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ISSUE 207 February/March 20152015Conference New look AlertMay’s retra conference Associate Insightsset to be biggest to date Time for tees: retra Golf day Guest perspective: Hopwood on the Sirius Buying GroupbbMueytsltieensress 13 24Mobo nominated singer songwriter CES 2015 MagimixKristyna Myles wow’s customers review Juicyat Barretts event evening. business 30 34 More coffee? Gfk on SDAs Keeping your Data secure

Morphy Richards LinsarBIGYamaha SennheiserBRANDSDynamic Sales Vogels OtoneWant to GROW your business and margins in 2015?Then Big Red Sales is the company to help you.Our 11-strong highly experienced Big Red Sales offers you:-national sales team means youonly have to deal with one person • Quality, high margin brandsfor all of our quality brands. And • Regular visits from our nationwidethat saves time and money. experienced sales force • Comprehensive support by way of POS and promotional activitySo if you want to make some meaningful changes to your business in 2015, call us now.Tel: 01344 893932 Email: [email protected] www.bigredsales.co.uk

For further information please contact: Bryan Lovewell Chief Executive Retra [email protected] 01234 269110 www.retra.co.ukEmbrace changeinto 2015 The dynamic of pre and post-Christmas trading continues to evolve, as John Lewis’ figures demonstrate. Is your digital strategy up to the task?When you read this article 2014 will truly be behind personally thank Tony for his invaluable help and sup- us. Although, as I am actually writing this on the port of retra and wish him health and happiness in his John Lewis’ annual5th January, I feel it timely to wish you all a belated well-deserved retirement. turnover was up 6%happy, healthy and dare I say a prosperous New Year. overall in 2014, butIt would appear that upon speaking to a number of This year will also see the first big tranche of our only 1% up in-store.members they had good pre-Christmas sales, with the member’s applications for FCA approval. If you arecommencement of the January sale period looking one of those, we would really like to hear from you.encouraging too. However, everyone has mentioned We want to know how you coped with the experiencethat margins across all categories are well below that and if you have any hints or tips that could help thoseof last year. Members have to work considerably harder members who have yet to have their landing slots con-to maintain previous levels of profitability. firmed. Please contact me on the detail above. One final reminder, if you have a confirmed date please do Interestingly enough, I have just seen the John Lewis not miss it as the FCA is draconian. They will stop yourresults over the Christmas period. I rarely write about business from offering credit or rental agreements untilcompetitors but thought it worthy of note. Their on-line such time you have secured your approval.sales were up 19% based on a five week period up tothe 26th December 2014. John Lewis’ annual turno- Conference 2015ver was up 6% overall in 2014, but only 1% up in-store.Interesting reading. Our annual one day conference is now almost upon us (12th May), being held this year at the prestigious My point on these results is that members cannot London, Lancaster Hotel, Bayswater. Again we haveafford not to have a professional web presence any- changed the format over previous years, with a rangemore. They must ensure that their websites are fit for of specialist speakers covering specific retailing issues.purpose and are able to encourage pre-sales brows- As we received good feedback on last year’s audienceing and information gathering by consumers as well participation voting buttons, we will be using themas drive actual customer sales. This could be through again this year.direct e-commerce, click and collect or simply toencourage customers into store. Ignore this at your One important part of the whole day is the eveningperil. The good news is that retra offers a complete gala dinner, with the money we raise during the courseexclusive member website service, from construction to of the evening for our President, John Hutchinson’sregular maintenance of the site, at extremely competi- selected charity. This year John has selected two verytive rates. worthwhile charities, MacMillan Nursing and Cancer Research. I would therefore like to take this opportunityThe year ahead to personally ask for raffle prizes/auction items for the evening. ALL donations raised throughout the year areI do ponder as to what 2015 will bring. One thing for given directly to the nominated charities and retra doessure is that there will be change. There will also be a not make any administration charges.General Election on the 7th May which will no doubthave an impact, for better or worse, on retailers and Finally you will notice some major changes to thisindustry in general. This is also an important personal edition of Alert, which is due to our new Editor, Richardyear of change, as I have reached my 65th year I have Stevenson, taking over from Simon King. The team atdecided to retire at the end of May. (‘Hooray’ say some Bedford you would like to welcome Richard (who is noto whom I have been a constant thorn in their sides!). stranger to the industry) on board. Richard would likeAs this is my penultimate article for Alert, I will save to hear from you with any new editorial or feature ideasreminiscing over my 50 years in the industry until the that you think would be of use to the membership. Inext issue (April/May). So, be warned, it is going to be wish you all the best for the year ahead, and look for-enlightening and frank. ward to seeing you at conference. Remaining on retirement; I have recently been Bryan Lovewell, Chief Executiveinformed by Tony Dungworth, Chairman for the DerbyCentre and retra council member for 12 years, that hehas decided to retire from both his business and Coun-cil. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  3

Together towards tomorrow...Annual Industry Conference 201512th May 2015 | Lancaster London Hotel | London www.retra.co.uk

Editor: Richard Stevenson Contents 17T: 01797 260882M: 07974 926157 ff03 From the Chief Executive RevolutionisingE: [email protected] News the soundbar marketAdvertising: Linda Dorling ff05 News analysisT: 01256 321337 ff08 News from associates 22M: 07785 142398 BusinessE: [email protected] ff10 Business matters Barretts Digital Worldretra Alert is a retra publication ff12 retra Conference 2015 ff13 CES show report 33retra Associate Insight1 Ampthill Street, Bedford MK42 9EY ff14 CE / Samsung Install another levelT: 01234 269110 ff16 CE / Otone to your businessF: 01234 269609 ff17 CE / HumaxE: [email protected] ff18 MDA / GDHAW: www.retra.co.uk ff19 MDA / Witt Dealer FocusPublished and printed by: ff22 Barretts Digital WorldJohn Price Printers Limited Associate InsightBrook Street, Bilston, WV14 ONW ff24 SDA / MagimixT: 01902 353441 ff26 Accessories / PhilexF: 01902 404728 ff27 Photo / SonyE: [email protected] Category AnalysisW: www.john-price.co.uk ff28 What’s Hot ff30 GfK on SDA marketAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be Forward Planningreproduced in any form (including photocopying or ff32 Service & safetystorage by electronic means) without the permission ff33 Retra Installof the copyright owner. ff34 Technology for business ff35 Clarity AllianceThe articles and opinions contained in this Financial Servicespublication do not necessarily reflect those of retra. ff36 Warranty matters ff37 Insurance mattersWhile retra endeavours to ensure that the information Guest Perspectivein this publication is accurate and contains nothing ff38 Stuart Hopwood on Siriusprejudicial to the position or reputation of any party,retra shall not be liable for damages (includingwithout limitation damages for loss of business orloss of profits) arising in contract, tort or otherwisefrom this publication or any information containedwithin it.Nor shall retra be held liable for damages arising fromany action or decision taken as a result of reading thispublication. The UK’s leading electrical safety charity Electrical Safety First is the UK’s leading campaigning charity and technical authority on electrical safety. We campaign to improve safety regulation and provide expert information and advice to help people protect themselves from faulty, damaged, sub-standard, and poorly maintained electrical installations and appliances. » Visit www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  5

NEWS Christmas Conversely, white goods saw the biggest increase sales: how with a 13.2% increase in sales of MDAs. Almost 25%Dates for your were they for of our members business is now invested in this area,2015 Diary... you? so growth in this sector is more than balancing the CE decline. While IT is still a very small area of businessFebruary With the ‘new’ Black Friday boost and for members, just 4% on average, the sector fell by10-12    Integrated Systems Europe increasing rise in internet shopping, some 3.8% in value over the 2014 festive period.RAI, Amsterdam, Netherlands we surveyed how member’s faredwww.iseeurope.org over the Christmas period - particularly since many These figures compare broadly with wider market20-22    Bristol Sound & Vision of our members do not trade directly online. We were reports. GfK indications showed a generally pos-Marriott City Centre Hotel, Bristol looking at three areas of business; whether sales had itive festive season for retail as a whole (multiple,www.bristolshow.co.uk increased or decreased over the Christmas period high street and online), up around 3% in CE andMarch compared to last year, whether these changes were in into double digit growth for MDA. Early reports from10    TRIC Awards 2015 white, CE or IT and the relative increase or decrease in major retailers indicate that gains in overall value andGrosvenor House Hotel, London sales in each category. We are pleased to report that volume were offset to some extent by falling marginswww.tric.org.uk overall sales increased approximately 7.3% across across electrical sectors.20-April 6    Ideal Home Show those members that responded to the survey.Olympia, London We will be conducting further surveys in the comingwww.idealhomeshow.co.uk Regionally the biggest areas for sales increases were months in relation to topics that affect our members,25-26    Internet Retailing Expo the East of England and the West Midlands, both so please look out for these in coming issues of retraNEC, Birmingham reporting an average sales increase of 10.2%. All other Bytes with the results to be published in Alert.www.internetretailingexpo.com regions reported an increase in sales, apart from theApril East Midlands which declined slightly. Around 54%7-12    Gadget Show Live of our members’ businesses is in CE, yet the surveyNEC, Birmingham reported a general decline in sales of brown goods.www.gadgetshowlive.net Over the Christmas period it dipped by around 1.1%25-27    Euronics Tradeshow across those retailers that reported.NEC, Birminghamwww.euronics.co.uk Retailers optimistic Online tops £100bnMay says BRC7-10    Sirius Buying Group Conference The IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index showsAbama Hotel, Tenerife A snapshot survey by the BRC suggests retailers that online sales in the UK grew by 14% in 2014www.sirius-buying-group.co.uk are optimistic about their fortunes in 2015. The to crest the £100 billion mark for the first time.12    retra conference survey indicated 76% of respondents expected Almost a fifth of this business was in the eightLancaster London Hotel, London sales to improve in 2015 compared with 2014, weeks leading up to Christmas, including Blackwww.retra.co.uk while 78% said they were likely to be employing Friday. An estimated £810 million was spent14-17    High End Show more staff this year. online on Black Friday 2014, the biggest ever dayMOC, Munich, Germany for UK online sales.www.highendsociety.de17-19    May Design / KBB Playing a round with retraExCel, Londonwww.maydesignseries.com The retra Annual Golf Day will this year be held on the prestigious Duke’s course atJune Woburn Golf Club in Buckinghamshire. The date for this lively charity tournament9-10    Essential Install Live, South sponsored by GDHA is Tuesday 14th July, with a reduced cost of just £750 for aSandown Park Race Course, Surrey team of four this year. Contact Bedford for more details and bookings on 01234www.essentialinstalllive.eu 26911 or [email protected]    Exclusively Electrical 2015Business Design Centre, London Black Friday no bright spotwww.exclusivelyhousewares.co.ukJuly The phenomenon that was Black Friday took much of the UK’s retailers by sur-14    retra Annual Golf Day prise. If not in the run up, then by the passion and fervour displayed by consum-Woburn Golf Club, Milton Keynes ers seeking out bargains. Great news on the surface, but heavy discountingwww.retra.co.uk lead to reduced margins across the board and the post Black Friday hang-September over lasted almost until Christmas. “Black Friday was unquestionably a4-9    IFA Berlin success for the value-seeking consumer but for retailers themselves itsMesse Berlin, Germany success is not quite as clear,” commented Adgild Hop, principal headwww.ifa-berlin.com of retail consulting at Capgemini. “Spending was brought forward22-23    Sirius VIP Tradeshow a month earlier, at much lower margins for retailers, as a resultForest of Arden Hotel, Meriden of the discounts available to customers in November.”www.sirius-buying-group.co.uk6 | retraALERT

