Convoy to Focus on Specialist Channels
One of Australia's leading consumer electronics distributors, Convoy International, have announced they are exiting the mass-market side of their business.
Convoy's CEO, Geoff Matthews, with more than 50 years experience within the CE industry announced the decision last week. Supplying brands such as Harman Kardon, Bowers & Wilkins, Bluesound, Classe, JBL and Monster to both specialist and mass-market channels, Mathews said he is downsizing to concentrate on the 'HD', or specialist sector of the industry:
Over the last five years we have successfully built both the profile and market shares of our world famous brands in the wider consumer market. In that time we have enjoyed an amazing journey, delivering a wealth of products – over 1.5 million of them in fact, specifically targeted toward the booming portable audio player, smartphone and tablet market. We believe that now is the ideal time to hand the baton to others and allow them to focus on the mass market while we increase our focus on our traditional high-end, specialty audio business maintaining support from our knowledgeable team to our long standing dealer base.
Mathews believes that the time is now to tell the HD story:
I can’t recall a more exciting time for music and sound enthusiasts. We are witnessing an amazing transformation of our Component Audio business into a High Definition landscape.
StereoNET spoke to specialist dealers around the country last week whom all welcomed this news, believing that with the resources, expert knowledge and support that Convoy offers, a renewed focus on the specialist channel is a win-win for dealers and the HiFi market.
When asked how the relationship with Harman International would change going forward, Matthews told StereoNET:
This is not about ending a working relationship which has been in place since 1987. Convoy will continue to sell Harman Kardon and JBL products – as an example Home loudspeakers and home media systems. We will focus our attention and expertise on the high performance products in the JBL & Harman portfolio thus growing the overall business for the Brand.
We believe that now is the ideal time to hand the baton to others and allow them to focus on the mass market while we increase our focus on our traditional high-end, specialty audio business maintaining support from our knowledgeable team to our long standing dealer base.
After a company major restructure last year, by all accounts this latest decision has pleased their existing specialist dealer base, and we look forward to watching their brands gain more momentum within the marketplace.
For more information visit Convoy International.
Marc Rushton
StereoNET’s Founder and Publisher was born in England and raised on British Hi-Fi before moving to Australia. He developed an early love of music and playing bass guitar before discovering the studio and the other side of the mixing desk. After writing for print magazines, Marc saw the future in digital publishing and founded the first version of StereoNET in 1999.
Posted in: Industry
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