INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
● Editor’s Interview – Sony UK marketing director, Jonathan Wild
● The Road To Net Zero – Material Focus on recycling electricals
● What’s Hot in Audio
● Product Features: Cooling and Smart Home
For further information please contact: Howard Saycell Chief Executive Retra howard.saycell@retra.co.uk 01234 269110 www.retra.co.uk
Howard Saycell looks ahead to this year’s Retra events and gives his view on the current trading conditions and what the pundits are saying. ‘We should hopefully avoid a recession, but obviously the forecasters can be wrong,’ he suggests.
Welcome to the latest edition of Alert magazine.
Recent reports from members are that business is mixed. March was difficult for most, while April appears to be a little stronger. The numbers for UK plc show a decline of 0.9 percent in retail sales for the month of March.
Having said that, consumer confidence is rising. Inflation remains persistently stubborn, but, if forecasts are correct, is likely to decline significantly in the coming months.
The pundits have been forecasting a slow start to this year, but with a much better performance in the second half. If that is the case, then we should hopefully avoid a recession, but obviously the forecasters can be wrong.
In terms of our industry, the pattern of volume down, value up continues, with the market overall roughly flat. This is not disastrous, as we have had some very positive numbers in recent years.
TV Licensing
Have you been contacted recently by TV Licensing? Several members have and were told that they need a TV licence to demonstrate TVs in their showroom. This is not correct.
You can find more details in the Business Matters article in this magazine (page 17) and how to register for your exemption. Also in this edition you will find details of both our National Golf Day and annual Retra Conference.
There are still some free places available to members for the conference. They are filling up fast, so if you would like to join us in Coventry on October 17, you should register as soon as possible.
This year’s conference theme is ‘A Sustainable Industry’. It will look at the sustainability of both the environment and the independents’ future in the industry. I do hope to see as many of you as possible at both these events.
I recently attended the two-day Euronics Showcase at the NEC, Birmingham. It was good to catch up with many old friends on a face-to-face basis.
There was a lot of optimism around and some great new products on show. We are now competing with all the other sectors for consumer spending, so it’s great to see the innovation coming through from so many brands.
I think the combination of state-of-the-art products and the legendary service offered by independent electrical retailers will ensure we continue to prosper as a sector. I look forward to seeing many members and friends at the Sirius Conference in May.
Touching on some recent news about the CBI and our Deputy Prime Minister, I strongly recommend that you have a look at your whistleblowing policy.
Whether you employ thousands of people, or just a handful, the law of the land is just the same. You owe a duty of care to all members of staff. They should be protected from any form of bullying or discrimination of any sort.
It is your responsibility as an employer to ensure that you have appropriate systems in place for staff to report any potential wrongdoing.
You also need the right policies and procedures to ensure a fair investigation is launched, and, if necessary, that the offending individuals are correctly reprimanded.
If you need any help or guidance in this area, we are very happy to help. Our Members’ Staff Handbook has everything you need that should be shared with staff and is available to all members on a free of charge basis. Simply call the Retra Helpline (01234 269110) and we will email you everything you need.
There are still some free places available to members for the Retra Conference. They are filling up fast, so if you would like to join us in Coventry on October 17, you should register as soon as possible “ “
And finally, you may recall the issue we raised in the last edition of Alert, where B&O decided out of the blue to close its account with Potters Home Digital in Tenterden.
This was after over 50 years of trading and Potters being a multiple award-winning independent retailer.
Regardless of Retra’s intervention and requests from Potters owner, Lance Hopley, B&O went ahead and closed the account.
Neither we or Potters are satisfied with the explanation given for this decision and won’t let the matter rest here.
There are number of avenues we are looking at with Potters to challenge this decision. I will keep you updated as and when the next steps are taken.
I hope you have a great summer and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our forthcoming events.
17th October 2023
Double Tree by Hilton Coventry Paradise Way, Walsgrave Triangle, Coventry CV2 2ST
125 FREE Places for Retra Members
To claim your Free Place contact Pat Sheldrake at: pat.sheldrake@retra.co.uk or call: 07920 852973
CONTENTS
03: From the chief executive
NEWS
06: News
12: Associate News
15: Euronics News
16: Sirius News
BUSINESS
17: Business Matters
18: Dealer Focus: We talk to Luke Gammons of Wades about his innovative social media
21: Retra Board Member: Paul Mead on eco issues and Sonos selling direct
22: The Retail Trust: Useful advice on helping colleagues with mental health issues
23: Digital Marketing: How to get your sales sizzling this summer
THE ROAD TO NET ZERO
24: Material Focus’s executive director, Scott Butler, explains how retailers can raise consumer awareness of recycling electricals
EDITOR’S INTERVIEW
26: Sony UK marketing director, Jonathan Wild, on the current state of the CE market and the opportunities for Retra members to add value to their sales
PRODUCT FEATURES
30: Cooling
32: Smart Home
WHAT’S HOT
36: Rock Solid: Richard Stevenson listens in to the audio market
ASSOCIATE INSIGHTS
38: REPIC
39: Magimix
Editor: Sean Hannam T: 07932 586001
E: hannamsean95@gmail.com
Consultant Editor: Richard Stevenson T: 07974 926157
E: richard@quickbrownfoxpr.com
Advertising: Linda Dorling T: 01256 321337
M: 07785 142398
E: lindaedorling@gmail.com
Retra Alert is a Retra publication
Retra 1st Floor, Woburn Court, 2 Railton Road, Woburn Road Industrial Estate Kempston, Bedford MK42 7PN T: 01234 269110
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form (including photocopying or storage by electronic means) without the permission of the copyright owner. The articles and opinions contained in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of Retra.
While Retra endeavours to ensure that the information in this publication is accurate and contains nothing prejudicial to the position or reputation of any party, Retra shall not be liable for damages (including without limitation damages for loss of business or loss of profits) arising in contract, tort or otherwise from this publication or any information contained within it. Nor shall Retra be held liable for damages arising from any action or decision taken as a result of reading this publication.
This year’s Retra Conference (October 17, Double Tree by Hilton, Coventry), which is themed around A Sustainable Industry, will see the industry coming together for an informative and thoughtprovoking day, with topics, speakers and panellists drawn from across the whole electrical retail sector.
Chaired by broadcaster and journalist, Declan Curry, the conference speaker line-up will include AMDEA CEO, Paul Hide; Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira (British Independent Retailers Association) on the future of the high street; Scott Butler, executive director, Material Focus; Robert Williamson, national business development manager at Symphony; Nick Simon, GfK’s client director, market intelligence, a REPIC spokesperson and Paul Laville, T21 group managing director, who will talk about Retra’s new e-learning platform (see news story on opposite page). More speakers will be announced soon.
Retra has a limited number of free conference tickets available to its members on a first-come
first-served basis, so book your place now to avoid missing out.
To claim your free place, contact Pat Sheldrake at: pat.sheldrake@retra.co.uk or call: 07920 852973.
“Many of you that attended last year’s event will recall that I was struck down by Covid and was unable to be there,” said Retra CEO, Howard Saycell.
“I’m very much looking forward to seeing you all in-person this year at what I’ve always believed is the only time we all come together as an industry.”
He added: “A Sustainable Industry is something that we can all contribute to in its many different guises. So, please come along and add your voice to the Retra Conference.”
There will be a welcome dinner on the evening of October 16 at the venue. This is free to anyone attending the conference the following day.
For more details on the Retra Conference, visit www.retra.co.uk
To mark the 15th anniversary of the implementation of the first Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations in the UK, REPIC, the not-for-profit producer compliance scheme, has published an essay titled Looking Back to Look Forward
The essay considers the last 15 years and looks at the influencing trends for EEE (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) going onto the market and WEEE made available for collection.
During this time there have been significant changes in the composition of WEEE, product technology and our use of electricals, particularly during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the WEEE sector has successfully adapted to manage this.
For instance, through changes to collection infrastructufre and treatment requirements, including the introduction of mandatory in-store take back of WEEE for larger retailers.
REPIC recognises that the sector’s achievement to date is due to organisations that, although competitors, have worked
together constructively to find solutions to any challenges.
To reflect on the 15 years and how the landscape has changed since the WEEE Regulations first started operating in 2007, REPIC is undertaking a 15-day, 15 location, 15 great stories, WEEE Cycle Network Event, from Friday June 2 – Friday June 16 2023.
Launched in London last month, the first WEEE Cycle Network event will see REPIC and friends from the sector start from Alness, in mainland Scotland and cycle to Sittingbourne, Kent, a distance of over 850 miles, visiting 15 different locations involved daily in the reuse, repair and recycling of waste electricals.
Louise Grantham, chief executive of REPIC, said: “While change is nothing new to the WEEE sector, the speed, scale and impact of a variety of fundamental changes – digitalisation, other new and innovative product technologies, consumer purchasing habits to name a few – have undeniably transformed the landscape over the last 15 years.
“To complement the WEEE Cycle Network event, REPIC is also publishing a research essay. Part of REPIC’s commitment to lead and shape producer responsibility.”
She added: “Understanding the past is essential if we are to plan for the future. We need to know how much WEEE is likely to arise, who will be collecting it, required treatment capacity and types of technology needed to treat it and the resources (materials) that will be generated from treatment.
“The Covid-19 pandemic in particular demonstrated that WEEE is different to many other wastes, in that the amount of EEE placed on the market in a year does not necessarily influence the amount of WEEE made available for collection in that year. In fact, there is a significant gap between the two figures, but this does not mean that the WEEE system is unsuccessful.”
REPIC has made the essay, Looking Back to Look Forward, available to all, free of charge, from the Resource Hub on its website at repic.co.uk
For more on REPIC, see page 38.
Retra will be relaunching its popular e-learning platform, which is free to all members.
From this month, courses available will include the opening modules of the updated ‘Selling with Finance’ and ‘Sales Masterclass’, courses plus a brand-new course on ‘Time Management Essentials’.
Howard Saycell, Retra CEO, said: “We are delighted to relaunch Retra E-Learning as part of Retra’s commitment to helping our members upskill in areas vital to attracting and retaining customers and delivering the best customer experience whilst helping their businesses stay profitable.
“We’ve always recognised that training is important to our members and that often it isn’t easy to send staff away from the shop floor to attend courses remotely. This is why we launched our first e-learning initiative all those years ago. Through the new platform we aim to create for our members a comprehensive training library their staff can dip into at any
time, even when they’re on the move.”
Retra E-Learning was first launched in 2015, winning the IER Award that year for Innovative Training with its blend of live action video, animations and interactive quizzes.
Retail sales staff and managers signed up to courses designed to improve their knowledge of selling with finance plans and Retracare Warranty. Later, a new Sales Masterclass course was added to help sales staff further their selling skills.
The new Retra E-Learning site has been fully rebuilt using T21’s brand-new Konkor digital learning management system which, according to T21 group managing director, Paul Laville, aims to deliver a slick and enjoyable experience to learners and platform administrators alike.
Said Mr Laville: “I’m thrilled that Retra’s revamped e-learning initiative will be using Konkor’s powerful engine to drive its new e-learning platform. Technology has moved on since 2015 and through Konkor the new Retra platform will provide a fast, superslick experience not just for learners but for managers too, who will be able to see detailed reports showing their employees’ progress through the training.”
More information can be found on the Retra website (www.retra.co.uk) including details on how Retra members can register their staff for Retra E-Learning.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is calling on the UK Government to urgently rethink crucial parts of its proposed recycling reforms.
Retailers are committed to reducing waste and packaging and want reforms that truly deliver on these aims but are deeply concerned that the reform to the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, which is due to come into force in April next year, is fundamentally flawed, said the BRC.
Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, commented: “It’s time that Government went back to the drawing board. We have the opportunity to get it right on the future of a waste management scheme that will determine UK recycling rates for a generation. “We want to see a scheme which improves recycling in the UK and ensures a steady supply of recyclable material that can be reused for future packaging.”
She added: “Under existing proposals, funding meant for UK recycling could end up servicing local authority debt or be put to uses which do not improve our national recycling infrastructure.
“Government’s haste to introduce a new system is undermining the system itself. It’s time to work with retailers and manufacturers to ensure the public get a world class recycling system that collects and processes as much recyclable material as possible.”
Welcome to the summer edition of Alert
In this issue, we’ve got some great advice from our friends at Quick Brown Fox PR on how you can make the most of the weather hotting up and add some sizzle to your sales by looking at holding outdoor events and offering summer promotions (page 23).
