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
There have been multiple comments in other threads from US members about the lack of B&O stores, and their dwindling numbers. Stores even in large bustling major metro areas are closing.
What are your thoughts about the future B&O in the US? Is the US even a major player for the brand?
What can B&O do to improve their standing in the US?
Any other thoughts?
Hi Sal,
I'm thinking that surely the more cars that have BANG&OLUFSEN speaker systems in them in the USA will be a great thing to raise awareness for the brand at home! I was watching an American dealership on YouTube promoting the Audi A3 Sedan S Line that I own and the salesman was talking about the BANG&OLUFSEN 14 speaker system in it.
Having the BANG&OLUFSEN name on a £500 really cheaply made HP laptop which i saw advertised on a Curry advert on the TV last week was a definite shock for me and really downed B&Os image.
So basically, to improve B&O's standing in the US, get top quality speaker systems in the cars, just like BOSE were doing 15 years ago. I have every faith in Harmon looking after the B&O car side having had some amazing sounding Harmon systems in BMW's and MINI's over the years!
Five of the US stores that "closed" were a group of stores that moved into home automation.
http://www.elevatihome.com/
Beolab 28s Beolab 9s Beolab 12-3s Beolab 1s Beolab 6000s 2 pairs Beolab 4000s Beovision 7-55 Beovision 10-40 Beoplay V1 32 inch Beovision Avant 32 inch Beosound 1 (CD player) Beosound 3000 Beosound 5 Core Essence MKII Beoplay M5
When the Chicago store "closed", I received an email from B and O directing me to a new store in the Chicago area.
http://www.sounddesigninc.com/
If I am reading the B&O store locator correctly, there are only 22 stores in the US. Two by me closed recently, Bethesda MD and Washington DC. That doesn't look like a good sign. When I was a kid (in the 60's) the neighborhood hi-fi store sold Bang & Olufsen as well as many other brands. I know the desire was to have sales people focus on Bang & Olufsen equipment instead of directing customers away to other brands, but maybe it's not a bad thing to have more stores like Abt. When I've called them they've been very enthusiastic and helpful of Bang & Olufsen equipment. I sure would love more options!
I personally know one dealer who's recently shuttered their doors, but is still listed in the active dealers list I believe, so the numbers may be even worse than 22. B&O has never had the market penetration in the US they do in Europe or the UK. The whole concept of solely B&O stores vs. selling at other stores as well is one where there's not a good answer I think, a lot depends on the store. For example, when I lived in Florida there was a highish end place that sold B&O as well as McIntosh, Pioneer Kuro, and a number of other high end brands, and their specialty was custom installs and theater rooms. Located in the wealthier part of town. They did a very good job selling B&O and demoing it well.
Eventually they dropped it when B&O went with selling thru a Florida electronics chain called Sound Advice, now defunct. I may have had a hand in accelerating their move to single brand stores...when I was buying my BS9000/BL8000 combo, I contacted B&O often about how poorly Sound Advice was doing with their products. First, they kept them out on the floor in a wall display, next to the boom boxes and TVs. It was so noisy out there you couldn't tell what anything sounded like, and every snot nosed kid or idiot adult who wandered by kept pawing the gear, so it was all covered in fingerprints and smears, and a lot of it didn't work, glass doors hanging askew or jammed, etc. A horrible way to try and sell such a product. I kept complaining about how badly the experience was and how poorly they worked to get me what I wanted, and the rep wound up giving me a fair number of B&O swag items to try and pacify me, which is how I got my bottle opener, tape measure, and complete set of the BS9000 custom CDs.
And from what I've seen with the dealers I have known B&O doesn't exactly treat their dealers that well. We've discussed the mandatory expenses for Play displays and such and then discounting the product thru mail order or other retail outlets, etc. I personally would not want to be a dealer now, as much as I love the brand.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
Hi Paul,
My new BMW has B&O music system that beats the hell out of the top of the range Meridian system that my Jag had.
We could do with more exposure with car manufacturers, although most car dealers at a local level are reluctant to work with B&O dealers - would really like to have a local Aston Martin dealer to work with!
I am working with my local Audi dealer next weekend for the launch of the new A4, giving away an A2 in a prize draw etc.
cheers,
Nick
Hi Sheffield :)
WOW that's incredible and thats saying a lot isn't it as Meridian have produced some beautiful sound systems.
Have a look at the A3 S Line Saloon which I have when you're there. It's very beautiful from all angles :) Mine's the Misano Red and it's gorgeous :) And 52mpg from a petrol engine! i'm really starting to like AUDI now. It's grown on me :) The A4 looks nice but it's gone a bit middle aged over the years compared to the new 3 series. I like the Audi A3 Sportback too for when I start a family :)
The Houston, Texas store appears to be thriving. It's in a swanky little center with nice restaurants, boutiques, and bar. I agree that the letters B&O should never appear on a cheap HP laptop. Makes you wonder what on earth they were thinking...