AMDEA’s launches registration initiative Editor’s CommentAMDEA’s ‘register my appliance’ website has gone homes and we keep them running for ten or morelive, encouraging consumers to record their con- years,” said AMDEA Chief Executive Douglas Herbison. Welcome to the new look, new remit retra Alerttact details and new product information soon after “The incidence of safety actions is very low (between magazine. Working closely with the team at Bed-purchase on a central portal. The move follows sev- 6-10 recalls a year) but, unlike cars, if manufacturers ford, we wanted to create a magazine that focused veryeral years of ineffective safety recalls, whereby man- need to make a safety adjustment they have no way much on delivering relevant and timely business infor-ufacturers were lucky to address 10% of the faulty of tracing the majority of affected models. ‘Register my mation to members. A journal that underpins retra’selectrical products in the marketplace. High profile appliance’ aims to help our industry to act swiftly to own mission statement to provide top rate services anddomestic fires caused by faulty white goods were contact owners if a fault is discovered in a particular represent members’ interests.highlighted in the national press. batch of products.” So what has changed? Well, the editor for start- A YouGov survey for the AMDEA found that just over The move has been backed by Consumer Affairs Min- ers. Many of you may know me from industry eventsa third of consumers currently register all of their ister, Jo Swinson. “It is so important that we make sure or my time as editor of ERT Weekly (as it was). Thoseappliances, leaving thousands of owners untraceable that we register new appliances and don’t risk missing with longer memories may recall Rumbelows and evenby manufacturers should a safety repair be needed. out on key information that could save lives,” she said. Ketts, where in the early 1980s I followed in my father’sMany customers are put off registering as the move ‘Register my appliance’ is also supported by the Royal footsteps into the electrical retail industry. I went on tohas traditionally opened the door for manufactures Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). work, for many years, at the independent Cheam Elec-and warranty providers to direct mail or outbound trics in Surrey. Rest assured, I have the t-shirt.call customers in an endeavour to sell them anextended guarantee. In content, we have added a lot more to the new Alert than we have taken out. This has been achieved The www.registermyappliance.org.uk website pro- through making articles tighter and more concise, andvides access to the registration pages of 47 leading keeping most to a single page. News has been trimmedbrands of domestic appliances. AMDEA notes that down, and now simply focuses on analysis of the mostsite is the result of the commitment of the industry relevant stories for the retail sector and associate news.association’s members to a long-term programme to On-line trade press and e-newsletters, such as retrapromote understanding of why registering products Bytes run by Siobhan Doyle at Bedford, are simplyis a wise safety precaution. AMDEA’s code of practise better for immediate news than a bi-monthly journal.states that it will respect ‘the purpose for which the[registration] information is provided’ and members We have introduced a massive new section thathave pledged that the information captured will be allows associate suppliers to communicate directlyused exclusively for this purpose. This should ensure with members. The Associate Insights section crossescustomers that they are not simply opting in to cold all electrical categories and gives supplier brands acalls or a post box full of junk mail. forum to highlight not only their new product offerings and how they address market trends but also how the “Domestic appliances have never been safer but we brand supports retra members and the independenthave over 100 million large appliances in use in our channel. In addition to an expansion of the retail busi- ness information section, you will also find articles onWdReeeatbrlaCwrsieetahctuiroensUK devices, and integration with existing epos systems. service and product safety, warranty provision, technol- The company is also offering members a year’s UK ogy for business, photographic and accessories mar-Retra has secured a deal with WebCreation UK to based, high speed, managed business hosting with kets and much more. The final page of editorial is givenoffer members discounted rates on the design, build every package. Look out for a feature article on the over to a guest column, in this issue Stuart Hopwoodand maintenance of an effective ecommerce web- services offered in the next issue of Alert. For more talks passionately about the Sirius Buying Group.site. The UK has the strongest ecommerce retail information in the meantime, contact 08448 22 77 22market in Europe and we actually spend three or www.webcreationuk.com All this content should now be much easier to accesstimes more per household per year than any other and navigate too. From business matters to associateEuropean country. The retra Ecommerce package insights and category analysis to financial services,encompasses a broad range of payment options, each section of the magazine is clearly defined. Andcompatibility with a wide range of systems and finally, those of you who are turning pages by clicking rather than licking your thumb will have noticed thatViewing up, TVs down Alert is also now published as an on-line edition for digest on a variety of computers and smart devices too.The total number of UK homes with a television fell for ing,” commented Ed Richards, Ofcom Chief Executive.the first time for over fifty years during 2013. As con- “Our challenge is to help improve broadband cover- Given that I have almost certainly thrown at least thesumers switched to digesting video content on com- age particularly in hard-to-reach areas.” OFCOM sug- soap and loofa out with the bathwater, let me knowputers, tablets and even phones, some homes are gest that a 10Mbps download speed is the viable mini- what you think. Change is inevitable in our industry ifforgoing the traditional TV screen altogether. Based mum broadband bandwidth to make full use of online you want to move forward. Let’s embrace it.on OFCOM’s infrastructure report, the number of UK services and content.households with a TV dropped to 26.02 Contact Richard on [email protected], down from 26.33 million the pre-vious year. “The way consumers interact Bytes?with their TV, phone and broadband ischanging as fast as technology is evolv- Do you receive a copy of retra Bytes, our new e-newsletter? If not please contact us at [email protected] so we can get your email address on the mailing list. ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  7

NEWSDigital High Street ESF questionsat IRX government on fakesThis year’s Internet Retailing Expo An Early Day Motion (EDM) has been tabled calling on(IRX) at the NEC spans two days, the government to assess and tackle the number of25-26th March, and is driving the ‘bricks dangerous counterfeit electrical goods being tradedmeets clicks’ experience. The Digital High online. Research by Electrical Safety First has foundStreet will showcase suppliers of technology that sales of illegal, fake goods on social media are adesigned to enable a digitally enhanced retail growing trend and have increased by almost 15% in theexperience. This includes smart labels, contactless last year, with seizures of fake mobile phones rising bypayment, digital signage and displays, interactivesurfaces, gaze-tracking and customer journey mapping, over 50%. Counterfeit goods contribute to thousandsinnovative CRM systems and more. The show encompasses of domestic fires, and can cause significant injuries, inconferences, workshops, ecommerce clinics as well as traditional the UK each year.exhibition stands. For more information: www.internetretailingexpo.com Consumer confidenceExclusively and UP Global Sourcing, taking a second stand in the continues to riseHousewares launches new show. Other key brands already signed up includededicated electrical Magimix, Team UKI and Witt. GfK’s UK Consumer Confidence Index increased by fivetrade show points in January, with all five measures used to calcu- The move has been backed-up by a recent GfK report late the Index on the up. Nick Moon, Managing Direc-The very first Exclusively Electrical trade show will take showing the sector in rude health. The overall kitch- tor of Social Research at GfK, commented, “With anplace on 9 and 10 June 2015 at the Business Design enwares sector achieved a huge +28% value growth election on the way this big jump in the Index will beCentre in Islington, London. Designed specifically for through 2014 with a strong performance in small very welcome news for the government. But before wethose who buy small domestic appliances, it will run domestic appliances (See Gfk report on the SDA market get too carried away we need, as always, to look at thealongside the long-established Exclusively Housewares page 30). bigger picture. Last month was the first time in eightshow and will feature a line-up of the industry’s leading months the Index had moved outside the range of -1coffee, kitchen, cooking, cleaning and ironing appliance Exclusively Electrical will be free to visit for trade (plus or minus 2), and this month’s increase has donebrands and suppliers. buyers. All visitors will benefit from free refreshments, no more than return the Index to that same range, albeit including lunch. Visitors will be actively encouraged the upper end of it. If next month sees another rise, that “We are delighted that the likes of Dualit, EPE Inter- to visit Exclusively Housewares in the adjoining halls. will definitely signal good news for the government. Ifnational, Groupe SEB, Hostess (Crosslee) Jura, Kitche- Buyers interested in visiting the new show can register not, it will suggest that the growth in GDP is not makingnAid, SMART Worldwide, UP Global Sourcing and Vita- their interest online via www.exclusivelyelectrical.co.uk people feel better off.”mix have all confirmed that they will support our launch or by calling 0121 237 1130.show,” commented director of sales Patrick Wade. Click & Collect ‘unstoppable’ says Kantar All these companies have exhibited in the past atExclusively Housewares and will be making the move Kantar UK Insights has revealed the inexorable growthinto Exclusively Electrical, or the case of Groupe SEB of Click & Collect channel across the UK’s retail sector. The extent to which the channel has fast become theRetail on track for waste targets says BRC norm is borne out by the company’s Retail MultichannelThe British Retail Consortium (BRC) has confirmed by 2020 after meeting original targets. The report high- High Street report published this month.  that Britain’s retailers are on course to meet ambitious lights progress made against those targets by retailersvoluntary targets to reduce the direct environmental including a 13% reduction in absolute carbon emis-   Bryan Roberts, Kantar’s Insights Director, said theimpact of their operations. The figures and case stud- sions from retail operations and a 34% reduction in shift was being prompted by two main factors; theies, which form part of the BRC’s progress report on the carbon emissions resulting from store deliveries. inherent inconvenience of home delivery for familiesindustry initiative ‘A Better Retailing Climate’, show how out at work all day and the mounting number of work-retailers are working in partnership with suppliers and BRC Director of Food and Sustainability Andrew Opie places becoming weary of their role as end point forcustomers to make significant progress including low- said, “Retailers continue to lead the way in reducing the companies like Amazon.ering energy usage, cutting emissions from refrigeration impact of the products they sell and adapting to theand diverting waste from landfill. challenges of climate change. This shows we can meet “For more traditional retailers, click & collect has the ambitious targets to reduce environmental impact become a fundamental expectation of shoppers,” notes Last year the participants, who include Britain’s lead- by 2020.” Bryan Roberts. “It makes a great deal of sense for retail-ing retailers, agreed on a new range of targets to be met ers too. With shoppers doing some of the hard work, a level of cost and complexity is removed from the mul- tichannel transaction. There is also a possible upside of consumers making further in-store purchases when they collect their items.” Several major retailers have indicated that between 60-75% of click & collect customers go on to purchase additional products while in store. The key is then tran- sitioning the store and the staff to deal with the chal- lenges and maximise the incremental sales opportuni- ties. However the report goes on to conclude that few retailers have really maximised this process as yet, with only 30% of the retailers surveyed implementing any training programmes to bring staff up to speed.   The report concludes that with click & collect rap- idly rolling out across major retailers, the channel will become an ever greater part of the broader retail expe- rience for shoppers.8 | retraALERT

and from our Associates...GDHA conference Do you have a great prize that we can put up for BSH opens kitchen Hubauction success auction during this year’s gala dinner in aid of Cancer Research UK and McMillan nurses? Please get in touch BSH Home Appliances is offering independent spe-At last year’s retra conference GDHA offered with Richard on [email protected] or the team at Bed- cialists a one-stop shop for information, news, mar-the fantastic auction prize of celebrity chef ford on [email protected]. keting materials and content with the launch ofBrian Turner to cook at the winner’s own ‘The Hub’ online dealer portal. The Hub offers easilydinner party. The auction was won by none accessible information on current and upcomingother than Richard Stevenson, now Alert’s promotions, brand and product news, social medianew editor. The dinner took place at Richard content packs, training and optional rewards, as welland wife Jackie Stevenson’s home in Sussex as acting as a daily newspaper for everything relatingin January and was hailed an outstanding to Bosch, Neff & Siemens.success by all attendees. Commented Rich-ard, “I would really like to thank GDHA for Simon Jones, BSH Kitchen Division Director, com-donating this great auction prize and Brian mented, “The relationship between BSH and ourfor all his hard work and great food on the evening. retailers is paramount. This year we invested in aRetra’s charities benefit directly from all the monies new trade marketing team to support our kitchenraised through the auction and I would ask associate partners. The launch of The Hub is a direct result ofmember brands to please give generously for the auc- listening to our specialist customers.”tion at this year’s conference.” Got news?retra members dominate display competition Associates, have you gotH&H Electroncis of Biggleswade, Hephers of St Ives and news you would like toT C Hayes of Bearwood, have scooped first, second get in front of retra’s nearand third place respectively in Linsar’s 2014 window 1000 member retailers?display competition. Three other retra members Get in touch directly, orwere also commended personally by Lynne Swatton, through your PR agency, to keepLinsar’s Marketing Manager. Alert informed of all your B2B news and announcements. “We were delighted to see the creative way in which Email: [email protected] have used our new light boxes and headerboards,” said Lynne. “Touring around the country I Off The Wall atnoticed some fantastic displays of our products help- The Furniture Showing to push the Linsar name to the consumer. Of par-ticular note were those at another three Retra mem- Bradford’s Off The Wall took a 30sqm at January’sbers, Faulkner’s in Louth, Pledgers in Long Sutton and Furniture Show at the NEC to showcase its currentP & A Audio Visual in Crosby. Well done to everyone and future product ranges across market sectors.who entered.” Due to the success at the show and the growth in business from retail multiple Furniture Village, theLiebherr goes direct to trade event will now be integral to the company’s futureFollowing its departure from Coolectric distribution Liebherr GB’s 3.7 hectare site at Stratton Business Park, marketing plans as they expand from Consumerlast year, Liebherr will be available directly to the Biggleswade in Bedfordshire. Electronics into the retail furniture sector.trade through its own company. Liebherr GB Ltd. Thecompany will be serving the market from its base at Lutz Weber, Regional Sales Manager, West and North Oliver Mitchell, Director at Off The Wall com- Europe, commented, “This is a really exciting develop- mented, “This was our best trade show ever. Judg- ing by the fantastic number of enquires we’ve ment for the company. Liebherr is a huge received over the three days at the show, it seems global brand and the formation of the new furniture retailers now see dedicated TV furniture as division will ensure that we have a greater an important part of their portfolio. Visitors to our measure of control of the brand and criti- stand were attracted by our wide range of prod- cally, the service that we provide will greatly ucts including the new Curve that targets the rapid improve.” He continued, “I would like to growth in Curve TV screens, as well as space saving thank our retailers in advance for their solutions for smaller rooms.” patience through this period.” Recognising the wealth of talent and experience in the previous team and to ensure continuity, the majority of staff has been welcomed into their new posi- tions with Liebherr GB. The existing team will also now benefit from the staff and resources at Biggleswade which have been established for over 20 years. The exist- ing stock is currently being moved from its previous holdings and a new logistical infrastructure is being established. A fur- ther announcement will be released very shortly with additional information. ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  9

