the months target. Whether it's a volume producer or in the case of friends recently buying a new Discovery. I do not get this feeling from my local B&O shop and I wish the projects I've been responsible for were sold by people who loved the product and had a longer sales objective than a month. The car dealers all come across as being the manufacturer themselves but as they've not actually had a hand in producing the product why should a customer believe they should shop around. If we had the marketing budget to spend on the product itself instead of the deals the cars would sell themselves. At least B&O is not something you feel you should have shopped around for longer after you get it home as you do with a car as the price is the same at all the dealers.