Social media is a great way to tell consumers what you’re doing with your business, and Retra member Wades in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire is a shining example of how to make the most of your online activity. I visited the store last month and spoke to director Luke Gammons to find out his more about his innovative social media strategy and how TikTok videos are helping to drive sales (pages 18-20). He has some interesting plans to develop his digital marketing too.
Outdoor entertainment – English weather permitting – is definitely something to look at over the next few months and it came up in discussion when I was talking to Sony UK marketing director, Jonathan Wild, for this issue’s Editor’s Interview (pages 26-28). We also chatted about the current state of the CE market, innovative new tech and the hot topic of selling direct-to-consumer.
Also in this edition we welcome back Roberts CEO Owen Watters – he left the business in 2019, but has rejoined the company and gave me an exclusive interview (page 10) on some of the plans he has and how he hopes to put radio back on the agenda for independent retailers.
It’s great to see him back at the helm of such a well-loved British brand and I wish him all the best with his new role.
Finally, we look ahead to the autumn and this year’s Retra Conference (October 17 – see news page 6), which is themed around A Sustainable Industry, and, on that note, I spoke to Material Focus executive director, Scott Butler, who will be speaking at the conference, about how Retra members can raise consumer awareness of recycling electricals (page 24). Enjoy your summer – stay cool and make the most of the holiday season.
Sean Hannam hannamsean95@gmail.com
MAY
24-25 Internet Retailing Expo NEC, Birmingham
JUNE
13-14 The Exclusively Show, The Business Design Centre, Islington, London https://www.exclusivelyshows.co.uk/
14 Retra Golf Day The Oxfordshire, Thame For more information: Pat Sheldrake pat.sheldrake@retra.co.uk
16 The IER Awards 2023 Riverbank Park Plaza, Albert Embankment, London www.ierawards.co.uk
17–18 The North West Audio Show De Vere Cranage Hall Estate, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire www.audioshow.co.uk
27 TRIC Awards 2023 London, Grosvenor House Email: info@tric.org.uk
SEPTEMBER
1-5 IFA Messe Berlin www.b2c.ifa-berlin.de
21 2050: Appliances of the Future Conference City, University of London www.amdea.org.uk/event/2050appliances-conference
OCTOBER
17 Retra Conference Double Tree by Hilton Coventry
For more information: Pat Sheldrake pat.sheldrake@retra.co.uk
NOVEMBER
9 The ERT Awards www.ertawards.co.uk
16 Electrical Product Safety Conference Church House, Westminster www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk
DECEMBER
5 The TRIC Christmas Lunch The Londoner www.tric.org.uk
New research by Material Focus has identified that around 75 percent of UK adults would recycle their electricals at their local supermarket, electrical retailer or charity retailer if the option was available to them.
In response to this, Material Focus, which is the not-for-profit organisation that’s on a mission to get more people in the UK to recycle their electricals, has launched a briefing paper to help retailers comply with their waste electrical takeback obligations and ensure that more retailers provide in-store recycling drop-off points for their customers.
Making it easier for consumers to recycle their electricals by providing in-store drop-off points is key to solving the UK’s fastest growing waste stream.
The research, conducted by Opinium, also found that over 77 percent of householders would view a retailer as more environmentally responsible if they knew they offered recycling of electricals.
In January 2021, the UK Government laid out clear legal responsibilities for retailers of electricals to make it easier for their customers to recycle their electricals by taking back old unwanted electricals in-store.
To help retailers understand their responsibilities, and help their customers recycle, Material Focus has created a Retailer Take-back Obligations Briefing paper (www.materialfocus. org.uk/report-and-research/retailer-take-back-anindustry-briefing-for-retailers) which highlights that:
• All electrical retailers are legally obliged to help their customers recycle their electricals. Retailers must take back customers’ items for recycling that are the same type of product that has a similar function when they buy a new electrical item, regardless of brand, on a likefor-like basis principle.
• Retailers must clearly communicate to their customers that they provide the recycling takeback service in-store – and be able to prove that.
• Retailers should use Material Focus’s communications toolkit (www.materialfocus. org.uk/resources/) created in collaboration with OPSS and the Department for Business and Trade, to help ensure consistency across all consumer communications relating to retailer take-back.
In the toolkit, retailers will find key editable communication materials that they can adapt to their own retailer branding. If not already signed up, retailers will need to create an account to access the communications toolkit. Creating an account takes less than two minutes and gives access to all Material Focus’s toolkits.
• Encouraging best practice – some retailers are now going beyond the regulations and taking back in-store electricals for recycling even if the customer isn’t buying a new item. This is similar to other European countries.
• Retailers that fail to comply with the WEEE regulations can be prosecuted and fined up to £5,000 at a magistrates’ court or get an unlimited fine from a Crown Court.
Recycling electricals needs to be made much easier.
Retailers can become a key part of the solution
“
Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, said: “Recycling electricals needs to be made much easier. Retailers can become a key part of the solution by adding drop-off or collection points in-store and actively telling their customers that they can do this.
“Our research has shown that 81 percent of householders say they would use retailer drop-off points if they were available, as it would make it easier for them to recycle their electricals.”
He added: “A handful of retailers are starting to comply with the regulations and also going beyond the minimum requirements by allowing their customers to recycle without the need for buying a new product, such as Currys, John Lewis and B&Q. However, more retailers could do this, or they could at least tell their customers that they can take back their old products for recycling if they buy a replacement one.”
For more information, contact Nick Birch, brand partnerships manager at Material Focus: nick@materialfocus.org.uk.
See more on page 24: Road To Net Zero.
The TRIC Awards 2023 is fast approaching and for the 54th year, TRIC will be bringing together the industry for an afternoon of glitz, glamour and celebration with the nation’s favourite shows, celebrities and talent.
Taking place at Grosvenor House on London’s Park Lane, the TRIC Awards, in partnership with Euronics, will see the elite of TV, radio and online celebrating the most loved shows and talent, taking place in the height of summer on Tuesday June 27, 2023.
This year, TRIC is going big, opening up the front entrance of Grosvenor House, with guests experiencing the full A-list treatment on the red carpet, festooned with TV crews and press.
Presenting the show will be this year’s, TRIC president, Rob Rinder – barrister, turned author and broadcaster. Co-hosting the event will be the much loved Judi Love, comedian and TV presenter, and a there will be live performance from the multitalented Fleur East, who will be kicking off the celebrations.
The awards will be presented in front of a live in-person audience of over 1,000 guests, and will again be streamed, for fans to tune in and to watch all the action on a livestream or on-demand via ScreenHits TV.
TRIC chair, Dan Todaro, said: “As the TRIC Awards enters a staggering 54th year, it’s heart-warming to see so much love and support for an organisation that means so much to so many. Our not-for-profit status drives myself as chair, the board and our committee to deliver a spectacular event which raises money for good causes.
“This year, TRIC’s chosen charities are Parkinsons UK and 45 Aid Society. Without the support of our sponsors, it would be impossible to give the industry the TRIC Awards, and this year the public vote has been generously supported by TiVo – with TiVo the choice is always yours. We are also very grateful and immensely proud that the 54th TRIC Awards is once again in partnership with Euronics, the home of electricals.”
Previous TRIC winners include: Clive Myrie, Susanna Reid, Holly Willoughby, Piers Morgan, Ruth Jones, Alison Steadman, Kate Garraway, Ant & Dec, Emily Maitlis, Danny Dyer, Alan Carr, Googlebox and Michael McIntyre.
This year, TRIC is going big, opening up the front entrance of Grosvenor House, with guests experiencing the full A-list treatment on the red carpet
TRIC not only offers an excellent opportunity to entertain important clients, guests and contacts, but also offers an excellent vehicle to reach audiences in the millions. If you are looking to partner with TRIC, do get in touch for the final remaining sponsorships.
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are now available. To enquire about availability and pricing, please get in touch with TRIC director, Alexia Sciplino, at awards@tric.org.uk.
We need to get radio back on the agenda –there are great opportunities for retailers’
After leaving audio brand Roberts in 2019, former chief executive, Owen Watters, has returned to head up the business – he stepped back into his previous role in April this year. In an exclusive interview, he tells Sean Hannam why he’s rejoined the company and outlines some of its plans for 2023 and beyond.
Sean Hannam: Welcome back to Roberts. How does it feel to be back in the hot seat?
Owen Watters: It feels great to be back. I’m excited to get back under the skin of the business again.
Roberts is a very special brand and one that I remain completely passionate about.
We’re in our 91st year now and we have achieved so much during this time. I’m eager to play a part in shaping the future of our business.
SH: Why did you decide to return to the business?
OW: It sounds like a cliché, but it’s in my blood. The brand has been such a big part of my life and the passion and genuine affection always remained.
Roberts is unique and it has such a rich history. I was lucky enough to have spent 14 years previously contributing toward its success, so when the opportunity to return came about, it was a no-brainer to continue the journey.
SH: Where do you see the opportunities for Roberts?
OW: The good news is that the UK’s love affair with radio remains as strong as ever.
Radio listening is at an all-time high, but listeners are accessing their music in a number of different ways now.
Traditional radio receivers have an important part to play, but also connected devices and truly portable products.
Music streaming is now part of normal life for many and our opportunity is to develop products that deliver reliability, flexibility and great sound quality.
During the pandemic, we all saw the enforced shift to online shopping and the effects are still evident in our high streets.
At Roberts, we have a long and proud history with independent retailers, and I’m committed to continuing to support this channel as much as we can.
SH: Independent retailers have lost their share of the radio market, haven’t they? Why is that?
OW: There is no question that radio sales overall have dipped recently, as many brands have disappeared completely or decided to sell solely online.
Sadly, many manufacturers have embraced the volume route and choose to only sell though major chains and marketplaces
online. This usually ends up with a price-only-led strategy with lowquality product, low-margin sales and disillusioned customers.
We have always recognised the value of the independent retailer and what sets them apart from the rest – impartial, expert advice and industry-leading service levels are gold, and some simply don’t recognise this.
We will be strengthening our line-up over the coming months and this will help independents to get their share back, along with a refresh of our commercial proposition too.
SH: How can Roberts re-engage with indies? What does it have to do?
OW: We have continued to do the ‘hard yards’ with our independent customers, and we have a dedicated sales team, a competitive product portfolio and a willingness to support the channel.
We will redouble our efforts to showcase our brand and the margin opportunity it presents for independent retailers.
I think the time is right to get back to face-to-face engagement and support trade events again, so watch this space.
SH: How has the UK radio market changed since you left Roberts? OW: As I mentioned, the growth of online sales was dramatically accelerated throughout lockdown and this had a negative impact on some independent retailers, however, market data shows us that radio listening has increased dramatically and there is a huge opportunity for us to collectively capitalise on this.
We all still love listening to radio shows and hearing our favourite songs and albums, so we know that the consumer’s appetite is still there. Podcasts are also hugely popular, and this is an opportunity to showcase a range of connected devices.
More people than ever are working from home now and the radio is playing the part of an ambient companion – another reason to be positive about radio. We need to get radio back on the agenda, as there are great opportunities for retailers and huge benefits to the consumer too.
At Roberts, we have a long and proud history with independent retailers, and I’m committed to continuing to support this channel as much as we can
“
SH: Can you let us into any of your plans for the rest of 2023 and beyond?
OW: Our engineering team have been working hard behind the scenes to develop an exciting range of new Roberts products and these will start to hit the shelves in the next few months.
We will feature all the very latest technology in a series of products with a contemporary twist on some classic designs and, in my opinion, we will launch the world’s best sounding radio, too.
For more on audio, see Whats Hot on pages 36-37.
Arranged by the experienced team at Gallagher, Gallagher Electracare is a specialist insurance policy designed exclusively for Electrical Retailers, Installers and Repairers.
Established in 1992, the Gallagher Electracare policy has been extended and improved over the years to keep up to date with the changing demands of the fast-moving Consumer Electronics Industry. By providing a bespoke solution specifically tailored for those in the Electrical Retail sector, we believe Retra Members can enjoy better protection for their business.
Benefits include:
• 0% Interest-Free Direct Debit Facility available*
• Negotiated rates for Retra Members
• 30% Seasonal Stock Increase over four months – January, October, November and December
• £100,000 for Contents, Fixtures and Fittings included as standard if requested
• £10,000 Tenants Improvements cover for items such as shop front signs, grilles, shutters and mezzanine floors included as standard if requested
• £10,000 of theft cover included as standard for shoplifting losses at retail premises
• £2,000,000 Business Interruption cover per location or four times the stock sum insured whichever is the greater (24 months maximum indemnity period), included as standard for loss of profit following an insured loss
• The above are standard automatic levels of cover although higher sums insured may be available if required
• Automatic inclusion of £5,000,000 Public and Products Liability cover for work carried out away from your own premises
• 24/7 Claims Reporting Insurer Helpline with in-house claims assistance provided by the Gallagher Electracare team on your behalf.
