NEWS


KMS and AVG sponsor PCR Awards 2011


Distributor and security firm bolster growing list of companies backing the key industry event, joining Asus, EntaTech, Interactive Ideas, Gem and VIP Computers


By Andrew Wooden


KMS COMPONENTS and AVG have both joined as sponsors of the PCR Awards 2011, held at the Lancaster London on Thursday March 17th. KMS Components has become Gold


“KMS is very excited about this year’s


PCR Awards. We believe there is no finer B2B magazine in the industry than PCR and the awards are a great way to celebrate the industry’s achievements,” said KMS sales manager Steve Bland.


“We always pride ourselves on partnering with the best. There is no finer B2B magazine in the industry than PCR and the awards are a great way to


celebrate the industry’s achievements.” Steve Bland, KMS Components


Sponsor of the event, while AVG is Exclusive After-Show Party Host. The firms join a growing list of


companies backing the event – Asus as Distribution Category Sponsor, EntaTech as Platinum Sponsor, Interactive Ideas as Gold Sponsor, Gem as Frontline Category Sponsor and VIP Computers as Drinks Reception Sponsor.


“The retail sector is of key strategic


importance to AVG and as such we are delighted to sponsor the After-Show Party at the PCR Awards. We look forward to an entertaining and stimulating evening amidst the industry’s movers and shakers and to cement our commitment to the retail channel at one of the most influential events in the


retail calendar,” said Lucy Lincoln AVG’s head of UK channel marketing. Entertainment on the night will be


provided by Greg Davies, who plays Mr Gilbert on hit TV show The Inbetweeners. A variety of sponsorship packages are


available now. Contact Carly.Bailey@intentmedia.co.uk to find out more. Table and ticket enquiries should be made to Hannah.Short@intentmedia.co.uk or on 01992 535 647.


THE FINALISTS ARE CONFIRMED The votes are in and finalists have been decided. To discover which companies are up for an award on the night, turn to page 13. The winners from this list will be voted for by the Judging Panel, which consists of at least 100 highly- regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business.


Comet blames big loss on brand revamp Refurbished stores and new advertising campaign are partly responsible for £5.4 million drop, retailer claims


COMET’S RECENT brand overhaul is partly to blame for its hefty loss in the first half of the financial year, the retailer has said. The chain reported a €6.4 million (£5.4 million) loss for the six months to the end of October, compared with a loss of €1.8 million (£1.5 million) in the same period a year earlier. “Comet traditionally makes a loss in


the first half of the year, and does better in the second half,” a spokesman for Kesa Electricals, Comet’s parent company, told PCR. “This year, the timing meant that a lot of costs were weighted to the first half of the year, when we refitted a number of stores,


www.pcr-online.biz While a multi-million pound loss


may seem a hefty price to pay, The Chartered Institute of Marketing’s head of research, Mark Blayney Stuart, told PCR he thought the move would pay off. “Multi-million pound makeovers are not uncommon for companies of Comet’s size and the money is likely to have been wisely spent; the logo and style of adverts were beginning to look rather dated,” he said. “A contemporary image is more


launched a new website and the brand was totally refreshed.” The firm unveiled its revamped image last September, claiming that it


wanted to inject ‘personality’ into tech retail. This included a new logo, brighter uniforms and the ‘Come and Play’ ad campaign.


important for a technology company than some other businesses, because the customer needs to have confidence that their chosen retailer is up to speed and cutting-edge.”


January PCR 9


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