BUSINESSlTeigmiselafotirorne?callFor this first edition of Alert in 2015, retra’s HowardSaycell takes a look at of some of the things thathappened in late 2014 and what is coming in 2015.In November last year I attended a conference held by of middle managers. They have DPA update Electrical Safety First, ‘Time For Change’. (See page 32 themselves. In many cases theyfor more details). The meeting was held in Westminster take on all these roles as well as trying Section 56 Data Protection Act 1998 came intowith about 125 people in attendance. The theme was to run the business from a sales and force in December last year. This section pro-to discuss forthcoming changes in consumer legislation marketing perspective. At the end of the hibits an employer from requiring an employeeand a recall procedure for the electrical industry. The month they have to pay their bills. They pay their staff or third party to disclose information obtained inmorning session was hosted by Declan Curry [of retra and their taxes and, if they’re lucky, there’s some left response to a subject access request under sec-conference fame] and the afternoon session by Ron over for them. The small retailer has to be a ‘jack of all tion 7 of the Act. From December 1st 2014 it is nowGainsford [Vice Chairman of Trading Standards]. trades’ and simply does not have time to wade through a criminal offence for an employer to require a reams of legislation at the periphery of day-to-day trad- member of staff to provide these records. The audience comprised of a mixture of trading ing business.standards officers, officials, several consumer groupsincluding Which? and a number of brown and white Whilst compliance with new consumer legislation isgoods manufacturers. I was asked to give a ‘retailers obviously important, like recalling a dangerous prod-view’. This was the first time the retail community had uct, it must be made easy. The people who were in thea voice at one of these events and I decided to be com- room may have the time to read through new legisla-pletely open with the conference. I explained the com- tion but I was honest and said that our members simplyplexities of running a small electrical retail business in do not. They rely on the likes of us their retailers asso-the modern day and how difficult it is for a small busi- ciation and other bodies to keep them informed. Theness to keep up to date with all the changes. reaction from the floor was positive in that they said they understood these unique challenges and would Most of the people in the audience spend their lives try to keep us and our members informed as succinctlylooking at legislation changes and implementation. as possible.The big agencies have teams of legal advisors, the bigretailers have teams at head office to interpret changes I then sat on a panel and was involved in a Q and Aand implement them at store level. The strong point I session along with Christine Heemskirk from Tradingmade was that independent retailers don’t have teams Standards. She had listened politely but I wasn’t totallyof staff. They don’t have Compliance Directors, Finance convinced she had got the message. We will of courseDirectors, Logistics Directors, IT Directors, or teams keep trying.2015 Election reduces bills May. There are however some things which are likely to go through regardless of who wins the election. Sadly not those type of bills. There are several par- liamentary bills which are likely to come forward • Leaving age for school / training to this year but much may depend upon the general elec- be raised to 18 . Likely June. tion result in May. It looks like there will be a reduced amount of activity in Westminster as our illustrious pol- • Caste added to the Equalities Act iticians take to the hustings. No doubt we will all be 2010 as an aspect of race. heartily sick of it all way before the month of May comes along. • Simplifying of the minimum wage. No date yet but welcomed. Don’t forget our conference this year is May 12th, the week after the general election. It should be per- • Rapid resolution for employment tri- fect timing to hear from industry and business guru’s bunals where parties agree. what impact the new government or coalition will have on our industry. Full details of conference and how to • Modern Slavery Bill. book are included in this edition of Alert (See page 12). • Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill. Thanks to the election there is not likely to be much • Consumer Rights Bill in the Autumn. activity other than the planned acts between now and10 | retraALERT

For further information please contact: Howard Saycell Deputy Chief Executive Retra [email protected] 01234 269110 www.retra.co.uklSehaavreecdhpaanrgeenstal The 2016 LowThe second important change in December is that caring responsibilities. The same rules apply to adop- Voltage Directive shared parental leave regulations came into force. ters. Mother’s entitlement to 52 weeks maternity leaveThe draft Shared Parental Leave Regulations 2014 set and 39 weeks statutory maternity pay remains. As too The Low Voltage Directive will ensure that elec-out the qualification requirements for shared parental does fathers entitlement to two weeks ordinary pater- trical equipment within certain voltage limitsleave and the draft Maternity and Adoption Leave Reg- nity leave and pay, but additional paternity leave and provides a high level of protection for consumersulations 2014 allow eligible women to curtail their right additional statutory paternity pay are abolished. and enjoys a single market across the Europeanto maternity leave to enable their partner to take shared Union. Low voltage in this case related to electri-parental leave. Shared parental leave is expected to be Balance of leave sharing cal equipment with an input voltage between 50available to parents of children born or placed for adop- and 1000V for alternating current, which coverstion on or after 5th April 2015 when the legislation relat- The act, and regulations made under it, will enable almost all mains powered electrical consumering to shared parental leave comes into force. I will try to mothers to commit to ending their maternity leave and goods. There are a small number of exclusionssummarise the main points that will potentially affect pay at a future date and share the untaken balance of from this Directive, which are generally productsyou as employers. leave and pay as shared parental leave with their part- covered by more specific directives. ner. To be eligible each parent will need to meet quali-Paternity and Adoption Leave fying criteria for leave and pay. Employees who wish to More details on the LDV’ impact on the elec-Regulations 2014 end their maternity leave will not need to return to work trical retail community will be highlighted in a to convert their untaken maternity leave into shared forthcoming retra Alert. “I can hardly wait,” I hearThis takes away the requirement for an employee to parental leave. An employee can give her employer you cry.have 26 weeks employment with the same employer notice of the date on which she intends to end herbefore they qualify for adoption leave. They also intro- maternity leave and the untaken balance of her mater- ENI contributionsduce a new right to adoption leave to local authority nity leave would then become available immediately for under 21sor the April changes, some good news. Employ-foster parents who are prospective adopters and a new as shared parental leave. The employee’s partner willright to paternity leave to the spouses, civil partners be able to start taking shared parental leave while the Fers national insurance contributions for work-and partners of those prospective adopters. The legis- employee is still on maternity leave, meaning the par-lation does state that paternity leave or adoption leave ents will be able to both take leave at the same time. ers aged under 21 is abolished. This applies tocannot be taken where leave has already been taken in all workers under 21 unless they earn £42,285 orrelation to that child. Child age limit for unpaid parental leave more, which is the upper earnings limit for higher tax rate.Shared parental leave and pay The right to take unpaid parental leave currently appliesintroduced to parents of children under five or under 18 if the child retra helpline is disabled. From April 5th the new regulations extendThe Children and Families Act 2014 introduces a new the right to take unpaid leave to parents of any child And finally as it’s the first edition of the Newsystem of shared parental leave and pay that parents under the age of 18. Year I thought I’d give you an update on thecan access so that, where they want to, they can share Helpline. During the year there were a total of 685 calls made to the helpline from 270 different member companies. The largest categories were where members had queries on employment law, closely followed by consumer rights. This is con- sistent with previous sets of data and something tells me that this is unlikely to change in 2015. I know that this magazine will not be with you until early February but I will not miss the opportunity to wish you all a heathy and prosperous 2015. ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  11

BUSINESSConference2015 Together towards tomorrow…The 2015 retra The stunning Lancaster London Hotel is to be the powerful business principles and key ideas to manyannual industry prestigious venue for the 55th retra annual industry global blue chip and FSTE 100 companies. The popu-conference conference. With the theme Together towards tomor- lar manufacturer panel includes major names from themoves to one of row… this year’s event looks at how the industry can industry including Andy Griffiths (Samsung), JonathanLondon’s most cooperate to prosper in a retail environment of change. Casley (GDHA), Andrew Denham (Panasonic) and Jon-prestigious venues Working together, members and the industry will be athan Burrage (Magimix) with more to be confirmed.to drive business best placed to take on the challenges and opportuni- No conference would be complete without a generalcollaboration into ties presented by shifting customer habits, new pur- market overview presentation by GfK’s Nigel Catlow, let-the future. chasing channels, digital marketing and new product ting attendees know what’s hot and what not to stock in technologies. the year ahead. As one of the most impressive conference and ban- The event will conclude with a four-course gala dinner queting facilities in London, the new venue will host an to be held in the prestigious Nine Kings Suite of the outstanding line-up of speakers set to deliver unique Lancaster London Hotel. This year’s chosen charities, industry insight. With the concurrent trade show and Cancer Research UK and McMillan nurses, will be sup- networking gala dinner included, this one-day event ported through a charity raffle and auction, with some will once again underpin UK electrical retail business top prizes donated by our associate members and throughout the year ahead. sponsors. More prizes are still being sought, so if you can support these great charities with a suitable prize With Sky as main sponsor and the ever-popular donation please contact the retra office. Declan Curry chairing proceedings, the format has been designed to deliver a fast-paced and informa- A new feature for this year is the dedicated Conference tion-packed day. World-class AV technology and inter- microsite which has been designed to serve as the Con- active electronic voting by the audience will make this ference’s main information hub containing all relevant one of the most memorable in the event’s rich history. conference information such as venue location, details Changes for this year include an extension of the trade- of local hotels and parking instructions for the venue. show timings, now open right up until the opening of A useful feature of the website is our new online book- the gala dinner, as well as the return of retailer and ing system. This is the first time that an online booking manufacturer panels with Q&A from delegates. facility has been made available. The website will be updated regularly as new information becomes avail- Geoff Burch, internationally renowned business able and will include Sponsor, Speaker and Exhibitor speaker, will be leading with the keynote address of the profiles, the agenda and much more. conference. His witty and engaging style has delivered Following our promotions in retra Bytes, places are beginning to fill up and availability for this prestigious event is limited. Please book early in order to avoid dis- appointment. You can book your place today, by com- pleting the booking form included in the paper edition of retra Alert or our online booking form via our Confer- ence website. Further information on member places, news on our top tier gala dinner entertain- ment and speakers will be announced through the web- site and retra Bytes. For full details please visit our website www.retra.co.uk12 | retraALERT

For further information please contact: Steve May Freelance Editor, Consultant & Creative Solutions Steve May Media Ltd [email protected] 07910903580 @SteveMay_UKCES 2015 talks tech way of HDR-encoded soft-Baffling advances in TV technology and much ware, manufacturers felt free Buzzwords abound at blather about the Internet of Things dominated this to speculate and confuse. CES 2015 but technologyyear’s International CES. If retailers were hoping for hot 500 Nits? 800 Nits? 1000 Nits? expert Steve May debatesproducts to emerge from the sprawling Las Vegas tech Pundits were free to nitpick. how HDR and IoT mightfest, they would surely have been disappointed. How- translate to sales at retail?ever, as a barometer of things to come, the show was Sony previewed an HDRnever less than fascinating. This year the show boasted 4K LED panel on its booth Samsung CEO B. K. Yoon pressed for open standards3,600 exhibitors in more than 2.2 million square feet of running test footage from regarding the Internet of Things (IoT)exhibition space. The final tally of visitors was likely to Netflix’s Marco Polo show;be 160,000. LG touted a prototype HDR OLED behind the scenes but 4K Ultra HD screens were, of course, everywhere. The said little; Panasonic offeredglobal take-up of UHD continues to confound pun- booth visitors a conceptdits. According to GfK, the market for 4K TV in 2015 is screen. Only Samsung con-expected to exceed 23m units – with the lion’s share firmed it had firm plans toof panels being consumed by China. Most every brand launch an HDR UHD TV thiswas bullish about sales for the year ahead. Panasonic spring.UK TV product manager Craig Cunningham revealedthat all of Panasonic’s £500+ 40-inch screens and up If HDR was met largelywould offer 2160p resolution. “We’ll also equip all of with bemusement, the Internet of Things infected thethem with HEVC decoders for Netflix and VP9 for You- show like a rash. Samsung CEO and president B.K.YoonTube 4K” he confided. “It’s a really strong line-up.” insisted that the IoT “was not something in the distant future, it’s already started.” He used his keynote to urge Colour performance technologies and HDR (High for open standards. “We must not have walled gardens.Dynamic Range) were the talk of the show. LG and Sam- We can deliver the benefits of IoT only if all sensors andsung made great play of Quantum Dot, which improves devices work with each other,” he said. Yoon predictedblack level performance and colour that by 2020, all of Samsung’s products would be Inter-vibrancy. The value of HDR is harder net connected - “everything from air purifiers to ovens.”to assess. HDR expands the con-trast range of images, giving very Arguably, the most useful trend to emerge at CES washigh peak brightness and expan- the simplified Smart TV platform. It seems the indus-sive shadow detail. Images really do try has decided less is more and is now chasing LG andping like never before. However with its webOS platform. At CES, Sony threw its lot in withcompeting standards and little in the Android TV, majoring on voice search, while Samsung unveiled its own Tizen OS. Not to be outshone, Pana- sonic revealed an interface based on the Firefox OS. All systems look significantly more intuitive than their pre- decessors. Finally, something with a clear user benefit we can all sell. Sony wowed CES visitors with its ultra-slim 4K TVs for 2015Samsung was the only brand at CES planning ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  13to launch HDR TV this spring.