Whirlpool UK has achieved the Planet Mark Business Certification for the second year running. The sustainability certification recognises continuous progress within sustainability and social responsibility.
Whirlpool was recognised by Planet Mark for its 20 percent reduction in emissions used in its buildings, as well as its 46 percent reduction in waste emissions.
“It’s fantastic to see that Whirlpool UK Appliances has achieved
Planet Mark Business Certification for the second year, showing commitment to measuring and reducing its carbon footprint and engaging employees in its sustainability journey,” said a Planet Mark spokesperson.
“Although Whirlpool is in its second year of carbon footprint reporting, it’s encouraging to see that it has already made a 33.9 percent reduction in carbon emissions per employee. Planet Mark is proud to be supporting Whirlpool on its journey to becoming more sustainable in the fight to halt climate change.”
The announcement comes as Whirlpool publishes its 2022 Sustainability Report, further highlighting the company’s enduring commitment to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, corporate governance initiatives, and progress in meeting its sustainability and inclusion and diversity goals.
“To achieve the Planet Mark certification for a second year is a testament to how committed we are when it comes to sustainability, employee and community support here at Whirlpool UK,” said Lena Henry, managing director of Whirlpool UK.
“We all have a role to play when it comes to streamlining the sustainability at both a global and local level. Here in the UK, more than 500,000 kitchen appliances have been refurbished at our own site in Peterborough over the last 10 years, saving them from being sent to landfill.”
Home appliance brand Haier has entered the world of tennis as the official partner of some of the world’s top tournaments, starting with European clay and grass court events.
The sponsorship agreement between Haier, the ATP Tour, and the French Tennis Federation (FFT) includes the prestigious Grand Slam tournament Roland Garros, the showpiece end of season Nitto ATP Finals and two ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and The Rolex Paris Masters), along with three iconic ATP 500 tournaments, starting with the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
Completing the set will be the historic Cinch Championships, held in London at the Queens Club, and The European Open in Hamburg.
The Haier brand will have a presence on-court and onsite at the events, providing an opportunity to promote its latest innovations and sustainability focus to global tennis fans. Haier will also receive fantastic exposure via the ATP Tour’s digital channels.
The partnership with ATP Tour and FFT is fully in line with the company’s growth strategy, as Haier Europe aims to become among the top three players in the industry and be the first consumer choice for smart solutions.
“We are superexcited to enter the world of tennis,
characterised by the passion, ambition and desire to grow, features that also distinguish Haier and that have made it the number one brand globally in major appliances,” said Yannick Fierling, CEO at Haier Europe.
Yannick Fierling, CEO at Haier Europe, and Rodolphe Tastet, VP partnerships & business development, at ATP
“I am sure that Haier Europe’s corporate philosophy will fit perfectly with the values promoted by tennis, and the competitive spirit of the world’s best players. Our partnership will also support the tournaments move into a new technological dimension, while retaining what makes them strong: commitment, tradition, and performance.”
Stan Vandenberghe, who worked as a salesman for Roberts for more than 70 years, has died at the age of 94.
He first joined Roberts at the age of 15, after leaving school, and was employed in various departments of the company, from parts, packaging and deliveries, before becoming a rep covering the whole of the South of England.
A well-loved figure in the industry, he remained in this role until the age of 65, when he retired. However, after a few months, he ended up returning to the company, working part-time as a telephone salesman for another 20-plus years.
In 2012, he received the Special Achievement Award at the ERT Awards. He leaves behind a daughter and son, and two grandchildren.
Appliance brand Beko has unveiled its biggest TV and multichannel campaign to date.
Launched in the spring, the £3 million initiative will reach 46 million adults, building awareness of the Beko built-in range through peak season and driving consumers into stores and online to purchase.
Live until the end of October, the campaign will comprise TV advertising, Sky AdSmart, digital media, retail activation and press office activity.
A TV ad highlighting Beko’s AeroPerfect technology, which, said the brand, ensures faster and more even cooking results by
Retra associate member, Sirius Buying Group, has expanded its retail support and services with the appointment of Marion Morton as head of commercial.
Ms Morton, who joined the senior leadership team earlier this year, has over 20 years of experience in the trade.
She will be engaging with the organisation’s members and suppliers on all aspects of group business planning and be responsible for overseeing and supporting the commercial strategies within the group. This will involve carrying out targeted analysis, as well as negotiating new and future development opportunities.
Steve Jones, managing director of Sirius Buying Group, said: “Our market and industry moves very fast, in particular over the past two to three years. As independent retailers, our members have unique business goals and targets, so our aim is to make sure they have every resource necessary to ensure we, as a group, stay ahead of the game in partnership with our suppliers.”
He added: “Marion’s experience and knowledge of the areas we want to drive makes her a great fit for the Sirius team and her role will complement the ongoing work of our national business development manager, Darren Scott. Marion will be leveraging her expertise in collating and analysing data, so our members will always be ahead of the latest trends, while retaining their independence and ensuring longevity in the marketplace.”
minimising temperature fluctuations in the oven, will appear in TV programmes including Emmerdale, Gogglebox and Sunday Brunch The advert also showcases Beko’s Which? Best Buy award for the first time.
The multi-channel advertising will drive consumers online to Beko’s built-in landing page (www.beko.co.uk/built-in-appliances).
Beko has also invested in collaborative, multi-channel retailer campaigns, supporting the end-to-end consumer purchase journey and driving conversion through engaging POS materials and a bespoke training programme.
The brand has also relaunched its 10-Year Beko Parts Guarantee campaign and will promote it via social activation.
Thanks to this new guarantee, consumers are now able to register selected Beko appliances for the 10-Year Beko Parts Guarantee in addition to any eligible Beko one-or-two-year Labour Guarantees.
Marketing director at Beko Plc UK & Ireland, Vijay Bhardwaj, said: “After the success of our previous campaigns, we are thrilled to be back on TV and digital media this year, showcasing our stylish built-in appliance range to as many consumers as possible across the UK. We are also proud to spotlight our award-winning Beko AeroPerfect oven technology, which helps users achieve perfectly cooked meals by minimising temperature fluctuations.
“As part of this campaign, we are activating our 10-Year Beko Parts Guarantee, offering this guarantee on selected appliances within our built-in range. In a time where the cost of living continues to rise, we are delighted to be able to provide such a strong parts guarantee to our consumers, creating increased consumer confidence in the quality and durability of Beko appliances.”
Commenting on her appointment, Ms Morton, said: “I am excited to join Sirius Buying group as head of commercial and I am looking forward to developing and implementing Sirius group commercial strategies for members, and partnering with suppliers to ensure we that we can achieve mutually beneficial strategies and promotions.
“A key part of my role will be sharing monthly detailed market data and industry intelligence, which will guide future business development plans and give us rich insights for strong future growth. As a close-knit, yet highly progressive business community, I am committed to building and maintaining the best possible partnerships and exclusive deals so that both Sirius members and suppliers can enjoy profitable outcomes in equal measure.”
CIH, the electrical buying group that is part of Euronics, is celebrating a significant milestone this year, as it reaches its 60th anniversary.
To mark the occasion, it has refreshed its brand identity to reflect the evolving world of electrical retailing.
CIH formed from a need to create a national buying group to support local independent retailers and allow them to compete with the fast-developing buying power of multiple retailers.
The first meeting of CIH Ltd was held on May 1 1963, when the ‘Memorandum of Association’ was signed, and the Certificate of Incorporation was issued on July 16 1963.
CIH has evolved over the years and is now supported by 11 groups looking after the interests of 453 members with 642 stores across the country.
In 1996, CIH adopted the Euronics brand, with the majority of members signing up immediately to use the name and to unify in their fight against the multiples.
The brand is now stronger than ever throughout Europe and continues to grow and develop as an ‘independent’ brand.
“Sixty years is a huge milestone,” said Paul Tyler, CEO of CIH. “CIH has gone from strength to strength over the last six decades, providing invaluable support to its members and agents, ensuring they can compete with the multinationals.
“Euronics is a name people recognise and allows our members to use that brand equity as well as their own family heritage and reputation within their communities to attract customers.”
He added: “They can be efficient and competitive but stay true to their core values. Members and agents are exceptional at what they do, and we are here to support them with central distribution of products as well as all of the back office and marketing support.”
CIH chairman, Steve Scogings, said: “Our agents are family businesses based in the local community and that is our power. Stores have unrivalled knowledge about the products they sell and are hugely successful.
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I firmly believe that all independent retailers should be part of a buying group. Having central support is a vital way of staying competitive and ensuring independent retailers remain on our high streets
“This year is about recognising their success as well as CIH’s and we will be holding a member conference in Dubrovnik this September to ensure we all come together and celebrate.
“We have also taken the anniversary as a moment to refresh our corporate identity to ensure we stay relevant here are now as well as in the future.”
The CIH membership figures are impressive. Over 127 agents have been part of the group for over 25 years and 154 have been members for over 20 years.
There are a number of members who have been trading for over or almost a century. The oldest store is Hatcher & Sons Ltd, who can trace its origins back to 1775 as a drapery store. The members run truly family-orientated businesses, with 87 of them having multigenerational owners and employees.
CIH is continuing to develop its offering for its members, agents and customers. The new Euronics marketplace e-commerce platform is a powerful tool to extend reach and connect with more customers.
Plus, thanks to the postcode feature, the customer will always see offers from their closest store first.
Even when they spend online, that are still spending on their high street. Each member can also have a dedicated microsite for their business. It is all about making the customer journey as easy as possible and ensure convenience is at the heart of what we achieve together.
Mr Tyler said: “I firmly believe that all independent retailers should be part of a buying group. Having central support is a vital way of staying competitive and ensuring independent retailers remain on our high streets.
“At our head office in Andover, we are not-for-profit membership with any money generated being reinvested into the members and the high street. This investment is vital, especially with the potential threat of manufacturers selling direct. By working together, we become stronger.”
Steve Jones, managing director of Sirius Buying Group, looks ahead to the business’s trade conference and reflects on how the cost of living crisis is affecting the industry.
‘Deepening and strengthening relationships’ has been the order of the day for the Sirius team this season, with a key meeting at Haier’s UK headquarters, as well as preparations for our annual conference, which will deliver an important opportunity for our members and suppliers to meet together and further develop their business connections.
As we anticipate increased investment in cooling appliances in line with longer, warmer summers, and with the market for home bars and wine coolers continuing to grow in the UK, in-person events remain the best way for retailers to get up close and personal with the latest innovations in tech and services.
Therefore, our annual trade conference will take place on May 17 this year, at the Concorde Conference Centre in Manchester, ensuring our network will have plenty of time to order ahead of the summer season.
Designed to bring everyone under one roof, the Sirius Conference is a central date in the industry’s events calendar, providing the independent retailer with exclusive promotions to increase margins, and leading appliance manufacturers with new business opportunities as they come together and improve their respective business models and future development plans.
Sirius members will benefit from exclusive promotions and offers from approved suppliers to drive healthy sales throughout 2023 onwards, as well as tailored one-to-one business support from the team at Sirius.
After a day of networking and planning, members will enjoy some amazing hospitality at the gala awards dinner.
The awards ceremony will take place inside a purpose-built super hangar, so all guests can experience Concorde G-BOAC, the flagship of the British Airways fleet and an aviation legend.
Guests can also enjoy a trip on board the aircraft in order to get a real taste of what it was like to fly transatlantic faster than a bullet, and in the lap of luxury.
As the outlook for 2023 remains cautious, it is even more vital that we take advantage of key occasions like our conference to learn from each other and explore new market avenues for business.
Our high-profile pool of approved suppliers includes global brands, as well as leading specialists in distribution, finance and systems management, so our independent members can benefit from the very best deals to suit their needs both in the stockroom and front-of-house in their showrooms.
The electrical retail sector is always ripe for reinvention, and I believe that our suppliers’ latest product developments will appeal to consumers at all price points, such as energy-efficient appliances, which are intuitive and beautifully integrated into the kitchen and utility zones.
