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
Further to that john Lewis/ franchise dealer discussion, are B&O dealers now free to sell whatever they want in exchange for having online/ other store competition?
King Street are promoting Soundcast/ Outcast. So is Peter Tyson (but the latter has never been an exclusive B&O store).
Graham
vikinger:King Street are promoting Soundcast/ Outcast.
3 interesting products - but like bazookas, in the wrong hands they could be terrible - the picture of the two couples on a beach enjoying THEIR music filled me with dread
BeoNut since '75
elephant: vikinger:King Street are promoting Soundcast/ Outcast. 3 interesting products - but like bazookas, in the wrong hands they could be terrible - the picture of the two couples on a beach enjoying THEIR music filled me with dread
I completely understand!
Soundcast
B&O dealers have always been permitted by Denmark to supply non-competing products that will add something to the customers system that B&O don't offer 'in-house'. For exampe, the many items the PUC system will operate, such as the various STB's for subscription TV, BluRay players, video servers etc etc.
Even before PUC, there was always the need to fill in gaps in the offering, so here in the North West there have been various stores that have offered, over the years, products from suppliers such as Panasonic, Sonos, QED, Speakercraft, B&W, adastra, Vivanco etc etc.
There have also been various guidelines from Denmark about what could be shown on the shop floor - different 'rules' have applied at various times for solus shop and shop-in-shops, and also as there have been changes in emphasis/personnel by B&O UK.
What is different nowadays, as digital streaming for audio and video is developing, is when a product previously not offered by Denmark becomes available ( BS8 for example) and there have been debates about when products do or don't clash (sonos v BS5 for example) .
The soundcast is interesting, as it could well be seen as a cheaper option to a Beolit 12 - but they are not waterproof, so the soundcast has a use that B&O don't offer.
Back in the day, I was an advocate for sonos with various Beolabs as a great link system - and whilst it was frowned on, I was never actually stopped from doing so, and supplied & installed dozens of systems using this. Beolab 4000's worked brilliantly as link speakers with sonos kit. Visually 100% B&O on display, but controlled via the nifty sonos remotes or an i-thing.
Perhaps more interesting is when a B&O dealer also operates a separate A/V business in tandem - maybe offering multi-brand home cinema or multiroom kit via a non B&O sales operation, or (in at least one case) also running a Loewe shop. In these cases, as with outlets like J Lewis, Harrods, kendals etc etc, I have a concern that there is always the underlying questions about where the reasoning for the 'advice' received is coming from - best for the customer, or to the brand with the best margin for the dealer ?
Words of wisdom!
Thank You :-)