ASSOCIATE INSIGHT For further information please contact:tthhe ird age Robert King Vice President, CEof technology Samsung Electronics Phone: 01932 455 000 www.samsung.co.uk2014 was an exciting time for the CE division at Samsung,says Robert King, and this year UHD and connected living isset to become mainstream.There is no doubt that 2015 will be the year the full-day courses securing the attendance of 135 sales 2014 also saw Samsung grow its premium shop expe- Ultra High Definition really moves into the main- staff. We received fantastic feedback from the road- riences, announcing the launch of its new Innova-stream consciousness and redefine the ‘at home’ view- show with 85% of attendees rating the training offered tion Showroom in Newark, Nottinghamshire, offer-ing experience. With our UHD range leading the shift in by Samsung as better than that offered by other tech- ing a premium shopping experience for customers inwhat people expect from their home entertainment, we nology manufactures. the Midlands. The opening marked the third Samsungare looking forward to a very good year. Innovation Showroom to be introduced to the UK and In 2015, Samsung is set to host another roadshow continues to confirm Samsung’s commitment to creat- Last year also saw the launch of our flagship Curved in addition to implementing more of the popular spe- ing new experiences for its retail partners and custom-UHD HU8500 TV. Its curved design is specifically cre- cialist day courses held at Samsung’s training cen- ers alike.ated to optimise UHD viewing and one that we believe tres in Birmingham and Brentford. We will be increas-will continue to shake up the TV market. We also further ing the number of courses to over 30 dates (up from 19 With new technologies, we have noticed growingstrengthened our audio category through the introduc- last year) as well as introducing a new registration and trends. This year more and more content providers aretion of the Wireless Audio Multiroom speakers which, booking process. We’ll be announcing further details starting to provide UHD quality content and we expectwhen used alongside our TV range, add to the immer- on this in due course. Online training will also be avail- this trend to grow rapidly. We also anticipate that thesive viewing experience that we know British consum- able for all retail staff through weekly updates via the Wireless audio category will continue to develop in theers now expect from their at home entertainment. online learning portal. This investment in our best in year ahead as people move towards a more connected class training programme continues to be an absolute home technology experience. People are investing in With the introduction of these innovative new tech- priority for us as retail staff are on the front line when more technologies for their home than ever before –nologies to the Samsung TV and AV line-up, investment it comes to educating consumers on the evolving at from their smartphones and tablets, through to theirwith our retail partners has been incredibly important. home entertainment offering. washing machines and fridges – for a simpler life. In 2014, 714 independent store staff attended Samsung has also continued to confirm its commit- As a brand with a passion for innovation, we focus on our training roadshow and we ment to supporting its retail partners, announcing the developing new technologies that make people’s lives also held 19 easier. The smart home is about technology that isn’t winners of the Samsung Store of the Year awards. overwhelming and works discretely behind the scenes The Awards saw staff from to adjust to peoples’ needs at the right time. We’re now almost 100 stores from going into the third age of the technology market. We across the UK face a series had the analogue age, then the digital age, and now of challenges, includ- we’re going into the connected home age. We’re on the ing being tested on their threshold of another chapter. Samsung TV/AV product knowledge, merchandis- As we near the end of 2014 and look towards the year ing techniques and mar- ahead, we wanted to thank you for all your support and keting skills. Along with a we hope you are as excited as we are about what’s to number of exciting prizes, come in this growing category. the well-deserved win- ners have been given the opportunity to gain addi- tional invaluable in-store training on the 2015 prod- uct range. Samsung’s curved TVs are leading the charge into an immersive, connected UHD viewing experience.14 | retraALERT

Surround your senseswith the Samsung Curved UHD TV Change the way you watch TV forever With wider viewing angles, clearer, more natural colour and a sense of depth never experienced before, the NEW Samsung Curved UHD delivers TV viewing at its very best. Surround your senses today.inno v ativeelectricalretailing

ASSOCIATE INSIGHT For further information please contact: Simon Livingstone Sales Director OTONE Audio [email protected] 0161 924 2269 www.otoneaudio.co.uk“Wait! I can’t hearyou, I’ll put you onBluetooth…” One of the biggest trends today is the explosion of portable Bluetooth speakers says Otone’s Simon Livingstone.It all started at COMDEX in 1999 when a technology money on. They will make informed choices based on Next in the range is BluWall. This portable, slim Blue- called Bluetooth was awarded the “Best of Show whether they want a quality product or whether they tooth builds on the features of Blufinity with call-han-Technology Award”. Now, more than 15 years later, the simply want a ‘fast-fashion’ fix, generally, at a much dling capability, more power and larger drivers toword Bluetooth is a household term. One of the big- cheaper price. deliver a big sound from a small stylish package. Blu-gest trends in the CE market today is the explosion of Wall also incorporates a rechargeable battery forportable Bluetooth speakers. The research company, At Otone we aim to fit exactly between the two; offer- around 8-10 hours of playback, is available in the sameTechNavio, recently forecasted a 38.73% CAGR with ing stylish, great value products that are truly unique, range of funky colours and comes to retail with an SSPan estimated market worth of $7 billion worldwide by at affordable price points. We back this up with genu- of £59.992019. inely world class product support and after sales cus- tomer service. Moreover we have marketing collateral BluWall+ is a premium version in the same form factor, As I see it, coming to the audio products from the and POS materials that allows retailers to sell Otone boasting 2.1 driver arrangement with a built-in sub-sports trade, surprisingly there are not too many dif- products with authority and, more importantly, with woofer for deeper bass. BluWall+ really produces theferences between the two industries. Many companies confidence that they and their customers are fully sup- knockout punch on an in-store demonstration. Powerare striving to have the next big thing and working hard ported. is increased (8W high-midrange, 10W subwoofer) andto develop products, which are new and innovative – connectivity spans Bluetooth, NFC and aux-in, makingrather than simply rebadging OEM SKUs. Otone, with The development of technology over the last few it compatible with the widest range of phones, smartits own in-house, award-winning designers and expe- years has also caused a change in consumer behav- devices and personal music players. Offered in six col-rienced sound engineers, is able to create genuinely iour. Consumers now want their music everywhere, ours all at an SSP of £69.99, BluWall+ is feature-packedinnovative, unique and highly saleable products for the simply, wirelessly and conveniently. We have addressed and ideal for the bedroom, office, kitchen or as theUK market and beyond. this dramatically growing market by developing a new heart of an impromptu party. range of wireless speakers. Complementing our current I do believe that, as in the sports trade, the modern range of headphones, soundbars, docks and multime- Topping the Blu Series is the BluMotion, a portableday customer has a much better understanding of dia speakers, we are introducing the Blu Series. Bluetooth speaker with built-in DAB+/DAB/FM radio.exactly what they are spending their hard earned Sporting a high-resolution LCD display with Dynamic Firstly there is the Blufiniti, a stylish, compact, light- Label Segment (DLS), it boasts call-handling capabil- weight portable speaker that incor- ity, dual alarms, sleep timer, high quality leather carry porates Bluetooth wireless audio handle and a rechargeable battery for around 8-10 streaming, NFC for one touch hours of playback. With an SSP of £79.99 and bright connection and aux-in. It has an colour range, BluMotion is the perfect companion for ergonomic design, along with a the kitchen or living environment. rechargeable lithium-ion battery allowing for around 8-10 hours play- With the market for Bluetooth speakers set to boom back. Its twin drivers create a truly through 2015, The Blu Series is ideally positioned for impressive sound for the size and retailers to exploit this growing sector. it is available in a range of colours including black, white, red, yellow, blue and green. We are marketing Blufiniti as the perfect expression of a customer’s personal style, at an SSP of £49.99. Otone’s Blu Series of Bluetooth audio products is available in blue – and black, white, red, yellow and green too.16 | retraALERT

For further information please contact: Mike Gabriel Marketing Manager Humax [email protected] 0844 669 0460 www.humaxdigital.com/uk/soundbarsRtheveosluotuionndisbinagr marketHumax’s slim soundbars, new opportunity for retail- and ensure the product sales perform well, Humax alsobacked by extensive ers to increase basket offers on-the-road support with trained staff membersretailer support, are a real values through cross-sell- visiting retailers of all sizes across the country to guaran-differentiator in a booming ing techniques that bundle tee that our key partners fully understand the product,market says Mike Gabriel. audio with complemen- the key USPs and benefits to consumers. tary products such as set-For more than 10 years in the UK, Humax has been top boxes and TVs. Over the last 12 months, Humax’s retailer training supporting independent retail partners with its programme has delivered product training to overrange of set-top boxes. Our commitment to technology While feature set and 5,000 retail staff and the hands-on approach to retailerinnovation and quality has enabled us to deliver mar- quality is critical, design is engagement means these employees fully appreciateket-leading products that offer our partners good mar- also an important aspect the capabilities of our products and how to demon-gins and solutions that meet consumer demand. of any product develop- strate these to the customer to bring the features to life. ment. That’s why the look This focus has served both Humax and our retail- and styling of our sound- Humax has created a clear leadership position in theers well, but more recently we have identified a clear bar range has been a key set-top box market, with GfK figures showing we haveopportunity to expand our portfolio to encompass focus, ensuring our retail- increased our market share over the last 12 months. Weother areas of home entertainment. Over the last two ers have a product that have expanded into the audio market with a clear mis-years the audio market has seen a definite growth in stands out from the typ- sion to replicate our success by delivering high qualityconsumer demand for soundbars to enhance the TV ically similar consumer products that have a clear differentiator and offer maxi-viewing experience in the home. We knew that in order electronics brands on dis- mum opportunity for our retail partners.to stand out we had to introduce a soundbar that would play.clearly stand out from the crowd, providing our part-ners with an appealing product that differentiated their Affordability is a key con-offering from competitors. sideration for the typical consumer, but it was impor- tant that this didn’t undermine margins for our retail With large and obtrusive soundbars already dominat- partners. In hitting the sub-£200 mark we have ensureding the TV and audio space, the Humax STA-1200 BSW the STA-1200 BSW has maximum appeal for thoseaimed to make headway in shaking up the market, with cost-conscious consumers searching for an eye-catch-the arrival of the world’s slimmest soundbar. Measur- ing price point, without compromising on product qual-ing an impressive 1.2 meters in length, but only 20 X ity or eroding our retailer margins.37mm in depth and height, this next-generation, ultrasleek soundbar brings powerful audio performance to Humax is committed to supporting retailers throughthe everyday TV experience, at an affordable price for the sales process, providing professional display mate-consumers. rials, equipment and stands to ensure our products have maximum appeal to customers in store. How- Our approach has provided UK independent retail- ever education and understanding is also important toers with the exciting opportunity to offer a ‘world first’ secure that sale and that’s why Humax has produced aaudio product to customers. An appealing ‘buy’ in its range of ‘how to’ and sales videos, designed to bring theown right, the Humax soundbar range also presents a features and benefits of our products to life for retailers. These are readily available to independent retailers on our website, Youtube and Vimeo, and we are actively working to expand our range of educational assets for retail partners with a new web-based online train- ing programme. To extend our training on soundbars Slim, stylish and powerful (160/180Watts!) Humax’s soundbars tick all the boxes from great audio performance to very high WAF. ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  17

ASSOCIATE INSIGHT For further information please contact: Richard Walker Head of Category, Built-In Glen Dimplex Home Appliances [email protected] 0844 248 4147 www.gdha.comsizWehy sisomeveetriymthesing…Sales of built-in hobs continue to grow and the make-up of the market has changed substan- as three pre-set power levels and residual heat indica- tors. tially in recent years. Consumers are embracing new As with the majority of Belling products these 80 andBuilt-in hobs are hot right technologies, styles and sizes with enthusiasm. The 90cm hobs are Made in Britain at our Merseyside pro- year-on-year increase to November 2014 in total hob duction facility. This is an increasingly important sell-now with sales, sizes and sales stood at 12%, while total electric hob sales grew ing benefit as our recent consumer research showed ittechnology on the up. Richard by 13%. is more important than ever to customers. In fact, whenWalker at GDHA explains. we asked consumers about their perception of British Much of the growth can be attributed to sales of made goods almost half said they regarded them as induction hobs which consumers in the UK have higher quality and 44 per cent actively seek out Made embraced due to its faster, safer, greener benefits. Once a customer has used an induction hob they are unlikely in Britain products. to ever go back to other electric hob technologies. And, Belling has traditionally led the way in bringing while the technology itself has been widely available for affordable induction products to market and this a number of years, the way induction is evolving with latest launch represents a significant investment. We products offering extra features at lower price points, are committed to supporting our retailers and helping means the market is a long way from levelling out yet. them in communicating the benefits of the products to Induction clearly has greater cut through at the top their customers. Training is delivered via our dedicated end of the market. Products are generally of a higher Area Sales Teams and we also work closely with buying spec and, recently, larger size hobs of 80 and 90cm have groups to provide further retailer support, exhibiting at proved to be increasingly popular. In fact, the value of events such as the Euronics Showcase and Sirius road- the electric hob market for products over 60cm has shows. grown by almost 25% in the last year, taking it to more As a brand Belling invests heavily in trade advertis- than £20million at retail. ing across the year and is also one of the most active In response to this growing demand and the signifi- white goods brands on social media. This provides con- cant year-on-year growth in the sector, Belling unveiled sumers with helpful hints and tips, and recipes suited its first range of 80cm and 90cm induction hobs in the to their products, as well as responsive customer ser- final quarter of 2014. The IHK80 and IHK90 both feature vice channel. five induction zones with individual touch slider con- In addition to the standard one-year guarantee, we trols and timers. Both models boast 13 power levels also offer a range of extended warranties to increase and a Power Boost function which increases the power cover up to three or five years for additional peace ofBelling’s latest 80cm and 90cm induction to cook zone by 60% for quickly bringing pans up to mind. To make it even easier for consumers to regis-hobs feature five zones, power boost and cooking temperature. Additional features include a ter their product, Belling has also signed up to a newtouch-slider controls. child lock, pan detection and pan anti-overheat, as well scheme – www.registermyappliance.org.uk – operated by the Association of Manu- facturers of Domestic Appli- ances (AMDEA). This ser- vice is designed to make it quicker and easier for the public to regis- ter all of their appli- ances across a huge number of leading brands of domes- tic appliances.18 | retraALERT