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With house prices falling for the first time since 2012 and inflation riding high, independent retailers will need to show every customer how the latest products can help save time, money and effort as well as enhance their quality of life
The strength of our community is testament to our unrivalled understanding of both the independent retailer and the market’s changing needs. With over 190 Sirius members nationwide, we bring businesses of all sizes together so that owners can benefit from peerto-peer support as well as confidential coaching and mentoring.
With house prices falling for the first time since 2012 and inflation riding high, independent retailers will need to show every customer how the latest products can help save time, money and effort as well as enhance their quality of life.
The increased cost of living is impacting us all and this includes spending on home improvements. Retailers therefore need to be sensitive when discussing payment plans, credit and insurance options as well as providing open and honest advice so that clients can make the right decision for their circumstances.
Your ability to be supportive and understanding will underpin every part of the customer journey – whether it begins online, on the phone or in person.
As disruption and uncertainty have become the new normal in the supply chain, be frank about stock availability, lead times and installation dates to build trust and show that you are serious and dependable.
We always remember the people who come through for us, and our members as independents are renowned for their high level of service, transparency and personal touch which continues to boost their referral rate and reputation as a retailer of excellence in their area. Online platforms make word of mouth spread further and faster than ever before, so this is of even greater importance today.
Whether you are keen to focus on warehousing, succession planning, employee engagement and development or simply want to discuss the possibilities available in the future, our UK conference includes provides and environment for both formal and informal networking and catch-ups.
Bringing people together for mutual benefit and to celebrate the successes in the independent retail sector is at the heart of the Sirius approach.
For more information:
Sirius Buying Group: email siriusoffice@siriusbuyinggroup.co.uk Tel: 01395 277103. Web: siriusbuyinggroupltd.co.uk
We
put you in the picture about TV licences and offer some useful advice on staff sick days and sensitive information relating to a resignation.
We’ve recently had several Retra members ask us about the same issue – TV licences.
They have all been contacted by the TV Licensing Authority and been told that they should be paying for a licence for their business.
This does crop up from time to time and we always confirm that most of our members are exempt.
On the TV Licensing Authority’s website (www.tvlicensing.co.uk/ check-if-you-need-one/business-and-organisations/tv-dealersaud18) it says: “If you’re a TV dealer you do not need a licence to demonstrate, repair or test TV equipment or to install television equipment on delivery. Please let us know you are a TV dealer so we can contact you in the appropriate way. You can e-mail us at dealer. support@tvlicensing.co.uk.”
It is worth noting this exception is for business purposes only. If you have a TV in the staff room or an office, then you are not covered for these by the demonstration exception clause. Where our members have been contacted, it is because they have not registered their dealer exemption.
Another common problem that keeps cropping us is members of staff taking “odd” days off sick.
This is very frustrating in any business, but particularly so in small ones. We know of several proprietors who end up going out on deliveries and installations when one of the lads “throws a sickie”.
In a recent tribunal case, an employer was ordered to pay £3500 for unfair dismissal after sacking an employee for repeatedly taking sick days.
It all came to a head when the employee texted their boss on a Monday morning and said: “I know you’re going to be mad, but I can’t work, sorry. I was a mess yesterday and I’ve woken up this morning and was sick straight away.”
The boss replied with a text which said, “I’m not having this. I’m letting you go. I could do with the extra money.”
After a couple of other texts, the boss then said: “After four years of phoning in sick on Mondays because you’ve had a good weekend, I can do what I like trust me.”
At the tribunal, the employer cited 17 occasions when the employee had taken a Monday off sick after a heavy weekend. The employee said in evidence that she was suffering from suspected endometriosis and at times was in acute pain.
Many of our members get very upset when they think staff are letting them and their colleagues down, but it is never advisable to act in haste. The employer in the story above lost the tribunal for several reasons:
• Not giving the employee the opportunity to provide an explanation before she was dismissed.
• Not carrying out a fair and reasonable investigation and disciplinary procedure.
• Not discussing the employee’s attendance record with her.
• Not issuing the employee with a formal warning about her attendance record and dismissing her by text.
We do understand how difficult it is in a small business to cope with odd sick days, particularly after the weekend or a bank holiday, but never overreact – stick to your sickness absence policy.
Always hold a return-to-work meeting. Ask what the problem was. Did the employee seek medical help? Were they prescribed any medication? Are there any reasonable adjustments that should be considered for their role?
If you operate based on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) in the contract of employment, then make sure you only pay the qualifying amount.
Some of our members are more generous, which is fine, but it can allow certain individuals to take advantage. We would urge any members with this issue to not ignore it.
Put simply, it’s not fair on the other members of staff and may encourage others to behave in a similar fashion.
And finally, another member query. A long-standing employee handed in their resignation unexpectedly. They didn’t say where they were going, but our member suspected they were joining a competitor.
This employee managed some sensitive contracts and had contact with some big clients. The question asked was, “Can we ask the employee to sign a non-compete document before they leave?”
The straight answer is no. You can only introduce terms and conditions either at the start of the employment or by mutual agreement during the employment. Obviously, the thing to do is to check the contact of employment to see if there is any provision in there to cover this situation.
If you have a TV in the staff room or an office, then you are not covered for these by the demonstration exception clause
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If there isn’t, the important thing to do is to sit down with the employee and talk things through. Whilst there may be nothing in writing, your employee still has an implied duty to keep information that they’ve gained throughout their employment confidential. Whilst formal non-compete clauses may be appropriate for senior members of staff; they would probably not be necessary for most employees.
The best advice we can give is to identify if a new employee will be handling sensitive information and to introduce a clause to cover what happens if they leave the business. This clause would be enforceable, as long as it was agreed to at the start of the employment contract.
Luke Gammons, director of Cambridgeshire market town retailer Wades, is doing some great work promoting his business on social media. Sean Hannam went to visit him to find out more.
When it comes to inventive social media marketing, Wades is one of the Retra and Euronics members that’s leading the way.
Director Luke Gammons, who runs the third-generation family retailer with his parents, Alan and Annette, in the heart of the Cambridgeshire market town of Ramsey, near Peterborough, has started starring in engaging TikTok videos which include handy tips on how to use products and highlight benefits for consumers.
You can see Luke’s handiwork at www.tiktok.com/@wadesramsey and on the store’s website (www.wades.co.uk), which features a caricature of him. The business also has a YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/WadesRamsey
Luke, who appeared in a national Euronics TV ad, also publishes a weekly vlog, which, at the time Alert went to press, had 72 entries.
The business even has its own hashtag – #trywadesfirstmate –which is also displayed in-store on the counter.
“I spoke to a customer who rented from us – she told me a story about her grandad, who, every time they wanted something, used to say, ‘Try Wades first, mate’,” he says.
“I thought that was really cool and I asked her if I could use it. It blew up on our local Ramsey Spotted page – it’s done really well for us and I want to push it more, with bags.”
Locally, Facebook is really good. We have 9,000 followers – there are only 8,000 people in Ramsey
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Rock star
Luke doesn’t miss a trick – he’s also a very tall guy, who looks like a rock star with his beard and long hair, so he easily stands out from the crowd, both online and in-person.
In fact, when Alert walks down his local high street with him after our visit, he is greeted by several people. This is community retail at its best.
We ask him to tell us how his social media strategy first came about.
“Everything started on Facebook – it was an easy way of telling people who we were and explaining the shop to those who didn’t know about us – locally, Facebook is really good,” he explains.
“We have 9,000 followers – there are only 8,000 people in Ramsey. During lockdown, Facebook really blew up. I started doing five or 10-minute videos every day for a year and a half.
“Whatever I talked about would sell out before the shop opened – we were getting 3,000 to 4,000 views a day for each video.”
He adds: “We do a little bit on Instagram, but we sell way more on TikTok. I looked at our last report for our TikTok shop and we sold eight grand.
“I started out on TikTok by doing a video explaining how you install a washing machine. I did a job a couple of miles up the road – a new customer had bought around five grand’s worth of kitchen appliances from us. I asked them why they used us and they said that their builder had seen us on TikTok. One of my biggest videos was about explaining how wi-fi access points work – that had a lot of views.
“On Facebook you’re pretty much only posting to your followers, but with TikTok is different – it’s interest-based. If I do a video on Sonos, and I use the hashtag Sonos, anyone who’s looking for Sonos will see it – that’s how you can go viral really easily.”
Looking at his future plans for his social media activity, Luke says: “If time would allow it, I wouldn’t want to do anything else apart from YouTube and TikTok. I use a proper camera for YouTube and I edit with Premiere Pro – I’m trying to get better at editing. I want to develop the social side and do proper reviews. I want to be doing two or three YouTube videos a week and I’ve been meaning to do a podcast where I talk to the manufacturers.”
Third-generation family retailer Wades celebrates its 50th birthday this year – it operates from a building that’s been around since 1918 – and will be planning a lot of social media activity around its special anniversary.
“My grandad, Peter Gammons, bought Wades in November 1973, when the owner was selling up –the shop next door is his furniture store,” says Luke.
He has been working at Wades since he was 13 – he’s 40 now. His two sisters, Lois and Lydia, also work for the company – they are responsible for social media and online content, respectively.
Wades has a team of 10 staff and three vans on the road, covering all of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough – the furthest install it’s done was in Reading, Berkshire.
“We’ve always sold electricals, but in my grandad’s day, we also sold prams and lots of bikes,” says Luke.
The store is currently being renovated – a former bike workshop is being converted into a new area to display white goods.
Wades might not sell bikes anymore but there isn’t much it doesn’t stock or provide, offering home appliances and TVs, including rentals, SDA, floorcare, hardware, Sonos, Crosley and Sony turntables, CCTV, aerial and satellite installation, wi-fi and telephone services, and gardening tools and equipment. Alert even notices greetings cards for sale too.
“White goods are about 70 percent of our business,” says Luke, but adds that TVs used to make up the majority of sales.
“We were doing TVs before white goods,” he says. “There was a kitchen shop over the road selling freestanding appliances – they packed up, so we started doing them.”
Blomberg is the store’s largest white goods brand, with Bosch a close second. Sony is its top TV supplier and Wades also sells TVs by Vispera, exclusively via Euronics.
I want to develop the social side and do proper reviews. I want to be doing two or three YouTube videos a week and I’ve been meaning to do a podcast where I talk to the manufacturers
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Luke is also looking at selling Philips Hue smart lighting and other off-the-shelf, DIY smart home products.
Retra member Wades joined the Euronics buying group around 10 years ago: “We did TVs before that through wholesalers, but then everything changed. You can’t really be on your own now,” says Luke. “The main benefit of being a Euronics member for us is three deliveries a week – that’s really good – and it’s also competitively priced with a big range. Our hardware supplier only offers one delivery a week.”
Wades joined Retra around the same time it became a Euronics member. “I think the conferences are really good – you can get ideas from the bigger retailers, like Hughes and Stellisons, and I used the Retra helpline when we started rentals,” says Luke. “We also sell Retra warranties – they’re a good add-on.”
Luke says that the majority of Wades’s customers are older, but that the business is seeing an increase in the amount of younger shoppers.
“I think that’s down to our social media and Ramsey is expanding – there are so many houses being built,” he explains. “We get firsttime home buyers shopping with us.”
On the future of the electricals market, he says: “In 10 years’ time, the only retailers who will be about are the ones who are proactive –there’s no need to use someone if they’re not giving value.”
Customers expect the basics, and if we do something a little different or extra, they love it…’
A usually positive Paul Mead, managing director of Michael R Peters in Bedford, is feeling despondent, and it’s not helped by manufacturers selling direct, but it’s not all bad news…
Don’t let them get you down. It’s not very often I’m downbeat but over the past few weeks it’s been a bit like trying to push water uphill.
I don’t know how any of you are getting on with staff recruitment, but it seems harder than ever to find people.
On top of this, we all have the increase in energy costs. Do you keep all your TVs switched off until customers come in, to save on the electricity bill?
Sonos Era 300 speaker
As independents, we helped to get Sonos where it is today. How do they repay us? By asking our customers to purchase direct from them via an app that we probably installed on their phone
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To date, ours are left on, but it’s time to revisit that thought. With nearly all of today’s TV’s staying in standby rather than being able to switch off, we did the maths for leaving 30-odd TVs on standby between 6pm and 8am the next day and decided to fit a switch to the circuit so we can kill the power to all the sets. It’s going to save us several quid over the year.
How do you dispose of your polystyrene? Well, we used to use our local council, which would would rock up three times a week – all the staff would heave it into the back of a big wagon and away it went.
