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
TWG:I agree with a big part on Mr 10 percents view but two things would be fatal for B&O: - outsourcing even more - reducing staff That's the WORST thing you can do and that's the only thing the dumb CEOs and managers nowadays can do and as they all prove: It does NOT work, especially in the long term. Do you really think the quality would increase after firing more stuff and outsourcing? B&O needs to hire better designers, they need to start marketing and they strongly need to rebuild quality! When I see misspelling e.g. on the german website of a so called luxury brand, it is simply embarassing for the company! Swatch group produces even the very cheap Swatch watches in Switzerland! So, it is possible, but B&O does seem to hire the absolute wrong managers, CEOs etc.! If I can convince my wife to move to Denmark I would do the job and B&O will survive. :-)
Expecting 'inspiration' later this week ;-)
Whether, what comes, will suit anyone/everyone, is the BIG question!
Reading these posts, I simply see no consistency/uniformity in what B&O should do (or not do).
We are all individuals with rather different approaches to 'our' brand.
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Millemissen: Expecting 'inspiration' later this week ;-) MM
What "inspiration" are you expecting?
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
Razlaw:Millemissen:Expecting 'inspiration' later this week ;-)MMWhat "inspiration" are you expecting?
BeoNut since '75
There will be no 'PLAY'-tv - all tv's are in the Bang & Olufsen range.
You probably mean the BV Horizon (with several new placement options)
The two new BeoSounds (1 and 2) will arrive too - or at least one of them.
I have heard a rumour saying, that they (at least one of them) will have battery built-in - means will be portable.
And the BROne/BT must arrive too - with the tv's.
(One may also hope for bluetooth-out on the BV's for headphones?)
But, alas - when they will hit the/your southern hemisphere - I won't even start guessing ;-(
Date in DK is this week Wednesday/Thursday - watch out for the website/social media.
I was thinking IFA too - but according to my dealer (and others) he will be getting 'the stuff' on Wednesday the 17th during the day.
He/they already is/are informed how to display the BV's etc. etc.
Oh, sorry - on Wednesday the 10th, I meant to write.
Millemissen:The two new BeoSounds (1 and 2) will arrive too - or at least one of them.
I am looking forward to this! I hope there is one I can use in my kitchen. I hope it is the BeoSound 1, then I will have the original at work and the new one at home!
Just a few more days to wait...
Chris Townsend: We were in a B&O store today in Miami, and it looked incredibly bare.
We were in a B&O store today in Miami, and it looked incredibly bare.
You're in Miami, in August, Chris? wow. Incredibly humid! I've been to South Beach quite a few times this year. If I was you, get over to Wynwood (and out of South Beach). Try the Marion restaurant, check out Alter, too, and go to the 1 Hotel for lunch.
The Miami store was fairly decent last time I went in, but the owner did seem keen to make a sale. He had an Avant 75" and even offered to ship the thing across the world....just to make a sale.
Back on to B&O. I don't agree with Mr 10 Percent that the Play range has no longevity. I don't understand that theory at all. If anything, it's the Play range propping up the regular product range. I don't see many dealers shifting expensive Avant's, BL20s and other products in big numbers these days, after looking at the accounts of failed B&O stores - many of them are struggling, in debt (to B&O) or on the edge.
moxxey: The Miami store was fairly decent last time I went in, but the owner did seem keen to make a sale..
The Miami store was fairly decent last time I went in, but the owner did seem keen to make a sale..
Fancy that.
You make it sound like a bad thing!!
12 days fishing and sailing the Keys, flew up to Cape Canaveral for a day, then a day in the Everglades. That was hot!
I was amazed at the 90's, but also how little stock he had. Waiting for the new gear I guess. One of my boys had left his headphones in our airplane, but he had nothing to sell us to replace them. Hot hot hot.
Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.
9 LEE: moxxey: The Miami store was fairly decent last time I went in, but the owner did seem keen to make a sale.. Fancy that. You make it sound like a bad thing!!
Erm, have you figured the price of shipping an Avant internationally, Lee? Then, yes, it's a "bad thing" :)
I'm surprised they didn't just offer to have it drop shipped from Denmark. Then shipping should be free. Many of my components were dropped shipped and I didn't have to pay shipping.
Or maybe the cost was for them to come out and install it!
Mark-N: I'm surprised they didn't just offer to have it drop shipped from Denmark. Then shipping should be free.
I'm surprised they didn't just offer to have it drop shipped from Denmark. Then shipping should be free.
This is a store product, not a custom order! If they have the item in the store, it's not going to be shipped from Denmark.
moxxey:This is a store product, not a custom order! If they have the item in the store, it's not going to be shipped from Denmark.
I know their was no intent to purchase one there, especially if you have dealers at home, unless the exchange rate was *very* favorable. But if it was an option, then that's just stubbornness on the part of the salesman. How hard would it be to order one and have it dropped shipped to save the customer tons of money! I can see this is a possible option for someone like me where 3 local dealers closed recently, but I wouldn't want to pay shipping from the dealer either.
moxxey:Erm, have you figured the price of shipping an Avant internationally, Lee? Then, yes, it's a "bad thing" :)
If so, it may be that the US will be loosing another dealer.
Mark-N: If so, it may be that the US will be loosing another dealer.
It be stunned if B&O can't manage to maintain a store in an area such as South Beach/Miami. The money around that area is immense!
moxxey:It be stunned if B&O can't manage to maintain a store in an area such as South Beach/Miami. The money around that area is immense!
Chris Townsend:All the Americans who saw our A1 loved it, and wanted one. But nobody had a clue who B&O was.
The problem for the dealers is you can buy the A1, as well as the rest of the BeoPlay line, easily on-line at Amazon, and other sites.