DB4 90GT PROF Stainless 444443491 COONOKGIANGS CLASSIC 90GT CLASSIC 90GT CLASSIC 90GT The new Belling Gas RangeBlack 444443485 Cream 444443486 Stainless 444443487 cookers, Classic and DB4 ranges in 90/100/110cm. Also available in Dual Fuel and Electric. See the full range online at: www.belling.co.uk DB4 90GT DB4 90GT DB4 90GTBlack 444443488 White 444443489 Stainless 444443490

ASSOCIATE INSIGHT For further information please contact: Bo Simonsen Market Manager Witt UK & Ireland [email protected] 01483 516633 www.witt-ltd.comIndependent growthwith MDA Danish brand Witt is driving to sign-up independent electrical retailers with its innovative MDA brand, says Bo Simonsen. Founded in 1993, Witt is a premium manufacturer with modern technologies and an elegant and timeless of appliances and also distributes a number of design. brands throughout Europe. In addition to the Witt The company even offers an innovative downdraft branded range, in the UK, the company distributes the hood that will rise majestically from the bench top iRobot range of intelligent products, which includes when you turn it on. The elegant design of the Witt Ver- Roomba, the leading vacuum cleaner robot, and tical hood is designed to fit seamlessly into any con- Scooba, the floor-washing robot that kills up to 99.3 temporary kitchen and add a stylish touch. The intel- per cent of all bacteria. ligent and unobtrusive shape gives you the best of The Witt range consists of high quality products in both worlds: efficient extraction of cooking smells and a number of categories including glass ceramic hobs, fumes and full view of the cooking area without the risk multi-zone hobs, built-in ovens, and cooker hoods. of damaging your head on a sharp edge as you work. Witt’s newest hoods consist of five classic stainless When the hood is not in use the combination of black steel hoods and black glass models. They are availa- glass and stainless steel lends a special feeling of high ble as wall mounted or island models, 60 and 90cm, quality and stylish minimalism. with internal or external motor. The design is elegant In the current economic climate, sales of premium and the range is an ideal cosmetic match with Witt domestic appliances are holding their own, with many ovens and hobs. consumers opting to buy better products. With this in The range is diverse so we can boast that Witt offers mind I would encourage retra members to look at Witt’s a range of cooker hoods for every taste and kitchen, all product mix. Witt UK & Ireland is looking to grow and we sharing a high level of quality and stylish design. The are actively seeking to recruit retailers across the coun- designs range from sculptural and creative, through the try. We need retailers that are willing to make the most classic and vertical models to built-in hoods integrated of this innovative and stylish range, and can demon- into the ceiling or cabinet. The products feature all the strate the benefits to their customers - key strengths of functions a chef could wish for, are user friendly, easy the independent electrical retailer. to clean and able to effectively light the cooking area. For me, the key words are ‘innovation’ and ‘demon- We firmly believe that the products all represent the stration’ are absolutely vital to the business. They are ultimate in quality and product development - unique, important ingredients in making the most of the MDA market place and upselling customers to premium appliances. By demonstrating Witt’s new range of premium cooking products includes a innovative features, retra members have stunning line-up of stylish cooker hoods and hobs. the ability to convince the consumer to pur- chase products that are better suited to their cooking ambitions and their aspira- tional kitchen style. I believe it is important to create real ‘the- atre’ in-store. This will draw customers in, better engage them with the products and inevitably lead to more and higher value sales of premium products. I’ve always been a great believer in the independent retail sector and I want to work with retra members that are interested in selling, and demonstrating, products that are truly inno- vative, well designed and that offer good, attractive margins.20 | retraALERT

Are you making the most of your retra membership benefits? Great Consumer Extended Credit Card Credit: warranties processing with attractive Barclays rates & Hitachi profits 0% interestIndustry CommercialEvents property, van & public liability Insurance RetracareExclusive Insurance packages & more... Merchant Services Barclaycard FreeBusiness& LegalHelplineFor more details contact retra: Tel : 01234 269110 Email : [email protected] www.retra.co.uk

Htheeadlining bigeventBarretts annual customer With over 200 loyal and potential customers pass- on hand for the evening, offering a £230 sound bar asevening offers something ing through the doors in a single evening, Shaun a raffle prize and running 11.1 channel Dolby Atmosthat multiples and on-line Barrett’s annual customer event is an important fix- demonstrations in Barrett’s dedicated AV room. Basedcompetitors just can’t ture in the diary of Canterbury’s Barretts Digital World. around one of the company’s Atmos enabled receivers,replicate. Editor Richard Last November’s open evening was packed with incen- the demonstration encompassed a large screen 4K TVStevenson popped along for tives for customers to attend, including performances with fully custom installed in-wall and in-ceiling speak-the gig and a slice of cake. by MOBO Award nominated singer-songwriter Kristyna ers. The whole suite showcased customers what was Myles, Dolby Atmos demonstrations, refreshments, possible at Barretts, from immersive surround sound to competitions and live cooking shows. If that wasn’t seamless custom installation work that made sure the enough enticement to come out on a chilly Novem- Atmos speakers were heard and not seen. ber evening, the store offered a 10% discount on most in-store purchases. Myles herself, along with guitarist Ben Williams, did three 20-minutes sets with half hour in-between each Organising such an event is a big undertaking, so for business. Just as well, as the performance was cap- does it wash its face? “It is always a really tivating and had most of the attending guests simply positive and successful event,” com- standing and listening. A parting customer goody bag ments Shaun. “This success is evaluated was loaded with sponsors’ brochures as well as a range not just in business written on the night of Yamaha goodies, including Myles’ latest CD, for cus- or over the following few days but also tomer to take home. in the general improvement in cus- tomer loyalty and retention.” If the music and AV entertainment alone was not The event itself could not happen enough to make it a great evening out for customers, without the support of suppliers both Miele and Rangemaster made sure attendees were willing to take part and bring wowed with delights from the live cooking demonstra- the excitement to the party. tions. Having bobbed between the two cooking areas, Kristyna Myles is an artist sampling many of the treats on offer under the auspices signed to Yamaha Music, of editorial research, it was amazing to see the custom- so a tie in with Yamaha er-pull of such live cooking events. My photos of the was an obvious connec- Rangemaster area were simply a sea of people watch- tion. Yamaha’s Director ing the action and sampling the cakes and pastries on of AV Ian Galloway and offer. Miele’s cooking dem was a festival of wok-cooking, Product Specialist rich smells and some of the best satay chicken in Kent. Chris Wray were both Clearly both demonstrations were engaging customers who liked to sample the results first hand. Roberts, Bose, Sonos, LG, Pana- sonic and Sony all joined in sup- porting the Barretts event, each sending down representatives to help out with displays and sales for the evening. Roberts’ ever pop- ular Gerry Kehoe was busy chat- ting to customers and demon- ƒ Kristyna Myles performs Mark my Words at Barretts’ open evening22 | retraALERT

 Miele cooking demstrating the Roberts range display, albeit with thedouble edged sword of being closest to the live music.The stand was the centre of attention, even if the musicwas a little loud for sales patter during the performance. Arriving shortly after the event opened at 6pm andstaying untill the end at around 8:30pm, it was easy tosee the number of customers that came through thedoor and stayed throughout the evening. Cheery smilesand waves to staff as they left is always a good sign,doubly so that many of them were carrying purchasesunder their arms at the time. Even the entrance and exitwas made special for the event, with a red carpet lead-ing up to the main doors and champagne or orangejuice refreshments just inside. I asked Shaun quite how he had managed to get over200 people out of their nice warm homes and into aretail store on an industrial park on a cold night in themiddle of November. “We use a range of methods tomarket these events and try to measure which is themost effective,” explains Shaun. “You have really gotto make it exciting with a real ‘wow’ factor. We eshotour own customer database with a personalised invite,use social media extensively and combine that withleaflets in the local press and area,” adds Shaun. Thecompany has built quite a Facebook following witharound 1,000 customers already receiving Barretts’posts in their timeline. No two customer open evenings have been the sameat Barretts and Shaun continues to look at ways ofimproving and expanding these important events. So,what are the likely changes for this Autumn’s event?“We had a lot of very positive comments about KristynaMyles’ quality and talent, and she was a big draw,” saysShaun. “The live cooking demonstrations always provepopular and I would recommend any retailer consider-ing this sort of event to see what their cooking categorysupplier can offer in terms of support. Timing is alsoimportant and we will reconsider the date in future toavoid following Black Friday.” Get all these ingredients right and the benefits ofundertaking customer open evenings can have bothimmediate and long term customer loyalty benefits.As Shaun notes, “Multiple and on-line only retailerssimply cannot do events like this on such a personallevel and this gives bricks and mortar retail stores areal advantage.” ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  23

ASSOCIATE INSIGHT For further information please contact: Jonathan Burrage Managing Director Magimix UK & Ireland [email protected] 01483 427411 www.magimix.uk.comStrong Blend Last year was a successful year for the small domes-Jonathan Burrage at tic appliance sector with sales between 2013 and term appliance investment, we have seen this trendMagimix looks behind the 2014 increasing 9% and at a value of 15% according to reflected in sales, with our range of premium productscompany’s booming SDA GfK figures. This has been credited to consumers cook- performing very well.sales as it unveils a raft of ing and entertaining more at home, opting to invest inretailer support initiatives healthy food preparation gadgets and appliances from Multifunctionality is another SDA market driver. Withinto 2015. brands that are reliable and stand the test of time. many consumers becoming more space conscious as well as more adventurous in the kitchen, a compact The stand out product sector for Magimix, as well as machine that simplifies a range of tasks and reduces the wider market, has been blenders with juicers also the number of appliances required is seen as a wise performing well. This continuing a trend first estab- investment. With an extensive range of Food Proces- lished in 2013. Sales have seen a massive jump year sors, Magimix offers a choice of sizes and colours at the on year as lifestyle trends continue to focus on healthy premium end of the market to suit every kitchen. living and dieting. Food processors have continued to be a key feature in many homes throughout the UK with Throughout 2014 we worked closely with independ- 7 out of every 10 food processors sold are a Magimix. ent retailers to give their sales teams the support they require. We offer training and visits from our Territory Home Cooking is being influenced by an ever greater Managers to ensure that retail staff are comfortable in awareness of what we eat and how our food is pre- selling the benefits of the products, not just the features. pared. There has been an explosion in the popular- This knowledge gives staff the confidence to run their ity of cookery shows in recent years, accelerating this own in-store demonstrations, inspiring consumers with trend. Chefs, cooks and other members of the public their knowledge and expertise. This is an exceptionally effective method of encouraging consumer interest and are inspiring us to rec- engagement with products. It enables customers to ask reate dishes and cook questions, interact, try the resulting dishes and make a from scratch in our more informed purchasing decision. own homes using fresh ingredients, and this is We have also continued to invest in the independent certainly strengthening market with innovative consumer promotions across the food preparation our range of kitchen appliances at peak trading times. market. The Hundred Foot Journey is Magimix’s biggest retail promotion to date. This promotion gives away a luxury Of the people who cooking break in Bordeaux to customers and iPads to bought appliances retailers that created the best displays to promote the within the SDA sector competition. A partnership with Paul Hollywood’s Brit- in 2014, 40% spent ish Baking Live Tour has also been created to win tickets over £100, while only and copies of his new British Baking Book. Last Christ- 20% spent less than mas we gave away copies of Jane Hornby’s latest cook- £23. This suggests that ery book What to Bake & How to Bake It, along with a consumers are some- macaroon kit with every food processor purchased. A what polarised, pur- further customer competition offers the chance to win chasing goods from one of 10 pairs of places on a cookery class at Bromp- either the lower or ton Cookery School in Shropshire. premium end of the market. Due to our All these promotions have proved very popular with well-established repu- customers and retailers alike. As a result, we will con- tation for quality, style tinue to run regular promotions to support our inde- and providing a long pendent retailers throughout 2015. Putting the juice into SDA sales, Magimix’ premium extractors are a mouth-watering prospect for retailers.24 | retraALERT

