news
Pure to complete sale from Imagination Technologies
B
ritish digital radio manufacturer Pure has announced that it has been sold to an Austrian investment company, AVenture
GmbH. The planned sale was originally announced in February 2016 by its previous owner, Imagination Technologies. The company says that the transaction enables Pure to focus on its
core radio markets: home audio and automotive. The purchase of Pure marks AVenture GmbH’s first investment both in a consumer electronics brand and in the UK. Pure, which was established in 2002 and employs around 65 people, will keep all existing staff in place. AVenture GmbH director Markus Steck commented: “The experience,
knowledge and capability of the team, its enviable customer base, reputation and the strength of the current product portfolio alongside its roadmap are all key to Pure’s future.” Over the last 12 months, Pure has made a significant re-alignment
to its organisation to match the focus on its core radio business, the company says. Pure general manager Paul Smith added: “We have an ambition to grow, and under the umbrella of AVenture, we can achieve that. The future for DAB+ across Europe is extremely exciting and Pure is a leading brand in a rapidly growing market, driven by geographical adoption and digital switch over. We have a strong vision for the future with innovation at the heart of this, giving Pure a unique opportunity within the market.“
Alltrade celebrates biggest tradeshow to date T
his year’s Alltrade Trade Show broke all company records with more brands and more visitors than ever before. The custom
install (CI), TV signal products and AV distributor’s seventh annual Trade Show, held this year at Epsom Downs Racecourse, saw over 30 brands in attendance and attracted close to 200 trade visitors. New products, show deals and well attended Sky Q training seminars swelled visitor numbers throughout the one-day event. Alltrade managing director Steve Simper commented: “Our current
portfolio of products from leading brands such as Triax, Antiference, Global Invacom, HDL and Blustream offer a very strong proposition to installers, backed up by our class-leading project planning and technical support operation. “Many of the show’s attendees
took the opportunity to attend the Sky Q seminars, which built on the comprehensive CI training schedule we offer at our five trade counters across the South of the country. I am extremely pleased at the level of support for this year’s Trade Show and would like to thank the events sponsors and exhibitors for putting in the time and effort it takes to make such an event successful.”
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www.innovativeelectricalretailing.co.uk October 2016
GfK: Uncertainty across Europe impacts consumer sentiment
I
ndustry analyst GfK has revealed the findings of its Consumer Climate Europe study for the third quarter of 2016. The top transnational issue in the third quarter, especially at the beginning, was the British people's decision to leave the EU. It was otherwise mainly country-specific themes that dominated discussions in the individual European countries, GfK explains. The economic and income expectations and propensity to buy indicators have not developed uniformly across Europe. Overall, the consumer climate for the EU28 fell from 13.1 points to 12.3 points from June to September 2016. The beginning of the third quarter was marked by the UK's decision
to leave the EU at the end of June. In almost all European countries and particularly in the UK, consumer confidence and above all economic expectations fell, dramatically so in some cases. The consumer climate EU28 fell from 13.1 points in June to 10.0 points in July. By September, it had recovered to 12.3 points. Already in August, however, discussions about Brexit had become significantly more subdued across Europe. Other country-specific themes in particular prevailed. It will only be possible to forecast with certainty the implications of Brexit on the mood of European consumers once the actual negotiations have begun and the UK's exit draws closer, GfK adds.
United Kingdom: Economic expectations recover after Brexit crash Following the Brexit referendum by the British in June, economic expectations for UK consumers initially fell; from -5.9 points in June to -28.3 in July. That was the lowest indicator value since October 2012. By September it had recovered, however, and currently stands at -1.8 points. This more than compensated for the Brexit losses, GfK notes. The picture was similar for income expectations. In July, the indicator initially fell by 21.4 points to -2.2 points. The indicator has stabilized since then. In September, it stood at 13.7 points. This means that, despite the decision to withdraw from the EU, the British are expecting a moderate increase in their income and a slight decline in unemployment over the coming months. Unlike the other two indicators, the propensity to buy value did not
fluctuate as significantly during the third quarter. While the indicator also suffered significant losses from June to July, by September it stood at almost the same value (6.7 points) as it did in June (6.0 points). The impact of the Brexit negotiations between the United Kingdom and the EU on the consumer climate and the individual indicators will only become clear next year.
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