That was until the invoice arrived at the end of December and it totalled more than £600 for five weeks. So, we contacted a local private company who called around, surveyed, quoted and within a couple of days we are paying approximately £150 a month, plus it’s being recycled, as opposed to ending up in some landfill, so we feel much greener as well.
Sony pro TV
Picture the scene, it’s early December and my phone rings – one of my customers is standing in Harrods looking to purchase a 100in Sony professional TV.
“Paul, can you supply this, as this is the one I would like?” he says. “Of course I can,” I quickly reply. Deal done.
Then I make a quick call to Stuart Tickle’s team at AWE and, Bob’s your uncle, the screen is sourced.
Fast forward to delivery day and, as promised, Stuart’s man gives us a call to say he is half an hour out. OMG – when he turns up with the set, it’s huge! We’ve sold several 85in sets in the past, but this baby is monstrous.
Challenge one – it’s rather heavy (129kgs) and too large to go up the stairs to the third floor. No problem, let’s get a scissor lift and send it through the double doors at the end of the cinema room. Six weightlifters later, the set is safely installed on the wall and our customer is delighted.
However, his parting comment was: “What happens if it goes wrong?”
Over the Easter weekend, we left a treat for all customers that have had kit delivered and installed by us. The positive feedback that we had was quite overwhelming. I guess it comes down to the old saying, ‘attention to detail’. Customers expect the basics, and if we do something a little different or extra, they love it.
It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t finish with a comment about manufacturers selling direct. In recent weeks Sonos has launched two new speakers, and very good they are too.
As independents, we helped to get this company to where it is today. How do they repay us? By asking our customers to purchase direct from them via an app that we probably installed on the customers’ phones.
Samsung are at it yet again too, offering 15 percent off two appliances, 0 percent finance and, if you’re a rewards member, points with your purchase. Level playing field? My a***!
Nearly all of the manufacturers are after customer data capture in some form, be it, ‘No you can’t have the YouTube app until you have signed up to our account’, or by simply getting a customer to register their five-year warranty with all their personal details, only to be bombarded by direct offers from the manufacturers, cutting us out of the future purchase chain. But remember, all these suppliers value our business. Enough said. Vote with your order pad!
The Retail Trust on how you can offer support to people you know who are suffering from mental health problems.
We spend a large chunk of our lives at work, which means we’re likely to meet and spend time with people who are struggling with their mental health – or go through times when we need support ourselves. It can be a tough subject to talk about, but in any given year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem, so it’s important to learn how to be a good ally to anyone who might be struggling.
An ally is someone who is willing to take positive action to help a person or group of people, even if they’re not part of it themselves. Here are some ways you can be an effective ally to your friends, colleagues and staff when it comes to their mental health.
It can be a tough subject to talk about, but in any given year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem, so it’s important to learn how to be a good ally to anyone who might be struggling
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Be kind
“Kindness isn’t rocket science – it’s rocket fuel,” says Andrea Woodside, wellbeing training lead at the Retail Trust. “If you’re kind, you can’t go wrong, you can’t mess this up. So just be kind.”
Be a lighthouse
As a friend or colleague of someone who is struggling with their mental health, your role is to listen, and to signpost them to the right kind of help. Managers, especially, have a legal and moral obligation to encourage their staff to access professional help if they’re experiencing mental health difficulties.
Avoid ‘magic pills’ and silver linings
If someone confides in you, be careful not to diminish what they’re saying by offering up comparisons, or giving advice that may have worked for you or a friend, but might be unhelpful to the person you’re talking to.
Don’t make it about you
When someone wants to talk about their mental health, even if their experiences are similar to yours, it’s important to resist the urge to tell your own story. “Never share your own experiences,” advises Andrea. “Whether or not you also have experience of a mental health condition isn’t relevant, because this is about them.”
Don’t be afraid to say the wrong thing
If someone’s going through a difficult time, you might be worried about putting your foot in it. But even saying the wrong thing is better than saying nothing.
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Put your mental health first
Being a good ally doesn’t mean setting aside your own needs in order to help others.
Normalise the conversation
Talking about mental health isn’t always easy – but we all have mental health, in the same way we have physical health, and the more we bring the subject out into the open, the easier it is to talk about.
Be prepared for a crisis
Dealing with an urgent mental health crisis, such as a colleague having suicidal feelings, isn’t something that will happen often at work – but if you’re a manager, it’s important to be prepared.
“When someone’s having a mental health crisis, it can be a frightening experience, both for them and for yourself,” says Sarah Merrington, head of Mind’s mental health at work programme. “It’s important to have a plan in place in case this happens, and that you remain calm and contact the emergency services for help.
“A mental health crisis isn’t something you can deal with yourself, and nor should you be expected to. Mental health professionals are best placed to help people in crisis, and you should reach out immediately if you feel the situation requires it.”
We are always here for
As a valued member of the Retra family, you and your colleagues have free and confidential access to the charity’s wellbeing services.
The free and confidential Retail Trust wellbeing helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can contact the team on 0808 801 0808 for in-the-moment support and guidance.
The Retail Trust website is packed full of loads more articles, quizzes, videos and guidance on everything from mental health and wellbeing to your career and lifestyle. You can take charge and decide what’s important to you. Think of it as your very own support network.
Once you’ve registered on the Retail Trust website you can personalise it and choose what topics interest you. Whether that be advice on how to cope with anxiety or financial worries to valuable tips on managing a team. You’re in total control. And remember, it’s completely confidential. Completely. That means, as with everything at the Retail Trust, no one at work will know what topics you choose, what you’re clicking on, what you’re reading or whether you’re reaching out for counselling or financial aid.
Register today at retailtrust.org, choose ‘Retra family’ as your employer, and start your wellbeing journey.
Hot town, summer in the city, are your sales looking dirty and gritty? Customers looking half-dead, hotter than a match head? Richard Stevenson from Quick Brown Fox PR says, despite the heat, it’ll be alright…
As the temperatures rise and the days get longer, many retailers are gearing up for the busy summer season and hoping for increased footfall, with sporting events jazzing up the CE sector and old fridges keeling over in the hot weather. But, with increased competition and changing consumer habits, it can be a challenge to maintain or increase sales during these months. Here are some tips and tricks to help you boost your sales and make the most of the summer season.
Outdoor living is set to be a high-growth sector this year, so look to lines that are likely to gain the biggest traction and stock up on accessories for incremental sales, such as pizza ovens and pizza cooking utensils
1. The Seasonal Refresh
One of the easiest ways to entice customers to your store is by refreshing your displays and window dressing in theme with the season and peak sectors. Create an eye-catching display that showcases your summer products, such as portable audio, outdoor cooking and SDA for ice cream and cold drinks. Use bright colours and themes that reflect the season.
2. Summer Promotions
Summer is a great time to offer promotions and discounts, both on your digital channels and in-store, as there will be more traffic walking by. Consider running a special deal on a popular product - preferably securing a promo discount from the supplier first. Outdoor living is set to be a high-growth sector this year so look to lines that are likely to gain the biggest traction and stock up on accessories for incremental sales, such as pizza ovens and pizza cooking utensils.
3. Embrace Seasonal Social
Social media is a powerful tool for retailers when customers are more likely to be out and about. Use your social media accounts to highlight your summer promotions, the store refresh, summer product themes and tip and tricks about getting the most from
various popular summer product categories. ‘Maximise the garden run-time of your battery-powered audio’, or ‘Top 10 flavours for ice cream makers’ will get plenty of views.
Hosting events is a great way to bring customers into your store and create a fun and memorable shopping experience, and often supported by supplier brands wanting to hone your sales efforts towards their products. Outdoor cooking, summer smoothies or gardening tips events are all great themes for getting products designed for outdoor living in front of an audience that loves doing just that.
Expanding on the event theme, are there other local stores you can partner up with for events? The local baker could chip in for cooking events, the café on creating the best coffee with home coffee machines, or the nearest bar when it comes to summer cocktails and mocktails with you ‘new smoothie maker’. Co-opting in other local businesses can double the customer reach and potentially halve the costs of summer events.
Having spent four years working in a retail store with southfacing windows and zero ventilation, I can vouch for how angsty staff and customers get in sticky stores in the summer. A split AC system with a single blower over the main entrance is not massively expensive (around £2,000 plus installation) but can do wonders for sales as over-heating customers come into store and enjoy the cool air. Failing that, get some desk fans going for a quick fix. (Price ticketed – just in case there is another fan shortage, obviously!)
7. Delve into the Data
Make use of your historic sales data to understand which products are popular during the summer months, adjusting inventory and promotions accordingly. While that sounds like a ludicrously obvious course of action, you could not buy a fan in the South East of the UK for love nor money last August –despite it being the second super-hot summer in a row.
By implementing some of these tips and tricks, you can increase sales and attract new customers during the summer months. It is all too easy to just do the same old thing you have done all year round, so embrace the season and actively implement change.
Refresh the store and displays, host events, partner with other local businesses, use social media, offer promotions, expand your offerings, and train your staff to create a positive shopping experience. With the right strategy in place, you can make the most of the summer season and boost your bottom line.
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In an exclusive interview, Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, the not-for-profit organisation that’s on a mission to get more people in the UK to recycle their electricals, explains how Retra members can raise consumer awareness and help their customers to do the right thing.
Alert: What are the main stumbling blocks stopping consumers from recycling electricals in their local area?
Scott Butler: Waste electricals are currently the fastest growing waste stream in the world - and the UK. Eighty percent of the UK public think recycling electricals is something they’d like to do, but only 45 percent think it’s easy.
Over one million new people came to our website in the past 12 months to search for what electricals can be recycled and find their nearest recycling point. But we need to help more people access this information.
We think that there are three key barriers:
1. The first is lack of awareness of what ‘electricals’ can be recycled. In fact, it’s very simple: anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled, including electronic kids’ toys, electric toothbrushes, handheld vacuum cleaners, and even the cables themselves.
2. The second is lack of understanding of what to do with data and content on their old tech - we have helpful info on deleting data (www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/faq/how-do-i-delete-my-data/) and backing up content on our website.
3. And the third is lack of awareness of how and where to recycle electricals locally – everyone has a local recycling centre, retailer drop-off points, some have ‘bring banks’ and even kerbside collections. Search Recycle Your Electricals to find your nearest recycling points – over one million people come to our website every year to do this.
Alert: How can Retra members work with Material Focus to help consumers recycle electricals?
SB: The key things are to comply with regulations by offering and promoting retailer take-back in store. Members can make a real difference by taking back all electricals in-store for recycling as a growing number of national and local electrical retailers are doinglike Currys, B&Q, and John Lewis.
Our recent research shows that the public would love to see you making it easier to recycle locally by offering local drop-off points. Around three quarters (73 percent) of UK adults currently use, or would use, retailer drop-off points if they were available to them.
And 3/4 UK adults (77 percent) say they would view an electrical retailer as more environmentally responsible if they knew they offered electrical recycling options. Not just that but they would also visit your store more often.
We can work with retailers in a host of ways to help them and their consumers – we have a wide range of toolkits, guides, and
research such as our comms toolkit, retailers: take-back – obligations briefing, and Employee Engagement Pack. Our partnership manager, Nick Birch, would be delighted to work directly with Retra members. Please contact him on nick@materialfocus.org.uk.
Alert: Any key activity and dates retailers should be aware of regarding recycling electricals this year?
SB: We’ll be running regular campaigns focusing on electricals and what to do with them once consumers no longer want them.
A major future campaign for retailers is around International E-waste Day (IEWD) in October 2023. We’ll be calling on all employers to engage their staff and customers and encourage them to save the precious materials in electricals from being lost forever.
IEWD will be celebrated across the globe this year to draw attention to the importance of recycling electrical items. And stopping precious materials, including much-needed rare-earth metals - from being thrown away and lost forever.
Eighty percent of the UK public think recycling electricals is something they’d like to do, but only 45 percent think it’s easy
The Recycle Your Electricals campaign will be running a multichannel campaign across social media, radio, PR and likely TV highlighting the issue and how easy it is to find your nearest reuse or recycling drop off point.
How can retailers help?
• Promote recycling electricals amongst your employees, customers, and potential customers.
• Brief staff on IEWD and how customers can recycle their old electricals responsibly.
• Make it easy for employees – offer a drop-off point to recycle electricals at your workplace.
In addition to the above, we are planning to have a pre-Xmas/postXmas clear out campaign.
For more information, visit www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk.