IER AWARDS Thursday 12th March 2015at the Millennium Gloucester HotelGala Dinner & Awards Ceremony FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES In association with;innovativeThe OR TO BOOK YOUR TABLE/PLACES electrical CONTACT LINDA DORLING ON: retailing [email protected] awards 2015 or Tel: 07885 142398www.ierawards.co.uk Table bookings are now being taken Sponsored by:

ASSOCIATE INSIGHT For further information please contact: Mark Knowles Head of Product Development Philex [email protected] 01234 263700 www.philex.com44KK?or4 notKTVwasoneofthekeyphrasesof2014andaswe retailers were targeted and the whole industry has felt move into 2015 this trend looks set to continue. the fallout. Ultra High Definition TV is here and it’s getting bigger, cheaper and more readily available as the top tier As professional and responsible manufacturers of brands expand their offerings. They are being joined by many accessory categories, including HDMI cables, we new emerging players and even OEM products. know that there are many differences in the quality of Of course we all know that the lovely demo material cables. The parameters include copper thickness and seen in most showrooms cannot easily be replicated purity, shielding, insulation protection and plug quality. However, unlike the days of the Scart lead, most con- in the real world living rooms of customers. The mass sumers may struggle to notice any visible differences within HDMI qualities.Premium HDMI cable sales market content simply isn’t available yet. Yes, Netf-have taken a nosedive but lix offers some 4K content but it’s very limited and yes, Philex have been working hard to address both thesea 4K upscaling cable could some TV brands can provide a small movie selection issues and have developed an HDMI cable accessorysignal a reverse of fortunes when you buy their product. Most users are therefore that can make a tangible difference. The Thor 4K cable is a premium 2m HDMI cable with a built in video pro- left to judge the quality of their shiny new 4K TV by its cessor and upscaler. The image output via this cable is ability to upscale their existing Blu-ray and DVD collec- certified by Technicolor to meet their stringent bench- tions. marks and most importantly is demonstrable in store.for the sector. The quality of this feature can vary quite significantly, Technicolor is the worldwide technology leader when and although source equipment and cable quality it comes to movie post production and presentation, and they have been involved in almost every movie can play a part in this, most consumers today strug- made. Although today’s movies are all filmed in 4K, they are delivered to us in regular 1080p or lower qual- gle to accept the cost of a “Premium HDMI” because of ity. That is until you plug in the Thor 4K cable! The state of the art chipset in the cable not only upscales to 4K if budget constraints and the negative press around this you have a compatible TV, it also performs some dra- matic real-time video processing on the way. It can topic. Recently there has been a raft of negative press extract additional fine detail, sharpen text edges and also reduce video noise on older or SD material. The from various sources about “miss-selling” the bene- end result is a visibly improved image that most people can detect in A/B demonstration. This is an ideal story fits of more expensive HDMI cables. Some of this has to tell about a premium HDMI cable that can be backed up by demonstrable performance improvements. stuck in consumers’ minds and this part of the accesso- Our industry is one of the most exciting, fast moving ries market suddenly nosedived. Several large national and ever changing places to do business. Consum- ers also worry about this and the fact that their expen-Thor’s imaging enhancing HDMI sive TV or accessory might become obsolete. So thecable promises demonstrable Thor cable also comes with a Future Proof guarantee.benefits in-store. If the HDMI standard ever evolves to demand more per- formance than this cable can provide, then Philex will replace it directly with the customer. You can’t say fairer than that! Accessories have long played a part in providing a welcome and profitable revenue stream to support the hardware sales. Only a few years ago, sales of premium cables were buoyant and helped retailers and custom- ers alike to get the best from their equipment. Today, that sale is more difficult. Tomorrow, it returns.26 | retraALERT

For further information please contact: Roy Dickens Retail Director Sony Specialists (UK & Ire) 01932 816 000 www.sony.co.ukPophpotoortunityRoy Dickens focuses on the vibrantphoto market for Sony and offers asnapshot of the retail potential.More photos are being taken than ever before and ditions of the famous α7 series, street consumers are using a variety of devices to cap- including the world’s smallest and work with Sony toture important, and not so important, moments. Images and lightest interchangea- promote the range. Theand videos are shared instantly on social media, docu- ble-lens full-frame camera Alpha range continues to grow,menting daily lives. The way that news is broadcast and (α7R). The α7 II features a with a range of A and E mount cameras available.digested has also dramatically changed in recent years 24.3 effective megapixel Whilst products like QX and Action Cam will appeal to awith major news stories broken with footage captured 35 mm full-frame Exmor® new and growing audience, the traditional DSLR prod-by a passer-by that is shared online. CMOS sensor that moves ucts continue to be popular. along five axes to compen- For customers that simply want to improve the imag- Anyone can be a photographer, whatever their skill sate for camera shake, pro- ing performance and versatility of the mobile devices,level or interests, which provides both a challenge and viding optical image stabili- there is Sony’s innovative QX lens. These connect easilyan opportunity for retailers. The increased availabil- zation equivalent to up to 4.5 to a smartphone or tablet and incorporate Sony tech-ity of camera technology included in smartphones has steps faster shutter speed. This nology found throughout the imaging range. For exam-introduced many new consumers to photography and means shooting sharp, handheld ple the QX1 has an APS-C size Exmor™ sensor andgiven them an opportunity to develop an interest. Apps stills and video is now possible under BIONZ X™ processor capable of producing DSLR qual-and digital imaging services are available for them to conditions that would have required a tripod in the ity images.learn techniques that were once the domain of serious past. 2015 is going to be yet another exciting year for Sonyphotographers. For this new generation a smartphone as we continue to develop the imaging story. With themight suffice for a ‘selfie’ but for precious memories, The action camera sector grew dramatically last year. help of retailers we would like to create experiences forsuch as a child’s first steps or a holiday of a lifetime, con- The new Sony Action Cam is a really exciting product, consumers where they can enjoy and expand their pho-sumers should be encouraged to purchase an imaging a wearable device perfect for capturing the action in tography skills.product that will allow them to preserve the memory in fantastic HD quality, with footage that can be sharedthe best possible quality. instantly. There are also a range of accessories availa- Sony’s camera range also caters for smartphone ble for Action Cam, including an assortment of mounts photographers looking for better image quality and Sony has now built a range of premium devices that for the head, chest or even a pet. All are an opportunity greater flexibility.feature class-leading features such as large sensors to encourage consumers to capture the world aroundand high zooms, enabling consumers to take their pho- them in stunning quality. At CES Sony announced a 4Ktographer to the next level. Models in the award win- Action Cam will also join the range this year. By provid-ning Sony RX range are capable of capturing images in ing consumers with an affordable 4K Action Cam we areall kinds of conditions. The RX100 III packs even more further enhancing the whole 4K experience.shooting power into a compact body. With a 1.0 typesensor, ZEISS® lens and a fast processor it’s the perfect Sony continues to drive the promotion of imaging oncamera for capturing dramatic low-light scenarios and the high street, with several photo specialists joining thestunning wide angle shots. Alpha Centres of Excellence programme, proving con- sumers with the best possible knowledge for the Alpha In November Sony introduced the α7 II, the World’s range, including regular workshops with Sony ImagingFirst Full-Frame Camera with Optical 5-Axis Image Sta- Ambassadors. The ACE programme is a great opportu-bilization. The camera offers outstanding image quality nity for retailers to offer a point of difference on the highin a compact size and light build, and carries on the tra- ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  27

CATEGORY ANALYSISWhat’s hotwCliethanouintgwiresBattery technology Cordless cleaners no longer suck. Well they do, very site Trusted Reviews. We saw a rash of high-powerand EU legislation are well in fact. Back in the day, I recall selling hand vacuum cleaners (over 2kW) in the first half of last yearrevolutionising the held ‘dust buster’ style cleaners like hot cakes despite and a gradual flow of models that crept in under thevacuuming market. the fact they had all the suction power of an asthma EU 1600Watt limit later in the year – with the consum-A cordless Richard sufferer with a drinking straw. There was clearly a mate loss is absolute suction power. With 900Watt limitStevenson investigates. demand for cleaning without wires but, to coin a Star around the corner, the days of vacuum cleaners that lift Trek-ism in my first Alert issue as editor, “you cannae carpet with industrial suction and beat the pile sense- ƒThe Air Ram by change the laws of physics.” For big suction you need less to free dust are soon to be over. G-tech is a direct- a lot of power. collect vacuum that At the same time we were presented with a trio of compresses dirt into Fast forward over two decades and Lithium battery cordless cleaners, Dyson’s DC59, Vax’s Air Cordless and an easy to unload technology has enabled the market for smart devices the Bosch Athlet. All three are premium models with a ‘brick’. and is making its way into bigger more power hungry range of different features but they have one thing in sectors. How many people actually buy a corded drill common; they clean really rather well. None quite have for DIY or professional use any more? Lithium battery the oomph of a 1600Watt premium corded model, but power made them so much more practical and easy when the 900Watt limit comes in they will look very to use, and it is set to do the same to the floorcare competitive in cleaning performance indeed. market. With EU restricting new vacuum cleaner power to 1600Watts last year and sub 900Watt from 2017 one The three models on test traded blows on power has to ask; what future corded cleaning? versus run-time, with the Dyson going for massive suc- tion glory over just six minutes. The Vax offered rea- The revolution has already started too. GfK has been sonable but far less suction for 50 minutes with its two tracking what it calls the ‘handstick’ market for several batteries and the Bosch fell somewhere in the middle. years and the figures make for impressive reading. Bag- The Dyson’s wall-mount and charger arrangement is less handsticks put on a phenomenal 52.9% in the year going to be ideal for some and a pain for others while to November 2014, and this was from a base that had the Vax’s removable battery and separate dock charger been gaining momentum from several years. It topped owes more to the power tool market. You could simply out at a very healthy £86.2m at retail. Volume rose by buy another battery or two and have enough power to 29.8% over the same period, which meant the average do the entire house when they are all charged up. The price had risen by 17.9% as well. There are more than Athlet didn’t impress with its wall-wart charger and trail- 70 models of handstick in the UK market now, up 36% ing lead but it was powerful, light and strangely useful in from the previous year. That makes it one of the biggest its ‘over-the-shoulder’ portable mode. increases in new products across SDA in the UK. Yet these are all features that consumers more famil- The real eye-opener for me was that bagless hand- iar with the 1980s dust buster will not be aware of. I sus- sticks now accounted for nearly a quarter of the volume pect this is why handsticks are still ‘only’ 25% of the of the UK vacuum cleaner market and 37.3% of the total UK vacuum cleaner market at present. These features value! With the boom in products, better performance and benefits really need explaining and demonstrating and growing awareness among consumers, I can only more than any other floorcare technology. see the vacuum cleaner market going in one direction. In the not too distant future, could tripping over the Moreover these devices, the Dyson in particular for vacuum cable be a thing of the past? I think it could. its short run-time, require a new way of vacuuming the home. That is quick nip vacuuming sessions around As part of another business interest, I manage test- maybe one or two rooms and the same again ing and reviewing of MDA and SDA products, for another room tomorrow. By the end of primarily for consumer facing web- the week the user would have cleaned the28 | retraALERT

For further information please contact: Richard Stevenson Editor Retra Alert [email protected] 07974 926157 www.retra.com.uk ƒThe model that kick-started battery vacuuming has come of age: Black & Decker’s new Dustbuster Flexi. house in the same time The Dyson may only offer six as one long session with a minutes on full power but its corded model. During that outstanding suction rivals time not once have they had corded cleaners. „ to unwind the cord, skip Dou- ble-Dutch while cleaning and  Vax’s Air Cordless offers 50 minutes of then attempt to re-wind the result- run time from its two batteries.ing cable bird’s nest back on thecleaner. ƒThe volume of the handstick market is still Pitching this way of cleaning under £100 like this hand held and uprightto consumers is not easy though model from Morphy Richardsbecause it involves breaking life- style habits. My mum would not ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  29 entertain a cordless cleaner until I bought her a G-Tech Air Ram and now she rarely uses anything else for floorcare. I also confess that when we started testing the cord- less models I simply didn’t ‘get it’ either. Three weeks later and the old mains cleaner hadn’t been out of the cupboard. The cordless is charged up and always ready for a quick skirmish into a room or to chase the fall-out of two moulting dogs before visitors turn up. In a Victor Kiam moment, I was so impressed I bought one. Well, I never gave Vax the review sample back anyway.ƒThe Athlet fromBosch combines greatsuction with reasonablerun-time and an over-the shoulder portablemode.