Chris Townsend:Their lack of brand awareness was the important message I was trying to get across. It's B&Os biggest problem, and it won't be adreessed by yet more store revamps and cushions. What good is it putting more expense on dealers, if nobody goes into the stores. They all Rolex locally in quite average looking stores, why not B&O. It's iconic designs and engineering customers want, not organic wood flooring and other such peripheral crap. Beovision 7-55 Mk2, Avant RF 28, Beolab 9, Beolit 15, Beoplay A1/A2, Beocom 2, Beotime, H3 ANC/H8/H6/H2, Form 2, Beoplay A3, Beovision 5-42 connected to a DVD1
Razlaw:http://az498215.vo.msecnd.net/static/files/other-notifications/BO_1601_UK_vF.pdf
Razlaw: http://az498215.vo.msecnd.net/static/files/other-notifications/BO_1601_UK_vF.pdf
http://az498215.vo.msecnd.net/static/files/other-notifications/BO_1601_UK_vF.pdf
Takes share ownership/ voting rights above 20%. Makes Sparkle Roll an Associate Company. According to Wikipedia this affects accounting reporting but not much else (I am not an accountant!)
Graham
So I feel that Sparkle Roll will buy out other shareholders and effectively take control within 2 years.
Difficult to say whether Sparkle Roll will respect the company heritage (as they do as a Bentley importer) or just take the company in a new (Chinese) direction.
vikinger: So I feel that Sparkle Roll will buy out other shareholders and effectively take control within 2 years.
I am sorry to say that ! see dots jointing together.
Tue’s departure was associated with SR – of failure to bring them in as a merger.
SR will quietly buy stock and gain control. Will insist on their people being on the Board at some point.
With the financial complexion of the World economies, I see B&O struggling to breakeven in Q2 and Q3. Debt financing is going to be very difficult…unless they go to Shareholders.
Which shareholder do you think will support them (at a price)?
I see a rush to get the new products out ASAP to generate some income/cut losses.
They are still too big for what they produce. Overheads will be killing them
SR will have a controlling stake within 2 months – not 2 years.
vikinger: Difficult to say whether Sparkle Roll will respect the company heritage (as they do as a Bentley importer) or just take the company in a new (Chinese) direction.
I'm pretty confident that won't happen. The Chinese aren't daft, they understand heritage. In fact, they are one of the few people who pro-actively want to buy in to heritage.
What I find odd is that the announcement came out late in the evening, after exhanges had closed (and the price of the share gone up by almost 10% during the day). So it seems that SR was buying the stock little by little on the "open market" instead of larger lumps from other major shareholders.
--mika
Duels:In the uk you can only buy up to 30% of a listed company's shares without having to make an offer for the entire business (at the highest price you paid). There will be similar rules for Danish companies. So you can't just creep up to 50% and "gain control" that way.
Possibly as high as 90% in Denmark according to this take-over guide.
http://www.ibanet.org/Document/Default.aspx?DocumentUid=7C42F0A1-1A06-492D-A486-4EAD4DACB505
tournedos:What I find odd is that the announcement came out late in the evening, after exhanges had closed (and the price of the share gone up by almost 10% during the day). So it seems that SR was buying the stock little by little on the "open market" instead of larger lumps from other major shareholders. --mika
vikinger:Possibly as high as 90% in Denmark according to this take-over guide. http://www.ibanet.org/Document/Default.aspx?DocumentUid=7C42F0A1-1A06-492D-A486-4EAD4DACB505
Duels:It's likely cheaper that way. And other major shareholders may have no interest in selling.
Possibly - which makes it all the more likely that we are looking at a (more or less) hostile takeover attempt instead of something that has been negotiated with or agreed upon by the other shareholders.
Duels: vikinger: Possibly as high as 90% in Denmark according to this take-over guide. http://www.ibanet.org/Document/Default.aspx?DocumentUid=7C42F0A1-1A06-492D-A486-4EAD4DACB505 See the section on mandatory offers. It's one third of the voting rights so similar to the uk.
vikinger: Possibly as high as 90% in Denmark according to this take-over guide. http://www.ibanet.org/Document/Default.aspx?DocumentUid=7C42F0A1-1A06-492D-A486-4EAD4DACB505
See the section on mandatory offers. It's one third of the voting rights so similar to the uk.
Yes, that will teach me to read beyond page one!
So Sparkle Roll, as suggested by Mr10%, might be quite close to taking control.
StUrrock: moxxey: It be stunned if B&O can't manage to maintain a store in an area such as South Beach/Miami. The money around that area is immense! Chelsea, Hampstead, Battersea, Windsor, Loughton and Swiss Cottage were obviously poor areas
moxxey: It be stunned if B&O can't manage to maintain a store in an area such as South Beach/Miami. The money around that area is immense!
Chelsea, Hampstead, Battersea, Windsor, Loughton and Swiss Cottage were obviously poor areas
Just to be clear, the (small) thread about this was US stores and closures and I was referring to the US - South Beach is very affluent and very much the type of area you'd expect B&O to prosper.
We've been to Miami a lot recently and stayed in most of the South Beach hotels. I can't remember a single one having a B&O TV on display. Surely, if you're wanting to market to a particular target audience, one great way to achieve this would be to offer vastly discounted TVs to hotels such as The Edition?
tournedos:Possibly - which makes it all the more likely that we are looking at a (more or less) hostile takeover attempt instead of something that has been negotiated with or agreed upon by the other shareholders. --mika
vikinger:Yes, that will teach me to read beyond page one! So Sparkle Roll, as suggested by Mr10%, might be quite close to taking control. Graham