We’re seeing green shoots of recovery and we’re optimistic for the future’ ‘
In his first interview with Alert, Sony UK marketing director, Jonathan Wild, gives Sean Hannam his take on the CE market, highlights some of the brand’s innovative new tech and addresses key industry concerns, like sustainability and manufacturers selling direct-to-consumer.
Sean Hannam: Let’s look at the CE market – during Covid, there was a massive peak in sales as people upgraded and bought new products. Now, there’s a cost of living crisis, so what’s Sony’s view on the current market? Is it flat? Are things tough out there?
Jonathan Wild: Good question. Given that we deal in replacement markets and products that are more impulse [purchases], we are seeing a bounce back. It slowed down, but we’re now seeing it pick up. We’re seeing green shoots of recovery and we’re optimistic for the future.
Covid was hugely distorting for everybody – people brought forward the classic replacement purchases, like TVs.
Conversely, we’re seeing growth in other parts of the market – I would draw your attention to headband headphones – over-ear
as opposed to True Wireless – which are growing astronomically and exponentially. It’s a European phenomenon – when I speak to my global colleagues, the growth we’re seeing is significantly ahead of theirs.
True Wireless was growing massively, but that’s abated.
SH: Why do you think headband headphones have accelerated in growth?
JW: We have two theories and we’re trying to do some market research to understand it. One, we think it’s quite fashion-driven – if you go online and look at influencers, you’ll see a lot of people customising their headphones with stickers and accessories.
For example, Jenna Ortega, who plays Wednesday in the Netflix show, uses headband headphones, so we’re starting to see that influencer impact.
Part of it is also that headband offers certain features that in-ear doesn’t – it’s a real area of growth for us.
SH: Let’s talk about some of the key products for Sony at the moment…
JW: Last year, we had a hugely successful TV range, including our first QD-OLED – the A95K. Our philosophy is that we want to offer the best picture quality, irrespective of panel tech, so this year we’re going to have a line-up that will have QD-OLED and Mini LED, as well as more conventional stuff.
What we’re excited about it is our industry-leading Cognitive Processor XR – we’ve had a generational update of that and we’re looking at the benefits that that’s bringing and the new panel tech, specifically on QD-OLED and Mini LED. I’m really excited about that. We’re getting super-strong across all the key areas of picture quality.
The biggest thing we want to do is look at how we can empower Retra members to be able to talk knowledgeably about our products
If I had to pull out another area I’m excited about, it’s AI – you can’t help but read about it in the press. We’ve got two products in our imaging line-up, the Alpha 7R Mark V and the ZV-E1, which both use our state-of-the-art AI processing unit. That uses detailed information from Hawk-Eye etc on human forms and postures.
For the consumer, it massively improves the camera’s subject recognition accuracy.
When you use the sensors we’ve got, coupled with the AI, and especially with the boom in vlogging and videography, we really think that gives us an axis to grow against. We’re feeling positive across all areas, but, personally, I’m most excited about TV.
SH: Sony has also done well with lifestyle audio, like big Bluetooth speakers for outdoor entertainment, hasn’t it? It’s a good time of year for retailers to be looking at those, isn’t it?
JW: Yes – during some of the royal events and the Olympics, we saw a real surge in that category. It’s one to keep an eye on, especially as the weather improves.
I think out of home is a good area to focus on – there’s an opportunity there.
SH: Where are the other opportunities for retailers and for Sony?
JW: If you look at the average selling price and our position – going back to your comment on the cost of living, if you buy cheap, you buy twice. We really want people to recognise that quality and value proposition. I would ask Retra members to add value by using a consultative selling approach – by doing that, they can win in a market where consumers are looking for a quality product and want to understand what it is.
The expertise, trust and respect that Retra members have got is their secret sauce – they should be leveraging that for the opportunities that are out there.
SH: How will you support the new products with training and marketing?
JW: We’re always very keen to make sure our training message goes out to Retra stores. Last year, our team travelled somewhere north of 3,700 miles across the UK and Ireland to get back out there and meet and train upwards of 1,400 employees. The biggest thing we want to do is look at how we can empower Retra members to be able to talk knowledgeably about our products. Importantly for us, because of Covid, these were the first face-to-face sessions we were able to do for a while – for both sides, it was really nice to do. From a marketing point of view, we’ll be going above the line quite significantly.
For the first time credibly, we’re trying to tie together the link between Sony Music, the recording artists and the audio products we have. I’m really excited about that. It’s our heritage – I’m old enough to remember the yellow Sports Walkman and those kind of moments – and it’s a great opportunity to reinforce our credentials in that space.
SH: A key message at this year’s Retra Conference will be sustainability. Is that an important area for Sony?
JW: One hundred percent – for any credible player nowadays, it’s a table stake. It’s an area where we’d like to think we’re industry leaders in. We have SORPLAS, a recycled material that’s made from bottles, and, increasingly, all of our headphones are now coming out in blended material from bamboo and paper. That all forms part of our Road To Zero strategy, which we’ve got as a corporation – we’re going to reduce our environmental footprint to zero by 2050. In the current landscape, you can’t not have sustainability as a key focus.
The expertise, trust and respect that Retra members have got is their secret sauce – they should be leveraging that for the opportunities that are out there
“
SH: Can it sometimes be more difficult to get the brown goods sustainability message out there to consumers than it is with white goods? People can see the cost of using water with products like washing machines… Is there a job to do to raise awareness of sustainability in CE?
JW: You talk about visibility… This year, we’ve introduced an Eco Dashboard into our TVs. Essentially, you get a tree graphic and it’s very easy to use – you don’t need to be super-technical. The more you decrease the energy consumption, the tree grows in size – we wanted to make the environmental aspects of a product fun, to a certain extent, but also very easy to see.
SH: One of the other issues affecting and worrying Retra members is brands, like Sony and many others, selling D2C (direct-toconsumer). What would you say to your traditional retailers who feel undermined by that and need reassurance?
JW: For me, it’s part of how we go to market strategically, but as someone who sells premium products, with premium ASPs [average selling prices], you want to see, feel, touch and understand the difference.
D2C is important because there are products that people want to know about and potentially they want to make a transaction online, but, equally, if not more so, is the role Retra members play in telling those stories and really helping with ASPs.
I would ask Retra members to view it [DC2] as complementary. It’s not a stalking horse – it’s something we feel that we need to do to be respected and to round up our proposition, but retailers remain an absolute pivotal part of our go-to-market strategy and they should feel confident that with the commitment we’ve got to training and the products we put into that channel, they’re as equally a high focus for us.
Team of 4 Players Stapleford 18 Holes
The Golf Day includes:
• Bacon Rolls, Tea & Coffee
• Half Way House
• Reception Drinks
• 3 Course Dinner
• Prize Giving
The Oxfordshire Wednesday 14th June 2023
On the Course Competitions: • Nearest the Pin • Longest Drive • Best Individual Score • Team Stapleford Score • Team Stapleford with Yellow Ball Score
In a post-Covid world, sales of cooling products have slowed down, but consumers are buying into the benefits of built-in, and energy efficiency and sustainability are becoming even more important. Sean Hannam opens the fridge door and peers in.
Sales of refrigeration appliances rocketed during Covid, with customers locked down at home, but now the sector seems to be cooling down.
“The past 12 months have been challenging for many reasons, with the market declining year-on-year as a result,” says Beko UK and Ireland’s marketing director, Vijay Bhardwaj.
“Inflation and the subsequent cost of living crisis have changed consumer purchasing habits. Overall, we have seen the total demand for refrigeration appliances decrease and we predict that the replacement cycle of products will extend in the coming period.”
He adds: “Now, more than ever, consumers will be searching for appliances featuring advanced technologies, that meet their needs and expectations at a competitive price point. As such, we predict that an increased proportion of consumers will be looking to trade down to more mid-range priced products. Equally, we may see an increase in purchases of entry-level products, and credit may become an important mechanism to leverage trade up.”
Rob Westwood, product manager, cooling at BSH, tells Alert: “Covid-19 led to a rapid increase in sales of fridges and freezers.
This is partly because people were spending more time at home and wanted to make changes to their kitchens, but also
because there was a need to store more food to reduce the number of supermarket visits during lockdown. We believe that the market will now realign back to the levels and trends seen prior to Covid-19.”
Comments Rebecca Evans, brand manager at Miele GB: “After a significant boom during the Covid pandemic, the market was challenged during 2022 in both value and volume terms, largely due to production constraints. The built-in market has performed better than freestanding, as consumers strive for a more seamless look in their kitchen.”
BSH’s Mr Westwood is also seeing a move towards built-in cooling products: “Looking forwards, we are noticing that more consumers are considering built-in refrigeration products. This is partly due to a trend towards handle-less furniture in kitchens, and consumers wanting their refrigeration products to match this.”
So, what features and benefits are consumers who are in the market for a new cooling product looking for?
“When purchasing cooling appliances, consumers are paying attention to large capacity models that are flexible in terms of storage space,” says Beko’s Mr Bhardwaj.
“Consumers are also interested in food freshness technologies and are buying into more modern colour ways, including grey.”
Beko offers two food freshness technologies, including Beko HarvestFresh, which uses innovative three-colour light technology to preserve the vitamins in fruit and vegetables for up to five additional days, and Beko EverFresh+, which controls air and humidity levels to delay the ripening process, keeping fruit and vegetables fresh for up to 30 days.
“Ultimately, consumers are looking for a flexible cooling appliance that can cater for modern family life,” explains Mr Bhardwaj.
BSH’s Mr Westwood tells Alert: “When consumers purchase cooling products, they look for certain key features. First and foremost, they prioritise energy efficiency. They seek products that offer improved efficiency. Additionally, they are interested in
Next year, there will be a further energy transition for refrigeration. A restriction of F energy-rated appliances will come into place, where these will no longer be able to be imported after March 1 2024. This transition will push manufacturers into developing more energy efficient appliances
Beko UK and Ireland marketing director, Vijay Bhardwaj
products that use technology to keep food fresh for longer periods of time, reducing waste.”
BSH’s brands offer a range of solutions to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste. One such solution is VitaFresh, which features two separate compartments with integrated climate control. One drawer is designed for meat and fish, while the other is for vegetables and fruit. Users can easily adjust the conditions in each drawer for maximum freshness.
“Another innovation is MultiAirflow, which ensures even humidity and temperature distribution throughout the refrigerator,” says Mr Westwood.
“This is important because uneven cooling can greatly affect the flavour and longevity of food. MultiAirflow helps to minimise food waste.”
He believes the latest energy labelling scheme for home appliances, which was introduced in March 2021, has had a positive impact on the cooling market, saying: “This scheme encourages consumers to invest in eco-friendly innovations that are more sustainable for the planet. As a result, consumers can enjoy smaller bills while contributing to a healthier environment.”
Commenting on the energy labelling scheme, Beko’s Mr Bhardwaj says: “Prior to this change, it became increasingly difficult for consumers to differentiate between products. Now, the updated label includes a simpler A-G classification system, a more understandable measurement of energy consumption, and a QR code that helps consumers receive product information quickly and easily.
“However, there are still two main categories in the MDA market that use the old-style energy rating, cooking and drying, and this combination of label types in the market can cause confusion for consumers. This is where retailers and manufacturers can help consumers understand the differences between the labels and reassure them of the efficiency performance in each category.”
He uses an example to demonstrate his point – if you take a combi fridge-freezer that is C or D rated, previously A+++ under the old labelling system, those energy levels are among the highest in market in that category (where A is the highest but only an insignificant part of the market is A or B rated).
Conversely, a C rated dryer is the bottom energy rating in dryers (where the top rating is A+++). So, consumers might think they made a similar choice in each category, whereas the opposite is true.
Mr Bhardwaj also highlights another change that’s coming next year: “In 2024, there will be a further energy transition for the refrigeration category. A restriction of F energy-rated appliances will come into place where these will no longer be able to be imported after March 1 2024. This transition will push manufacturers into developing more energy efficient refrigeration appliances.”
Style and design, as well as energy efficiency, remain important for premium Italian brand, Smeg, as UK product manager, Anna Batten, explains: “Style and design has always been a key driver for our sales, due to the nature and heritage of our brand. Alongside providing innovative technology, energy efficiency plays a large contributing factor in the current market. We understand that consumers are still discovering the advantages to certain features; therefore, it is important that, as a brand, we continue to explore different ways to meet our consumer requirements.”
She adds: “Our current focus is now on energy efficiency and ensuring that we can offer product features that provide preservation and convenience. We want to ensure that our appliances continue to meet consumer demands and remain strong within the market.”