As a Bay Area native and now happily employed with B&O, I think the HP alliance is great. Mr. Hewlett and David Packard are great gentlemen and have been positive contributors to this special part of the world for decades: www.packard.org
The Rose Golden-themed Spectre laptop we have in the store looks, feels, and works fantastic.
This small Danish company we love now has 2 solid ties to the Bay Area: Sausalito Audio Works (Acoustic Lens Technology) and one of the giants of computing, HP.
Sadly, that's not the case here in the UK. It's an incredibly cheap looking £500 laptop that's being advertised with a huge BANG&OLUFSEN logo splattered on in the corner. It's the worst thing that B&O could do as this laptop sounds very poor. Now, look at the new Apple MacBook Retina and that sound system in it is excellent for a laptop - many say, the best that has ever appeared in an Apple laptop. The problem with the HP is the typical customer who spends £500 on a laptop may never of heard of the B&O brand and a poor sound from it will not encourage them to seek the brand any further!
Paul W: Sadly, that's not the case here in the UK. It's an incredibly cheap looking £500 laptop that's being advertised with a huge BANG&OLUFSEN logo splattered on in the corner. It's the worst thing that B&O could do as this laptop sounds very poor. Now, look at the new Apple MacBook Retina and that sound system in it is excellent for a laptop - many say, the best that has ever appeared in an Apple laptop. The problem with the HP is the typical customer who spends £500 on a laptop may never of heard of the B&O brand and a poor sound from it will not encourage them to seek the brand any further!
Yeah, I've listened to both and there is a massive difference in sound quality between the HP laptops with "B&O" printed on them and those with "BANG & OLUFSEN" printed on them, and whilst I/we understand that this is B&Os way of differentiating between two different levels of products, most HP customers will not.
The net result, I fear, will be that many potential new customers (at least those who opt for the lower end HP laptops) will be turned away from the brand rather than attracted to it as intended. To have the desired effect the cheaper B&O branded laptops need to sound at least noticeably better than other laptops in the same price range, and from what I've heard so far, they don't
Martin.
The Bethesda store just moved up the road to Wilson Lane.
riverstyx: Paul W: Sadly, that's not the case here in the UK. It's an incredibly cheap looking £500 laptop that's being advertised with a huge BANG&OLUFSEN logo splattered on in the corner. It's the worst thing that B&O could do as this laptop sounds very poor. Now, look at the new Apple MacBook Retina and that sound system in it is excellent for a laptop - many say, the best that has ever appeared in an Apple laptop. The problem with the HP is the typical customer who spends £500 on a laptop may never of heard of the B&O brand and a poor sound from it will not encourage them to seek the brand any further! Yeah, I've listened to both and there is a massive difference in sound quality between the HP laptops with "B&O" printed on them and those with "BANG & OLUFSEN" printed on them, and whilst I/we understand that this is B&Os way of differentiating between two different levels of products, most HP customers will not. The net result, I fear, will be that many potential new customers (at least those who opt for the lower end HP laptops) will be turned away from the brand rather than attracted to it as intended. To have the desired effect the cheaper B&O branded laptops need to sound at least noticeably better than other laptops in the same price range, and from what I've heard so far, they don't Martin.
That's way too subtle. Only the good sounding laptop should have any branding or the name will surely be devalued?
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mjmedlo:The new trend is 'pro partners' 3rd party vendors. Like myself
Like myself
How does that work?
it's basically just an independent dealer;
so places like abt electronics and other independents are 'pro-partners'
Thanks mjmedlo, your post below said "like myself" does that mean that you're an independent dealer, or did I misunderstand your post which prompted my question.
Sal:Thanks mjmedlo, your post below said "like myself" does that mean that you're an independent dealer, or did I misunderstand your post which prompted my question.
Tifoso48:The Bethesda store just moved up the road to Wilson Lane.
The [original] Bethesda store did move to Wilson Lane several years ago. The Wilson Lane store closed maybe a year ago or longer. The manager of that store went to the DC store until that closed a short time later.
Sal: There have been multiple comments in other threads from US members about the lack of B&O stores, and their dwindling numbers. Stores even in large bustling major metro areas are closing. What are your thoughts about the future B&O in the US? Is the US even a major player for the brand? What can B&O do to improve their standing in the US? Any other thoughts?
I'm not a shopper in stores for the most part unless I know exactly what I want. I expect many other people in the US are similar.
I think getting B & O products in audio/video magazines is a good start. I only knew of B & O due to a review of the BL 5 in Sound & Vision (formerly Stereo Review). It was many years since then that I've seen them there again. First, it was their new headphones. Recently, there was a BIG review of a new TV and speakers in an home theater setup. Just recently, there was a very nice interview with Geoff Martin.
Though I have not seen any B & O advertising in Sound & Vision magazine, getting products to knowledgeable reviewers seems like a good way to let the potential consumers know of B & O and what they have to offer.
D
Now the Tysons (northern virginia DC area) store is closing too. So the closest to the DC area is Philly or New York! Not being in major markets like DC and Denver tells me they have lost critical mass and may no longer be able to stay in the US market. Sad.