CATEGORY ANALYSIS For further information please contact:GfK Report Anthony Williams Account Director Gfk [email protected] 0207 890 9000 www.gfk.comHas Black Friday killedChristmas for SDA?Could the Black Friday November 2013 signalled the very first widely pro- time. Average prices for these products tumbled by 19%boost take the jingle out of moted Black Friday retail “event” in the UK. An with online retail prices dropping by 23%. LiquidisersChristmas SDA sales or is American import, Black Friday is the Friday follow- were another bestseller with market value rising bySanta just shopping earlier? ing Thanksgiving Day and is widely regarded in the US 85% over the month although volumes outpaced this market as the beginning of the Christmas shopping at over 100%. There were similar discounts to espresso season. In 2013 the idea took off in the UK and on the makers. Other products showing a strong uplift in vol- back of its success, a 2014 repeat performance was umes included cordless handstick vacuum cleaners always on the cards. Over-excited bargain hunters and (+59%) and wrist sport computers (+40%). Even high the media frenzy around the consumer furore aside, end kitchen machines leapt up by 33%, products which November 28th and the subsequent weekend didn’t generally see less price attrition. disappoint. Full December data has not been released at time of Small domestic appliances (SDA) were an integral going to press, although GfK’s weekly monitor showed component of the promotions and markets includ- total SDA sales had dropped 1.4% the week after Black ing liquidisers, espresso makers and vacuum cleaners Friday compared to the previous year and fell a fur- all saw substantial volume growth year on year. The ther 2% the week before Christmas. Even before 2013, question arises whether such event-led marketing hits the gifting season for SDA had shifted earlier. So whilst market value over the peak trading season for SDA. Has an argument for value reduction in December can be Black Friday ruined the traditional premium-priced made, Black Friday may not be the root cause. A more Christmas? logical conclusion, reached by millions of shoppers before now, is that Christmas in retail was starting to get Before assessing the negatives, let’s look at the big earlier anyway. The proof: I spied Easter eggs on sale winners. Fully automatic espresso machines took top on Boxing Day. That is a reality that consumers will just honours in both volume and value, growing at over have to get used to. 120% to reach around £1.4m in November for the firstConsumers got into Black Friday success for SDA November Volume Growth Nov 2014 Full Autoquite a froth over Black in November EspressoFriday sales. 170% Machines £281 million30 | retraALERT +7% SDA Value sales (Nov 2014) 7.6 million 140% Liquidisers +4% SDA Volume sales (Nov 2014) Cordless Handstick Biggest Average Price Drops (% Change) Nov 2014 59% 40% Vacs Wrist Sport Computers Full Auto Liquidisers Kitchen Steam Mops Kitchen Espresso Machines Machines Machines 33% GfK Panelmarket: Great Britain – November 2014 © GfK 2015

making the right connections Join us at this NEW Ariete (Jaleno) trade show aimed at Bamix (Proven Products) Beurer small domestic Dualit appliance retailers. EPE International EwbankLaunching with a fantastic Gourmet Gadgetry line up of top suppliers, Groupe SEB brands and products. Hostess (Crosslee) HSCL - Severin Make the Jura right connections KitchenAid Kuvings (IPAS) for your Magimix customers! Meyer Redmond RKW SMART Worldwide Swan Team UKI UP Global Sourcing Vitality 4 Life Vitamix Witt Run by the industry, for the industry Exclusively Electrical will run alongside the long standing, successful Exclusively Housewares show, designed especially for housewares, tableware and homeware buyersFor more information on the show take a look at www.exclusivelyhousewares.co.ukwww.exclusivelyelectrical.co.uk or call 0121 237 1130

FORWARD PLANNING For further information please contact:Service & Safety Martyn Allen Head of Electro-Technical Division Electrical Safety First [email protected] 02034 635114 www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.ukchTiamne fgore The Electrical Safety First conference tackled the increasingly high-profile issue of product recall and traceability. tion channels which fit the consumerRetra’s Howard Saycell joins panellist discussing the ity is due to our ‘broad church’ approach, bringing demographic. The days of putting aretailer’s role in effective product traceability. together a diverse range of speakers and delegates. small notice in the back of a newspa- Product safety crosses many borders, both in terms of per is over. Or rather, you can still doThe importance of product safety and the need for the supply chain and the Single Market. that but you also have to exploit the effective product recalls has been emphasised in medium that people use today, par-recent years via a number of tragic cases with extensive This year’s conference agenda reflected this interdis- ticularly social media. Our researchmedia coverage. All of which has intensified concerns ciplinary approach and included a review of legislative discovered that the vast majority ofover how and when a recall should be issued, particu- developments, the impact of complexity in the supply people (77%) would respond to alarly since many of them have limited success. These chain and the challenges of – and potential solutions recall if they were really clear on therecalls often only achieve just 10% -20% effectiveness. to – tracking and traceability. Discussion topics ranged potential dangers. from the use of technological developments, to how an Electrical Safety First is the UK consumer charity com- effective recall, such as Toyota’s, can enhance rather However, data also showed themitted to reducing deaths and accidents from elec- than tarnish corporate reputation. impact of consumer attitudes to thetricity. Its fourth Product Safety Conference, ‘Time for type of product recalled, with cus-Change’, which was held at the end of last year, tack- But the key message of the event was that industry tomers far more likely to act if theled the increasingly high-profile issue of product recall can’t improve product recall without improving con- recall is of a large, rather than a smalland traceability. Our rationale for hosting the confer- sumer awareness. And to do that, effective communi- product. Ironically the electrical itemsence was to engage with industry, and other stake- cation – particularly the use of clear and straightfor- most frequently reported as faulty orholders, to establish a collaborative approach to prod- ward language is essential, as our research launched at dangerous are smaller ones, such asuct safety. We wanted to create a forum where people the conference demonstrates. chargers, hairdryers and kettles. Wecould share best practice – and potential pitfalls – and also found consumers failure to reg-offer a space where new ideas and collaborations could We found that, in terms of product recalls, one size ister their products – a fundamen-be developed. does not fit all. Manufacturers and retailers need to tal element of efficient traceability know who their customers are and use the communica- – occurs because they are either una- It is significant that we have seen year-on-year growth ware of the registration card’s pur-in attendance at these events. Much of their popular- pose, or they fear personal details may be used for marketing purposes. Some of the effects of the conference have already been felt. In response to the call for clear information on recalls and traceability for manufacturers and retail- ers – especially SMEs without the in-house expertise to deal with complex regulatory documents - we are look- ing at producing an easy-to-use guide to help. Delegate feedback has led the Charity to make the conference an annual event - with a follow-up seminar to Time for Change currently being arranged for March 2015. If you would like to find out more about Electrical Safety First’s Product Safety seminar, which will take place in London on March 12th 2015, please contact [email protected] | retraALERT

For further information please contact:retra Install Danny Sait Editor Essential Install magazine [email protected] 01634 673163aInnstoallther levelwww.essentialinstalllive.eu/magazine/to your businessCustom installation of AV equipment is a real growth business, something the CE industry has been If all this seems daunting, the great news is that the The vibrant andshort of for a while. The business involves selling client’s sector is populated with a very good number of spe- expanding customhome entertainment and automation systems and cialist distribution companies solely focused on this install sector couldthen installing them to a high standard into the fabric of market. They are not just there to provide you with the provide your businesstheir home or business. Current UK value of the industry right products, almost all provide in-house training and with a new on-trendis put at between £840m and £875m per-annum. These technical support to a good standard allowing you to and lucrative aspect.figures refer to 2012 and are taken from a survey con- enter the sector with your eyes open and fully prepared.ducted by Parks Associates on behalf of custom install Many specialist companies are on hand to gettrade association CEDIA. Other ways to get started include subscribing for free retailers involved in the world of custom install. to Essential Install Magazine (www.essentialinstalleu), The market covers everything from making sure a the industry’s bible when it comes to all things install.new smart TV is mounted properly and is getting the The title is available free to the trade in printed, App andbest from its smart or 4K capabilities, right up to a full electronic form and contains loads of info and adviceblown house automation system covering all aspect of on the market. Essential Install also provides two tradeutilities and integrated entertainment products. Types shows every year, Essential Install Live! South (Sand-of equipment and projects include multi-room music own Park, Esher, Surrey – June 9-10, 2015) and Essen-systems. You may already sell products such as Sonos tial Install Live! North (EventCity, Manchester, Octoberand specialist distributors within the sector can pro- 14, 2015). These are a great opportunity to meet withvide access to other brands which provide the same the main players and begin your journey.ease of install but with a jump in terms of the quality ofthe sound produced and features offered. ‘Matrix’ distri- Experienced and skilled independent retailers are per-bution systems for HD TV and other forms of entertain- haps in a unique position to exploit this growing marketment are also popular providing customers the excite- thanks to enviable customer loyalty and a ready-madement and convenience of being able to enjoy all their audience to offer these new services to. With the popu-content around the home. larity of integrated entertainment and automation sys- tems set to grow, and customers increasingly expecting If you already sell TVs the install sector can open the the same kind of intuitive experiences they get in theirdoor to additional units for other rooms as well as dif- cars and on their handheld devices, the market is set forferent types of specialist TVs from high performance big growth.super-sized screens to ones suitable for use in bath-rooms or even in the garden. Home cinema is anotherpopular category with installers able to provide a widerange of choices and different price points offeringeverything from home cinema equipment that installsdiscreetly into the main living space or dedicated roomsfor a full-on in-home cinema experience. There are also an increasing number of home auto-mation platforms that offer the installer a chance togive the client complete control over their lighting, envi-ronmental control, entertainment and security all viathe convenience of touchscreen technology. These pro-jects can be complex, involving investment in trainingfor programming and other aspects of system mainte-nance. However, increasingly, products are coming tomarket which offer a more ‘plug and play’ route whichoffer a good level of control but require much lessknowledge and little or no programming skills to getstarted. ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  33

FORWARD PLANNING For further information please contact:Technology for Business Rupert WoolgerUsesceurrity Director, Calculus Software Solutions [email protected] 0845 125 9192 www.findesolutions.com Data security is a legal requirement and vital for business. Thankfully there are plenty of tools available to make IT security simple.Much has been written recently about data leaks your house, office and safe? Automated tools are used middle or end of this password something unique for and computer hacks against large organisations. by attackers to try to access different services using each web-site you need a new password for – a handyEnsuring the security of your data and computers is combinations of both common passwords, and pass- tip could be to just add the first 4 characters from themore important than ever. Growing use of cloud-based words which have been leaked from use at other web- name of a site to the end of your chosen password,services and mobile devices means your data is being sites. This can be happening all the time – if someone giving a unique but memorable password for each site.held in more places, with each a possible avenue for a stood at your door constantly trying different keys to getbreach. in you would soon catch them, but online you proba- Two factor authentication (2FA) is a method of making bly don’t know they are even trying it. If you were to use access to your accounts more secure, by introducing a The Data Protection Act requires you to keep the the same password everywhere, this could mean that second way of identifying yourself. Many internet bank-information you hold about your customers and staff a successful hack of any one of the companies or web- ing services use this – you may already be using a smallsafe and secure. If you are storing data in a computer sites you have registered with could lead to all your data pin pad to generate security codes when logging in.system – such as a retail system tracking your custom- being accessible from any service. Some other services – such as the Microsoft Account –ers and their purchases – you must ensure that this data can also support similar security, often via smartphoneis kept safe. Obviously creating (and remembering!) a different, apps. Where available, it is recommended to enable complex password for every service would be rather these additional levels of security. When setting passwords, it is essential that you do not tricky – and writing them down shouldn’t be an option!reuse the same password over many different services, To help with this, one tip is to create a single, complex If you are struggling to remember your passwords,just as you wouldn’t use the same key for every lock in password that you can remember which uses a mix- there are a range of utilities which will securely storeyour home and business. Imagine if giving a key to your ture of letters, numbers and symbols. Add to the start, your passwords for you. Some of these will store thegarage to service your car meant they could also access data locally on your machine, others will store it in the cloud, to allow you to use the saved passwords over multiple machines. If using a cloud-based service, making sure they fully encrypt your passwords is essen- tial, as should their service be hacked you would lose all your login details in a single go. For example LastPass.com is worth a look – this ser- vice will generate and store a unique, complex pass- word for each service you register with. To login to a site, you simply login to LastPass, and that will then log in for you to each different site. Using a complex, secure password as your master password would be essential – and I would recommend adding 2FA to further secure your details. A range of options such as USB keys are available for this. More details can be found on the find- esolutions web-site.34 | retraALERT