Connected cooling appliances are on the increase but aren’t yet commonplace: “They are still relatively new to consumers, but this is an area that is expected to grow significantly in the coming years,” says BSH’s Mr Westwood.
“With the rapid development of technology, consumers are interacting with it in so many other ways every day, and that familiarity and expectation will increasingly move into other areas, such as cooling.”
He adds: “Currently, a fridge-freezer has fewer smart features than a washing machine, for example, which makes it more difficult for consumers to see where connectivity could help in their day-today lives. However, the more we promote and talk about it, the more they will see how it can make their lives easier and more convenient.”
For example, he cites the benefits of BSH’s Home Connect app, which enables users to remotely monitor and control their refrigerator’s temperature from anywhere, and even set it to vacation mode when they’re away. Users will also receive a notification on their phone if they accidentally leave the fridge door open, for example.
BSH also has some other innovations in its cooling portfolio, including a Neff fridge-freezer with a voice-activated door.
“The real-world benefit of this is that it allows for hands-free access to the fridge and freezer, making it easier to get to your food and drinks without having to put anything down or touch the door handle,” explains Mr Westwood. “This is especially useful when your hands are full or dirty, or you have mobility issues.”
Looking ahead at how the cooling sector might perform, Miele GB’s Ms Evans says: “The market is stabilising after a challenging couple of years, as external events continue to impact consumer confidence and buying patterns.
“However, the premium segment is outperforming the market as consumers trade up. Consumers will continue to seek efficient appliances with sustainability at the forefront of decision making. Quieter appliances will also continue to be popular, as more consumers spend additional time at home, with hybrid working patterns.”
Concludes Beko’s Mr Bhardwaj: “Solutions for healthy living like food freshness technologies will continue to stay popular within the cooling market, helping consumers prolong the life of their groceries and reduce their household food waste. Equally, with sustainability becoming a key focus for many manufacturers, we will continue to see more brands offering appliances with innovative sustainability features.”
Stuart Tickle, managing director of Retra associate member and tech/custom install distributor, AWE Europe, gives Alert his views on the role of the smart home in a post-Covid world.
Alert: What effect do you think Covid has had on the smart home sector?
Stuart Tickle: During Covid, business took a massive dive during the full lockdown, as installers couldn’t visit people’s homes, but then it went through the roof and has now settled back on solid growth.
With so much time being spent at home, and home working, homeowners have seen the benefits improving their home brings and have been casting a critical eye over all aspects of their property. Many of us have been investing more money in those areas where it needs to be brought up to scratch to fit our new living patterns, or simply to create some amazing spaces to hang out with friends and family.
As a result, sales of consumer electronics and smart home devices have exploded – and have been sustained.
Families initially were forced to, but now choose to escape by binge-watching more box sets, streaming more movies, taking in sports on the big screen and gaming too.
Simple control is key for retailers. People investing in media rooms and home cinema technologies will like the convenience of a dedicated control solution to bring connected devices – screen, audio, lighting – together
“
Stuart Tickle
As a result, serious money is being spent on upgrading the tech that can create the best experience for these activities and this includes both dedicated and multi-purpose spaces of home entertainment, often centred around much higher levels and numbers of home cinema and music systems, as well as the benefits of things like central control systems and video doorbells.
Alert: How can the smart home benefit people in a post-Covid world?
ST: Wellbeing is a term that we are all familiar with, and this is a trend that is becoming more important within our homes –especially post-Covid.
One of the recurring themes is how can our homes support our health, such as by promoting better sleep or creating a feeling of calm. Home automation plays a key role here. For example, lighting scenes can be automated to simulate the colours and lighting levels of sunrise and sunset to support your body’s natural circadian rhythm.
There are also practical applications which everyone befits from, with clinically vulnerable people able to utilise video doorbells to respond to visitors and monitor parcel/shopping drops from a distance, or for families to monitor elderly relatives’ movements without interfering.
More advanced systems can also make a home more energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions, only using energy when
a room is occupied and switching to sleep mode or ‘all off’ when a room or area of the home is not in use. Simple pre-set programming is great for managing the energy that a home uses, or sensors can make it more intelligent.
Alert: Why should independent electrical retailers embrace the smart home and how can they educate themselves on the market and the technology and skills involved? How can they demonstrate and sell smart home kit and products effectively?
ST: Add-on services are a big opportunity for retailers – you have to add value to the box you are selling.
If you’re not offering more than the box, stock and support, then everyone online and offline, independent or multiple is your competitor.
Cross the threshold of the customers’ homes in your community and offer a higher level of installation service than the ‘fit and forget’, ‘on the clock’ multi-drop delivery ethos. Provide everything required to create a desirable home using integrated technology, otherwise, your customer will spend less, or simply go elsewhere.
Simple control is key for retailers. People investing in media rooms and home cinema technologies will like the convenience of a dedicated control solution to bring connected devices – screen, audio, lighting – together.
Entry-level solutions that are scalable, such as the Expressway Software and processor from URC, provide a great sell-in opportunity with intuitive, reliable and affordable control from just £500.
● AWE Expo takes place from May 16-17. Retailers are invited to the AWE Show Apartment in Epsom, Surrey to discover the latest smart home and home cinema solutions.
Visitors will get an exclusive preview of new technologies, meet experts, and of course, get to tuck into AWE’s legendary spit-roast BBQ lunch. It’s a great opportunity to experience the latest residential technologies and how to tap into the sales potential of this growing market.
For more information, visit www.awe-europe.com
In a post-Covid world, smart home appliances have come into their own and can also help with energy saving and cutting household bills. Sean Hannam looks at some of the benefits of the connected kitchen.
One of the few upsides to the Covid pandemic was that some locked-down consumers who’d invested in connected domestic appliances finally had the time to get to grips with their features and benefits.
“Primarily, Covid gave people more time to connect their smart appliances and start using them to their fullest potential,” says James Kington, head of connect home at BSH. “Once they did, the benefits of wi-fi-enabled appliances became clear, such as having remote control access from a mobile device, the ability to check appliance status and receive alerts, and the convenience of automation and voice control.”
Speaking to Alert, Miele GB’s brand manager, Rebecca Evans, tells us: “During periods of lockdown, consumers were used to being able to put a quick wash on in-between Zoom calls.
“Hybrid working patterns are now more prevalent, with many consumers splitting their time between home and their place of work. Smart appliances that can be controlled remotely enable consumers to multitask while they work from anywhere, helping them to keep their households running smoothly without having to be there.
“For example, being able to run the dishwasher or washing machine, turn on the oven or heating, answer the door to accept a delivery – there are so many options to help make life easier and convenient.”
Sustainability and energy saving are important messages in the appliance market at the moment – even more so during the cost of living crisis many of us are experiencing. Demonstrating and selling the eco benefits of connected appliances to customers is key.
“We must all strive to be more energy-efficient,” says BSH’s Mr Kington. “Steps are already being taken, such as improving national grids with sustainability targets and encouraging the installation of heat pumps and new boilers that are more efficient.”
He adds: “On a day-to-day basis, using appliances more efficiently can help with energy efficiency. For instance, a cotton eco wash at 40 degrees may take a long time to complete, and some
consumers might opt for a different wash setting thinking, “I don’t have time for this.”
“However, they may not realise that the alternative setting, although it takes less time, probably uses more water and electricity. Consequently, they won’t achieve the desired outcome and may end up using twice as much energy and water.”
Taking advantage of the many benefits offered by smart appliances can also assist with energy efficiency says Mr Kington.
“For example, Agile Octopus offers consumers with a smart meter access to half-hourly energy prices tied to wholesale prices and updated daily. When wholesale electricity prices drop, consumer bills can also drop. By linking their dishwasher or washing machine to Agile Octopus via Home Connect, users can program the machine to run when Agile Octopus changes its tariff to a better, lower tariff.”
Chris Grundy, cooking product manager at Haier Europe, tells Alert: “With the cost of energy soaring, this year will have a heavy focus on energy ratings for appliances. Customers will be looking to spend a little more on more energy-efficient models that return a quick return of investment of the lifecycle of the product.”
The future lies in home management, specifically in managing the kitchen and ensuring that various appliances and devices work together seamlessly
James Kington, head of connect home at BSH
Over at Miele GB, Ms Evans has some advice for retailers who are selling connected home appliances: “The smart home will continue to grow in popularity and provides an opportunity for retailers.
“Keeping up-to-date through industry publications and consumer insights will assist in growing knowledge. Attending training sessions offered by manufacturers will also help retail partners to become experts in specific products. Bring the appliances to life by engaging consumers with demonstrations to highlight the direct benefits to show how they will make life easier.”
Asked where the smart appliance market is heading, BSH’s Mr Kington says: “The future lies in home management, specifically in managing the kitchen and ensuring that various appliances and devices work together seamlessly.
“The launch of Matter at the end of last year was particularly exciting for us. Matter is a new global, open-source standard that aims to simplify the smart home ecosystem. It allows internetconnected devices from different manufacturers to communicate with each other in a simple and secure manner. This unification will make our lives easier, more convenient, and more enjoyable.”
Matt Nimmons, managing director of CEDIA EMEA, the global trade association for smart home technology, on current trends in the custom installation sector, and how retailers can learn the vital skills and knowledge required to make the most of the opportunities out there.
The residential technology industry has seen its ups, downs, and everything in between over the past 30-plus years.
The pandemic changed the market in ways never seen before. There’s been a surge of new customers who need technology in their homes and upgrades to existing customers who need infrastructure to support their new lives. This boom shines a spotlight on integrators and technology professionals as necessary workers who are critical to life at home. Many saw record business and expanded as quickly as possible.
At the same time, product shortages and shipping costs have created difficult situations, with clients waiting and integrators being stuck in the middle. For some, this has become a perfect opportunity to diversify services in emerging trends.
The fastest growing trends are power and energy, wellness, consulting services for the DIFM (direct-to-consumer) market, and service programmes.
Consumers’ investment in their homes shows no signs of slowing down, but it is changing. As outlined in the Integrator of 2027 white paper, we’re starting to see a lesser focus on technology and product-centricity, and instead we’re seeing a shift toward usercentricity and hyper-personalised user experiences.
In the years ahead, it is going to be vital for integrators to design with intention and empathy and uncover each user’s unique needs.
The key for retailers developing a successful installation programme is training. Manufacturers offer a myriad of resources to ensure businesses are up to speed on the products’ specs and capabilities, but the retailer has to be committed to freeing their staff up to take that training and find how it fits best within their business model.
CEDIA offers foundational introductory education that aren’t product-focused, but skills-focused in areas like cabling and infrastructure, audio and video distribution, and networking. The expertise gained from this training provides an unmatched knowledge to deliver a professionally installed project.
CEDIA has created a new education package aimed at entry level technicians, electricians, and aerial installers. The five-day Smart Home Technician Essentials pathway will offer a solid foundation for technicians interested in starting their careers in the industry or supporting junior technicians in their journey towards CEDIA certification.
There’s been a surge of new customers who need technology in their homes –this boom shines a spotlight on integrators and technology professionals as necessary workers who are critical to life at home
Matt Nimmons
The package covers essential topics such as audio and video fundamentals, best practice in structured cabling, smart home subsystems, as well as design and installation of AV racks. The last day of the programme also covers UK’s regulations of electrical safety.
The main advantage of this package is that it consists of standalone, one-day courses that can be booked individually. This allows learners the flexibility to choose which courses they chose to attend based on their individual needs and schedules.
Additionally, the format enables learners to fill specific knowledge gaps and acquire the skills and knowledge they need to become proficient in specific areas. The flexibility of these course is testament to CEDIA’s commitment to provide accessible and comprehensive training to learners of all levels.
For more information on CEDIA training, visit www.cedia.net/education/training/emea
The audio market is rocking, with a steady demand for more premium audio products, often in categories and styles that hark back to hi-fi’s heyday. Richard Stevenson is all ears.
While music systems and portable audio suffered some musical differences in 2022, hi-fi separates continued to top the charts for average value sales.
While we are nowhere near the volume or value of the market back in the ‘80s, there is some irony in today’s digital and streamed music content world that turntables and loudspeakers are still resonating with music and audio enthusiasts.
That retro vibe is being leveraged with a trend for retro cosmetic designs that hark back to the heyday of the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Comments Nick Simon, client director, market intelligence, at GfK: “There were slight declines for the hi-fi audio markets in 2022 overall, but hi-fi components seemed pretty robust, particularly traditional loudspeakers and turntables.
