INTERMUSIC COMPANY PROFILE “It’s a new direction for
Intermusic,” he says. “We are hoping to show dealers the exceptional value they can get by working with us online. To begin with, we are offering a 20 per cent discount for those paying up front on the website. It’s a considerable reduction and I think it will tempt a lot of
dealers to take a look.” “We think we can probably beat pretty much anybody’s trade prices,” adds Richard Webb. “Even those that are buying direct from China will find us extremely competitive.” “And the website is completely secure,” says Oliver. “We’ve spent a lot of time on that and getting thorough checking systems to ensure not just anybody
gets on to the trade pages.” We hear the phrase ‘helping
dealers make more margin’ a lot these days, but with Intermusic’s
reputation, it is easy to believe. “With the website, we can really offer dealers some excellent deals,” continues Oliver Webb. “It’s what we’ve always done, it’s just now there is more technology involved. What we have now is a 20 per cent discount store for dealers – all day, every day.”
The website is very much aimed at the MI market – as opposed to the acoustic piano sector. “I can’t see us ever selling pianos online,” says Richard Webb. “It’s just not that kind of market – I don’t see it that way and nor do the dealers. Intermusic’s MI is really about the entry level – although Shine does go a lot further than that. The Bentley digital pianos and digital drumkits will find a place online soon, but that’s probably about as far as it will go.”
“
number of them – and Intermusic has known all about them since…well, forever. Advances in that business come in different ways – subtle ways and by no means earth-shattering. “All we can do is help the dealers think
like us,” says Richard Webb. “This is why we have set up the showroom. Dealers can see how a shop floor can work with just a couple of brands on show. They buy the stock and we do the branding. When they do this they get a good deal – I should say
We think we can probably beat pretty much
anybody’s trade prices. Richard Webb Intermusic
“In time, we could get piano
information online, but it won’t go further than that,” points out Oliver Webb. “Steve Hammett [Intermusic’s piano product manager] has just sold a £25,000 Bechstein grand today. It was a long procedure. Had to make the call and give explanations, send over pictures to confirm the exact colour – it was a big sale. You are simply not going to be able to do that sort of thing online.” This is very much the nature of the
beast when it comes to acoustic piano sales. There is an extremely limited
an even better deal. On top of this, they will be flagged up on the website as a top dealer – and when you are talking about a brand such as Bechstein, you have probably the only high-end piano that is growing its market at the moment. Bechstein is pretty unique in the market at the moment, in that it is, I think, a better product than all the competition and is at a far better price point. It really is turning heads at the moment.” Dealers wishing to take advantage of the special showroom branding from Intermusic will also be pleased to hear
that the deals are not set in stone. The company is willing to look at each store on a case-by-case basis, with a lot, of course, depending on its size and then a reasonable commitment from the store based on that. Alongside the Bechstein Academy range bringing the Bechstein name to a more budget conscious market, there is the Hoffmann range, which slots in between the two. Hoffmann is made in Bechstein’s Czech factory and as such is a keenly priced European-made piano. “With the Pearl River products added into the equation and everything that they can bring to the table – Rittmüller, for example, which slots in nicely in between Bechstein Academy and Hoffmann, and is, I think, the best Chinese upright on the market – we have such an offering that there are a few dealers for which Intermusic is the sole supplier,” explains Richard Webb. “But there could be a lot more. Dealers should take a good look at what we are doing, whether high- end pianos or OEM stock with their own branding on it. We don’t tell dealers what to sell for, so when it comes to offering top margins, we win. We earn dealers more money.”
That window of opportunity that
Richard Webb saw 25 years ago, then, is still open – although it would appear that today it is very much Intermusic’s window. Dealers could do a lot worse than having a peek through it. INTERMUSIC: 01202 696963
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO OCTOBER 2010 33
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