Clarity Alliance For further information please contact:aReutudrnioof thfean Phil Hansen Operations & Marketing Director The Clarity Alliance [email protected] 020 8150 6741 www.clarityalliance.co.ukThis year is looking like the rity tie-ins such as 50 Cent, Bob Marley, Swarovski and Sounds simple but it needs a lot of effort on all ourstart of a great hi-fi revival with Adidas. Even fashion retailer Urban Outfitters is going parts to make this happen. We have a really interest-audio one of the hottest topics big into audio. ing situation now with ‘mainstream’ consumer brandsat CES in Las Vegas. waking up to the fact that music can sound better than We need to collectively find ways to embrace this new mp3 and moving into the space. We have to reclaimMusic and audio are in danger of becoming (fairly) consumer. We need to make them want to shop in our the musical high ground, without being elitist. We must mainstream again and it’s great to see so many stores and buy ‘real’ hi-fi on their road to audio nirvana. work together through a pooling of collective brains,British companies heading up the sonic onslaught. Maybe it’s time to re-introduce The Real Hi-Fi Cam- brands and finance power to communicate with con-With launches such as Meridian’s MQA audio technol- paign – remember that? My fear is that this is a really sumers.ogy, PMC’s Auro-3D demos, new multi-room stream- big task and easier to pretend doesn’t exist, rather thaning products from the likes of Musaic and headphones tackle. Individually we haven’t got the marketing power As Retra members, with shops on the high street,from that bastion of ‘turn it up to 11’ guitar amps, Mar- or budgets of the major fashion brands, nor the desira- many of you will have seen the upward trend in audioshall. bility. But what we do have is the expertise, the superb products and be wondering how you can get a bigger products and the passion for music and audio. slice of the action. Clarity can help through our training And then there’s the launch of Neil Young’s Pono courses on all things audio, networking events, accesshigh-resolution portable music player, alongside CD If we don’t have the financial clout to compete as to market statistics and special discounts from keyres streaming service Tidal and Sharp’s high-resolution individual companies how can we go about getting manufacturers. You can help Clarity and the industry bywireless streamer. Add to this the continuing march our message out there? The answer has to be through adding your thoughts and ideas to the discussion.of the record player and sales of vinyl, and the audio cooperation and that’s where The Clarity Allianceindustry has got a lot to get excited about. Inciden- comes in. You’ll know by now that we are a collectivetally, it does strike me as amusing that the two formats of audio retailers, manufacturers and dis- tributorsthe ‘kids’ are swooning over are about as diametri- and our overriding objective is tocally opposed as they could be – high resolution digital promote better quality musicstreaming and analogue vinyl records! reproduction to consum- ers - so they visit our stores Yet there is a very real danger that the ‘fashion’ for and buy our prod-audio could result in retailers other than us ucts.taking the lead. Just look at the major con-sumer brands that are launchingaudio products such as TedBaker, or the numberof fashion andceleb-Neil Young’s PonoPlayer bringsToblerone-shaped high-res audioto the mass market. ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  35

FINANCIAL SERVICES For further information please contact:Warranty Matters Mat Sheldrake General Manager retracare [email protected] 01234 245900 www.retracare.co.ukTrheetfautiulrewoaf rrantiesRetracarehasevolvedintoarealforceintheUKretailwarranty market. Can your current provider measure up to retracare benefits? The UK warranty market care passionately about our members business. Sue for electrical goods has Price and her back-office team at Bedford are on hand seen major changes over the every day during business hours to handle any query. last decade. Providers have Out on the road, Mark Veysey and Ian MacDonald come and gone, legislation deliver a personal service to retailers in warranty sales has changed dramatically and training and business development. We remain small some of the biggest names in enough to care but have the scale and systems in place the business are now concen- to cope with the highest demand. trating on selling extended guarantees on behalf of man- While retrace is completely independent run subsid- ufacturers. So what choice iary of retra, its goal is undoubtedly and proudly com- is there for retailers wanting mercial. We aim to continue gaining market share in the point of sale warranties? Up UK warranty sector by offering the best products at the until a couple of years ago, the best price, backed by the best service. Our remit is to answer was very little choice prosper as a business. A business with operating profits indeed. driven back into retra. Profits that will drive association growth, expand the benefits of membership and deliver This was the very oppor- unrivalled support to retra member retailers. tunity retra addressed when it moved its warranty busi- I can be frank and say that RIS was a nice side-line ness from RIS to retracare in benefit of retra membership. It was part of being in the 2012. The goal was to create ‘club’ and while it did offer a valid product, that prod- a new warranty provider that uct was not stand-out. In today’s competitive retail mar- understood the retail environ- ketplace you need to be stand-out just to survive. You ment, delivered products flex- need to be exceptional to prosper. Retracare has just ible enough to fit with a wide posted its biggest year in the history of retra’s warranty range of retail strategies and business, our active retailer base has expanded ten- offered the support that time fold and major retail players are coming over to Retra- and resource pressed inde- care. At conference, we hope to able announce some pendents needed. A little over major contract wins across important industry groups two years later and retracare is, and brands. by far, the fastest growing war- ranty provider in the UK. The ongoing success of retracare is going to have a direct impact on retra members. Not only will the prof- In a short space of time we its allow retra to develop its membership services, it have created a simple yet flex- will also go towards subsidising the cost of member- ible two-tier product offering in ship and the cost of conference into the future. With the Protect and Protect+ with acci- product and systems we now have in place along with dental damage cover. We have an outstanding team in Sue Price, Mark Veysey and Ian secured the UK’s best repair MacDonald, the plan is looking very positive. network, use members’ repair services by priority and ensure For now, Warranty Matters is set to be a regular fea- BER replacement business goes straight back to the ture of the new Alert magazine. We plan to bring you original retailer. Moreover, we have massively updated in-depth information on how retracare is evolving, how our on-line dealer portal. This has made it arguably warranty legislation affects retailers and how to maxim- the simplest, fastest and most efficient warranty portal ise not only your bottom line but your customer service available from any warranty provider. Compliance and customer loyalty too. questioning is built into the sales process, ensuring retailers remain within legislation. Want to find out more? Please contact our North Divi- Focusing on warranties for independent electrical sional Manager Ian MacDonald on 07860 431792 or retailers means we are committed to the sector and our South Divisional Manager Mark Veysey on 07973 445973.36 | retraALERT

Insurance Matters For further information please contact: Michael White ACII Electracare Development & Relationship Executive [email protected] 01202 647400 www.colemaninsurance.co.uktaCllornitsrakctsors’With many electrical retailers extending their business into services such as custom installation, there is growing need for contractor cover.In the last few issues I have written a brief summary ff Installing any type of electrical products and/or Next time I will conclude this series with the remain- of the main insurance covers your business needs but cabling in or on commercial or domestic premises, ing ‘standard’ covers and after that will look at some ofthere are still others you may need depending on the e.g. audio, p.a., audio loop, ‘nurse call’ systems, the newer covers brought about by modern technol-activities you undertake. Some of these covers are nor- lighting, electrical controls, CCTV, alarms, PV panels ogy, such as Cyber Liability.mally included on a business package policy, such asGoods in Transit, Money, Glass and Legal Expenses. ff Supplying and installing fitted kitchens In the meantime we will be pleased to answer any questions you may have on any insurance matter or There are, however, also some covers not normally If you are undertaking work for a principal contrac- provide you with no-obligation quotes for any of yourincluded as standard, but which you may require. This tor they may insist that you arrange Contract Works insurance needs.is particularly true if you are extending your business cover in addition to Liability covers, particularly if thebeyond retailing and into services potentially under- work involves anything structural in or on the prem-taken in customer premises. In this article I am concen- ises. In addition, there is also the need to cover yourtrating on one of these – Contract Works, or Contrac- own materials and goods on site for the period you aretors’ All Risks. working there. This is an important cover for contractors in the build- Remember, the Material Damage insurance on youring trade, including electrical contractors. It relates to policy will only cover such items whilst in your ownthe structure being built or worked on, materials on site, premises and the Goods in Transit insurance will nor-tools, equipment and any plant hired in. With many of mally only cover goods whilst in transit, loading andyou extending your business activities into installation, unloading.custom AV installation and even interior design as partof installation, there is a growing need for members to The Contract Works insurance can also cover:arrange this cover where you are undertaking work onsite - other than just collection and delivery. ff Your own plant and equipment on site Whilst Liability insurance can pick up your legal ff Any plant or equipment hired in, e.g. ‘cherryliability for the obvious site risks such as bodily injury pickers’, scaffold towers, specialist tools etc.or property damage, cover may also be needed for and the continuing hiring in charges for suchgoods and equipment you own, or for which you equipment following a lossare responsible, at the site you are working such ashired-in equipment. ff Any employees’ tools on site The following are examples of situations where you ff Any other goods/equipment on site notmay require this cover: yet ‘signed-off’ff Installing a home cinema system in Insurers will need to know the maximum contract price, customers’ home value of own plant and equipment, value of hired-in equipment and hiring charges and value of employ-ff Custom design and install home electronics ees’ tools. This cover will usually have a higher policy Excess than the Material Damage insurance for yourff Working for a principal contractor or local authority own premises as the risk is higher, particularly for theft to install cabling, IRS work, etc. in housing or blocks and damage. of flatsDISCLAIMERThese views are based on our understanding as Insurance Brokers and Risk Consultants. They are not intended to be used toreplace specific advice relating to individual situations. Whilst we endeavour to provide accurate and up to date information,we cannot guarantee this and you should not rely on the information contained in this article without seeking more detailedadvice to suit your particular needs.Electracare is a trading style of E Coleman & Co Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority ISSUE 207 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2015  |  37

GUEST PERSPECTIVE For further information please contact: Stuart Hopwood Lingua Franca International [email protected] t: 01206 391096 www.linguafrancainternational.comAutonomous tradingwith higherStuart Hopwood, independent director of events for Sirius Buying Group, speaks passionately about themargins group’s aims, benefits and charity work.Buying or selling services or commodities, the desire tive shop window and e-commerce portal to attract the to obtain the best deal possible is as old as trading modern shopper, including a ‘click & collect’ service. Initself. Yet over the last decade, the speed of purchase addition to improved margin opportunities, extendedis new. The gathering of information prior to purchase warranty provision and exclusive models are also extrais now a recognised opportunity. This will continue to benefits for Sirius members.develop as consumers demand a better understandingof what they need and at what price they envisage to In 2004, the first Sirius VIP Trade Show was created,pay. To be on the consumer’s radar for potential busi- with massive support from suppliers and the increasedness, independent retailers require all the support they membership. This was the start of what is now ancan muster to supply the best products and services at annual event held every September. The 2015 Siriuscompetitive prices, with a sufficient and viable margin. VIP Trade Show happening on 23rd, September 2015, preceded by the annual VIP Golf Tournament on Tues- As an independent, the electrical retailer has a greater day 22nd. Both events are being held at the centrallyopportunity to be competitive on the high street if they located Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel & Country Club.are part of a focused buying group. Gordon Jones,Chairman of Sirius Buying Group, is avid about inde- Following the tradeshow, the VIP Awards Dinner, nowpendent’s drive for customer satisfaction. He firmly attracting well over 250 people, celebrates the impor-believes that members of Sirius are not just local busi- tant recognition of many. The Sirius Awards are votednesses simply retailing white and brown goods but by its members, for the Best Manufacturer of the Year,entrepreneurial business people who have chosen to Best Distributor of the Year and Member of the Year.trade locally with self-identification that portrays theirpersonal commitment to their customers. At the request of members several years ago, with careful, frugal and immense planning, a mid year So the ethos of the group is very simple. Members of annual ‘warm climate’ conference was introduced.Sirius maintain pure independence with autonomous Similar to the Trade Show, the annual Sirius VIP Con-trading and higher margins with direct individual pur- ferences provides increased margin opportunities pluschasing. Yet every member’s buying power is strength- time to network with both suppliers and other mem-ened with the benefit of having collective negotiated bers. Already planned for 7-10 May 2015, Sirius will beterms from chosen suppliers, confirmed by the Group’s holding its annual conference at the amazing Ritz-Carl-appointed executive panel. ton Abama hotel in Tenerife. Increased margins and special terms with Sirius’s pre- There is another, incredibly selfless and generous,ferred suppliers, plus central rebates paid out annually side to Sirius too. Over the years, Sirius members con-to members pro-rata on individual turnover after the tinuously raise funds for a multitude of charities. WithGroup’s minimal expenses have been met, have proven tremendous support of suppliers, the group has raisedto be extremely beneficial to the majority of members. in excess of £25,000 for Cancer Research alone, plusHaving an executive panel, who are themselves suc- £42,000 for The Children of Cambodia Fund, enablingcessful retailers, avoids the complexities, bureaucracy the building of a school and sheltered accommodation,and high overheads of other organisations providing plus more recently £12,000 for the Liver Foundation UK.central buying facilities. The Sirius Buying Group is about like-minded inde- For the future benefit of members, website develop- pendent business people, independent, yet collectivelyment has moved on rapidly to assist the ‘family type’ extremely powerful in buying, selling and ultimately,members who can’t necessarily afford professional giving.website services. The initiative can provide a proac-38 | retraALERT

20 15 retra Annual Golf Day Venue : 14th July 2015Date : Woburn Golf Club Reduced Cost for 2015 ONLY £750 to enter a team of 4 £50 discount for Conference Attendees! Sponsored by Contact retra on:Tel : 01234 269110Email : [email protected] www.retra.co.uk

How about a resolutionworth keeping?START…...2015 with a new retail system fromthe industry’s leading provider and get• The best support• The most integration• The highest value for money0845 125 9192email: [email protected]: www.findesolutions.com “ W E L E A D … O T H E R S O N LY F O L LO W ”