Value across the audio sector was reassuringly solid, maintaining a total in the region of £100 million, with strong representation from £1,000-plus models. Independents retained a key role in the market
“Sales of vinyl playback products weren’t far short of 150,000 units, with a similar figure being accounted for by all other hi-fi components put together. The lion’s share of the other half came from loudspeakers, with more modest supporting roles from AV receivers plus amplifiers, topped off by a tiny residue of CD players.”
He adds: “Value across the audio sector was reassuringly solid, maintaining a total in the region of £100 million, with strong representation from £1,000-plus models. Independents retained a key role in the market, with loudspeakers and turntables performing best in this channel.”
If product launches in 2023 to date and the Bristol Hi-Fi Show in February are any barometer of audio buying trends, then retro designs that hark back to the ‘70s or ‘80s are going to be hotter than Pan’s People.
Turntable design has rarely exceeded a wood chassis, plinth, platter and arm on the right-hand side, yet loudspeakers seem to be moving away from piano-gloss finishes and high-tech driver arrays, back to more traditional aesthetics.
Design cues like cabinets being wider than they are deep, oiled real wood veneer finishes and the gratuitous use of black vinyl on baffles are abundant, although the tech and engineering are right up to date.
This includes active models with streaming functionality, although the UK market is yet to embrace active speakers over amplifiers and passive designs wholly.
The retro style / contemporary tech concept is trying to appeal to traditionalists and more contemporary audiophiles alike, many of whom are embracing retro audio thanks to their ongoing enthusiasm for analogue vinyl.
Turntables themselves have something of a revolving fortune, with a myriad of unknown brands stepping into the lower-price part of the market.
This is pulling down the entry, or re-entry if the customer is old enough, into vinyl playback devices, but there is still plenty of value in the category, particularly with add-on accessories or even premium vinyl sales.
“180g ‘audiophile’ vinyl is still all the rage with premium vinyl customers,” says Mr Simon. “Buyers may pay a lot more than the £2.99 and £3.99 of the 1970s and 1980s, but this is in line with inflation, as £3.99 in 1980 is worth about £22 today – pretty much vinyl’s going rate.
“Many 1970s pressings were made out of the flimsiest plastic too, making the current vinyl offerings, including 180g pressings, seem eminently desirable.”
Beyond the pops, clicks and scratches, digital audio remains alive and well too. Bluetooth speakers, particularly those with built-in batteries for portable use, remain a high volume if not particularly high-value sale.
Global figures for the sector are massively skewed by direct sales of smart speakers from the likes of Amazon, Google, Samsung et al, but predictions by MarketWatch show the global market for Bluetooth speakers likely to top $24bn in 2023 and continue at a near 10 percent CAGR trajectory into the next decade.
Sony SRS-XV900 Bluetooth speaker
That 10 percent growth is a fraction of what the market was growing at pre-Covid, when smart speakers were the must-have thing for the home, but it’s still worth investigating at the premium end over £100.
All of the big CE brands have premium Bluetooth speakers in their line-up, including Sony’s SRS-XV900, with its retail price just shy of four figures.
“Bluetooth speakers held their own in both units and value in 2022, but audio systems declined further, meaning the category overall has dropped to an annual volume of around one million units,” says Mr Simon.
“Compare that with the halcyon days of smart speakers in 2018 and 2019, totalling close to three million units, and it suggests the category is reaching saturation. Many households are packing their homes out with job lots of cheap smart speakers to scatter around in different rooms. However, the £200-plus price remains popular with the audio cognoscenti.”
For further information please contact:
Richard Stevenson
Consultant
Editor Retra Alert richard@rspr.co.uk 07974 926157 www.retra.co.uk
Most of the other sectors of the audio market are relatively flat, albeit most are showing signs of greater price polarisation. The lower end of the market is getting ever more competitive, despite inflationary pressure on production and the cost of sales at retail. Meanwhile, the more affluent end of the audio market – the sector largely served by the independent channel – is very healthy
The 10-20 percent retail price increases this year show little sign of putting well-heeled buyers off investing in their audio enjoyment. That is equally true of the home cinema and custom installation market, which continues to prove that those with money are happy to spend on the very best audio and installation. We will be featuring headphones separately in a forthcoming issue, as the market is complex in the independent channel, but like audio generally, there remains plenty of revenue to be had at the higher end.
So what does the rest of 2023 have in-store for the diverse UK audio market? Mr Simon at GfK is relatively buoyant on the future of sound, particularly at the premium end of the market favoured by the independent channel.
“Expect turntables to maintain their momentum or at least break even, while audio systems currently look likely to decline further albeit hopefully at a less precipitous rate than in previous years,” he tells Alert
“Bluetooth speakers should be okay. Any losses in the volume of hi-fi components generally should be offset by continued strength at the top end of the market. Independents should still be super-relevant for hi-fi components, accounting for between 25 percent to 35 percent of the market.”
Overall, the UK audio market is alive and well, with modest growth expected in 2023 based on increasing product value, particularly at the upper end of each category.
With retro-styled speakers and turntables leading the premium charge and capturing the imagination of UK buyers, perhaps there is something to be said for the return of the good old days. I wonder if those 78rpm shellacs I have been keeping will be worth anything yet?
Louise Grantham, chief executive of REPIC, the UK’s largest household waste electrical producer compliance scheme, shares her insights on working with independent retailers and the electrical industry to promote recycling and sustainability.
Following a period of delay, the Government is now pressing ahead with the implementation of its 2018 Our Waste: Our Resources strategy, which will see Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implemented for existing waste materials, and new ones.
EPR requires producers to take financial responsibility for their products through their entire lifecycle. It also affects retailers, who provide an important link to the consumer, both in the sale of new products and the disposal of unwanted ones.
EPR moves away from the linear approach of existing producer responsibility legislation, which focuses largely on waste, and instead aims to achieve a more circular economy in which precious resources are kept in use for longer.
EPR requires producers to take financial responsibility for their products through their entire lifecycle. It also affects retailers, who provide an important link to the consumer, both in the sale of new products and the disposal of unwanted ones “ “
Packaging has been the Government’s initial priority for EPR, but Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Batteries are following closely.
Much has been achieved in the fifteen years since the implementation of the first WEEE Regulations in 2007 – a national network of collection points operated by local authorities, producers, retailers and many other organisations has been established, and in excess of 8.5 million tonnes of WEEE has been collected, recycled and recovered.
During this time there have been significant changes in product technology and our use of electricals, particularly during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the WEEE system has successfully adapted to manage this. For instance, through changes to treatment requirements and collection infrastructure, including the introduction of mandatory in-store take back of WEEE for larger retailers.
Operating as a producer compliance scheme, REPIC has many of the UK’s leading household electrical brands as members. Most also have retailer obligations. For WEEE, the biggest change for retailers came into effect on January 1 2020, with retailers and distributors who have at least one physical store and whose electricals turnover is more than £100,000 per annum being required to take back unwanted electricals in store.
Collection of unwanted or broken electricals at the point of purchasing new items complements the other routes through which consumers already recycle.
It can facilitate better opportunities for unwanted electricals to be given a second-life, or alternatively they can be recycled and the valuable materials extracted for reuse in manufacturing of new products.
Consumers have become more aware of climate change and the environment and recycling is one small but important action they can take to make a difference. Independent retailers can take practical action to raise awareness of their own retail collection points for waste electricals with clear, consistent information about in-store take back, providing consumers more choice in doing the right thing.
Since the inception of the WEEE Regulations, REPIC has built a quality national collection and treatment network and is proud to have supported many producers and retailers in their takeback of waste electricals.
Continuous investment in knowledge
Providing peace of mind in relation to obligations under the WEEE Regulations is core to REPIC’s activities, however REPIC goes well beyond this through its market leading projects and research, supporting producers and retailers alike.
REPIC’s research has contributed to the development of the WEEE sector, including understanding more about the lifecycle of electrical appliances, the use of critical raw materials and the significant net carbon benefit to be gained from WEEE recycling and recovery.
What will the future WEEE system mean for retailers?
The introduction of producer responsibility in 2007 has increased recycling and collection rates, and generated the financial resources to pay for these activities.
Defra is expected to launch a consultation on the implementation of EPR for WEEE soon, which is likely to see a number of proposals affecting retailers:
Levelling up the position of retailers
There has been increasing divergence between the requirements placed on retailers with physical stores compared with those selling solely online. The Government’s new policy approach is expected to level this up, with increased obligations for both physical retailers and online retailers – including free of charge collection on home delivery for larger appliances.
Online marketplaces taking producer responsibility
The fast expansion of online sales, enabling consumers to buy more easily from sellers in other countries, has resulted in a significant issue with unregistered producers.
It is well documented the UK is not alone in struggling with the negative effects of freeriding, which places an unfair burden on those producers that are registered. Packaging EPR will require online marketplaces to take on the producer responsibility obligations of non-UK based companies selling through their platforms, and it is expected this obligation will be mirrored in revised WEEE regulations.
No matter where you are in your pursuit of recycling and sustainability, expert support and advice is available. You can find us at: www.repic.co.uk 0161 272 0001.
In an exclusive interview, Magimix UK managing director, Steve Punter, gives us a taste of the current trends in the food prep market and outlines why sustainability is key for the premium French SDA brand.
Alert: How are the SDA and food prep markets performing? What consumer trends are you noticing?
Steve Punter: The food preparation market grew tremendously during lockdown because of more hands-on cooking at home and people cooking from scratch; making their own bread, pasta and pastry etc.
This ‘made at home’ trend continues but, with the rise in living costs, it’s having an impact on product consideration and consumer behaviour. Consumers are getting more creative in the kitchen and multi-purposing ingredients to help reduce their shopping bill and food waste.
Convenience is important – customers are looking for products that save them time and make cooking easier. Air fryers and multicookers are appealing, as they can cook a variety of dishes with minimal effort.
There’s an increasing demand for energy-efficiency, and customers are investing in products that are long-term value for money. This approach ties into the ongoing interest in more sustainable options with customers adopting a ‘buy once, buy well’ approach.
Alert: How’s business for Magimix?
SP: Business overall is OK. We measured our 2022 performance benchmark against 2019 and we managed to beat it. However, let’s not kid anyone, the market conditions are super-tough at the moment. No manufacturer, brand or retailer is having it easy, so everyone is looking for green-shoot opportunities which, thankfully, we are starting to see in food preparation.
The long-standing Magimix principles of built to last and repairability are increasingly appealing to the conscious consumer, who understands that investing in reputable brands is the better choice.
Alert: What are your latest or key products, and can you tell us some of the USPs?
SP: Last year we launched our Blender Power range, a collection of three powerful blenders that offer different consumers a superior blending solution. Fast, efficient and durable, the range delivers
effortless blending with minimal hassle and mess, offering an unrivalled blending experience.
Our famous food processors continue to delight customers. It’s well known that Magimix invented the food processor back in 1963 and we’re continuing to develop this iconic and truly multifunctional product as a masterpiece of both utility and design.
One valuable attribute of many of our products is their Quiet Mark certification which, I passionately believe, will become an increasingly important consideration for consumers.
The noise a product makes is something that is often overlooked; without being able to listen to a product in-store, the Quiet Mark accreditation provides consumers reassurance that they will be buying the quietest solution and limiting unwanted noise in their kitchen.
Alert: How is Magimix working with independent retailers to demonstrate and sell its products?
SP: My team work closely with independent retailers to ensure that their consumer-facing staff receive all the necessary handson training they need to effectively and passionately speak to consumers about our superior performing Magimix products.
We carry out a programme of both ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ sessions to really show-off our portfolio in action. This often proves a gamechanger when it comes to the perceptions and understanding of the versatility of what Magimix can do.
Alert: How important is sustainability for Magimix – both in its products and approach to business?
SP: Sustainability has always been an inherent part of the Magimix ethos and remains at its core today. As a responsible company, we reject the ‘throw away’ culture, and instead focus on quality –manufacturing products that are built to last, with motor guarantees and spare parts available for 30 years.
No manufacturer, brand or retailer is having it easy, so everyone is looking for greenshoot opportunities which, thankfully, we are starting to see in food preparation
“
Our products are engineered for high-speed efficiency and the more efficient a product, the less energy it uses. We also look at environmentally-friendly solutions to be adopted in every area of business, and Magimix pro-actively involves employees in programmes designed to improve our environmental performance. Building better to last longer is our one of our core values and, just like a Magimix, it remains stronger than ever.
