news


GfK: Consumer mood brightened towards end of 2014 T


he mood of consumers throughout Europe improved over the fourth


quarter of the year, according to the GfK Consumer Climate Europe study. The results suggest that the indicators


for economic and income expectations, as well as willingness to buy, rose towards the end of the year in almost all countries of the European Union (EU). The consumer climate for the EU 28 also improved by 1.3 points in the final quarter, closing the year at 5.5 points. The report stated: “Looking at economic


development of EU countries and the consumer mood in 2014, the year can be divided into two distinct parts. In the first half of the year, the economies of virtually all European countries were developing positively. Consumers were clearly becoming ever more confident that the financial and economic crisis would finally be behind them in the following months. Between April and June, the indicators for economic and income expectations as well as willingness to buy reached record highs almost across the board. The consumer climate index for the EU 28 was at 9.1 points in June, which is the highest value since April 2008.” However, in summer and autumn, uncertainty began to increase not only among consumers,


but also in the economy. In many countries, gross domestic product (GDP) growth has been much slower than had been predicted, GfK says. This was further affected by an extremely low level of inflation.


United Kingdom: good economy is not impacting buying mood In the first half of 2014, British consumers were extremely optimistic, expecting economic data to improve significantly over the coming months, GfK reveals. In June, this indicator climbed to 37.9 points, which is the highest value since June 1997. But optimism waned over the second half of the year. Despite this, at 22.8 points, the value in December 2014 was still far above the long-term average of zero points. However, GfK also warns that the sound economic situation in the UK has had little impact on the spending mood of consumers. The report adds: “Although the indicator recovered quite substantially as 2014 progressed, it was at just -27.5 points in December 2013. However, a positive value was only reached in August 2014, with 0.1 points. By the end of the year, the indicator was again below zero, at -2.7 points.”


New retra chief executive announced R


etra deputy chief executive Howard Saycell (pictured) has been appointed


as the new CEO of retra and retracare and will officially take the helm from Bryan Lovewell on June 1 2015, the trade association has revealed. Retra announced in December 2012 that


Bryan would be retiring after seven years as CEO. Howard comes to the role with over 30 years of industry experience and knowledge and has worked within retra for three years during which time he managed the legal helpline as well as playing an active role in the management of many of retra’s events and activities, retra says. Prior to joining retra in 2012, Howard worked for Sony for 28 years and since 2006 has also been involved with TRIC (Television and Radio Industries Club). With Howard’s promotion, his former role as deputy CEO will be filled by


retracare general manager Matt Sheldrake, who will now hold the position of deputy CEO of retra and retracare. Matt joined retra in May 2013 and has been instrumental in the


transformation of its warranty business retracare, retra says. This includes the launch of the new retracare warranty scheme as well as various other initiatives including securing new business opportunities and partnership ventures, it adds.


6 | www.innovativeelectricalretailing.co.uk


Sony targets ‘splitting out’ of video and sound business unit


S


ony Corporation held its ‘Corporate Strategy Meeting’ February 18 and


unveiled a mid-term strategy that charts the path forward for the Company over the next three years, including the splitting out of its video and sound unit in October. Sony has outlined its intention to focus on business management that emphasizes profitability, without necessarily pursuing volume and greater autonomy for each business unit. This will include a focus on the profitable


sectors of devices, game and network services (its PlayStation offering), pictures, and music as the segments that will drive its profit growth over the next three years, the company says. There will also be further management


structure changes, a year on from the split out of its TV business. Sony says it is targeting October 1 2015 to commence the next stage of this reorganization process by splitting out the video and sound business unit and launching it as a self-sustained, wholly owned subsidiary. Sony believes this will allow for faster decision making and greater accountability and transparency.


Amica opens first UK showroom K


itchen and home appliance brand Amica has opened the first in a series of planned solus Amica showrooms, the


company has announced. Amica’s first solus showroom opened during January 2015 within the head office building of one of its partner distributors, Portway. Based at Andover in Hampshire, Amica says that the new showroom is a dedicated, branded space displaying a range of freestanding and built-in appliances from all categories. Amica UK country manager Simon Freear commented: “We’re


delighted to be working with our key distribution partners to create stunning showrooms in strategic positions geographically. This first facility is already proving a sound investment with visits from kitchen specialists, electrical retailers and those from the contracts market.” Amica will use the new


facility to run training sessions, create new product videos and digital content for websites and blogs. Many of the appliances are live for cooking demonstrations and photography, and consumers are also welcome to visit the showroom by appointment, Amica adds.


March 2015


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32