News AVIXA says retail is thriving!


This issue of AV News features a report on the issues faced by bricks-and-mortar retail, and the opportunities for pro-AV to contribute experiential tech- nology to reverse the decline. Perhaps we were wrong to wor- ry about the latest health check from the British Retail Consor- tium (BRC) and KPMG, which found that sales were down by 3.1% in April, the biggest decline since the survey was launched in 1995. AVIXA says: “Contrary to pop- ular belief, retail is healthy, reaching approximately $5.1 trillion in revenue in 2017 and growing 4 percent annually for the past 8 years, according to the U.S. Census, the Bureau of Labour Statistics, and the Na- tional Retail Federation. With less than 10 percent of revenue


captured online, brick-and-mor- tar stores still present an indus- try rich with opportunities for pro-AV providers. According to AVIXA's Industry Outlook and Trends Analysis (IOTA), retail is expected to generate $19.6 billion in pro- AV solution revenue globally in 2018. AVIXA's new 2018 Mar- ket Opportunity Analysis Report (MOAR) covering retail inves- tigates the opportunities and challenges for providers of pro- AV solutions and technologies. The dichotomy seems to re- flect AVIXA’s focus on the U.S. and the lack of consumer confi- dence in the UK pending Brex- it. For our European take on the retail market, see the special AV News report on pages 6,8 -10 of this issue.


Exertis to distribute core electrical products


Exertis has announced its in- tention to distribute a wide range of core electrical prod- ucts, with both established and emerging vendors to be on-boarded over the coming weeks. The category will sit within Exertis’ Consumer Busi- ness Unit and will be headed up by Harriet Croft who has joined from Argos. “We have an enviable reputa- tion in retail distribution built on our ability to deal with both large volumes from established brands and successfully bring- ing emerging brands to market, utilising our comprehensive range of retail services. Whilst core electrical is an established market, there are numerous opportunities within this sector with a huge range of products that span both existing and new product areas,” said Liam La Cumbre, Exertis Consumer Commercial Director. “Our re- search and analysis of the mar-


ket demonstrates that vendors and our retail customers would welcome the efficiencies, ex- pertise and additional reach that we can provide in the dis- tribution of these products.” The core electricals market is worth in excess of £21 billion annually (Retail Economics) and Exertis will initially focus on the Small Domestic Appli- ance (SDA) and Electronic Per- sonal


Care (EPC) categories. New vendors and products will be announced in due course with the intention of building a high-quality portfolio in the same manner in which the company has quickly estab- lished itself as a leader in the Smart Tech market. Feedback from retailers has been very en- couraging, highlighting the di- verse nature of this market and welcoming the efficiency, scale and services which Exertis can provide


Christie expands Extreme Series Series


Christie is expanding its Ex- treme


of high-perfor-


Optoma’s range of ultra-thin LED displays launched in anticipation of increasing demand for retail digital signage.


Northamber to distribute Lindy


Northamber has announced that it has signed a distribu- tion agreement with IT and AV connectivity experts Lindy. The agreement will see Northam- ber promote Lindy’s complete range of cables, connectivity and specialist distribution solu- tions. The new distribution agree- ment significantly strength- ens the Northamber portfolio providing a full range of AV/IT accessories including new USB type C splitters, HDMI 2.0 18G technology, a flexible video wall scaler and HDMI over fibre solutions.


Phil Gaut, Director of AV at Northamber, commented: “Fol- lowing significant hardware and software launches over recent months


with Avocor, Philips


and Sharp it is important for us to add manufacturers who


complete our AV solutions of- fering. Lindy is a great brand with a comprehensive range covering key latest generation technology.”


Paul Hayes, New Business Manager at Lindy added; “Lindy are delighted to add Northam- ber to our UK distribution line up. Northamber’s long-stand- ing pedigree in the UK and their proactive plans for the UK AV market make them the perfect partner for ourselves.” Northamber will offer Lin-


dy solutions from the 1st May 2018.


mance LCD displays with the introduction of the FHD493- XE 49-inch extremely narrow bezel display. Featuring a 1.8 mm combined bezel width, advanced panel matching and Christie Phoenix EP compati- bility, the FHD493-XE is ide- al for 24/7 high-performance, near-seamless video wall appli- cations.


Christie Extreme Series dis- plays feature advanced panel matching,


ensuring that the


colour and brightness of each panel comes calibrated, there- by eliminating many of the image adjustments typically required when installing video walls. The integrated electron- ics support video wall scaling up to a 10 x 10 configuration and 4K multi-stream


trans-


port across up to four panels. Additionally, Smart Light Con- trol automatically adjusts the brightness of each panel across the video wall for uniformity and consistent performance for the life of the video wall. The Christie FHD493-XE is compatible with the Chris- tie Phoenix EP, an embedded processing solution, via an OPS slot. The Christie Phoe- nix EP installs directly into the


NovoDSmini signage for SMES ranging from cafes,


Small to medium-sized en- terprises


hairdressers, beauty salons, ga- rages, small retailers and even office reception areas, are now set to become even more vi- brant thanks to the introduction of


Vivitek’s new NovoDSmini digital signage solution. Ideally suited to all SMEs - whatever their line of business – the No- voDSmini brings the benefits of affordable, easy-to-use indoor digital signage to small compa- nies who want to liven up their premises by displaying and sharing dynamic content. NovoDSmini presents SMEs with an effortless way to transi- tion away from creating ad-hoc, poorly managed, digital signage using basic tools and a screen,


voDSmini benefits from NovoDS Studio, the simple to use play- list editing and device manage- ment software.


Users do not need any pro- gramming skills to create dig- ital signage to capture their customers’ attention in any environment. The NovoDSmini can play content ranging from text, audio, photos, videos, webpages, YouTube, Twitter and weather updates. The 36 pre-arranged templates allow users to easily create informa- tion about an SME’s services or offers.


NovoDS Studio software helps


to effortlessly create profession- al-grade digital signage. Its multi-page-playlist editing and scheduling flexibility - by hour,


FHD493-XE to process network sources, decode and manage video and data sources on mul- tiple Christie panels. “Christie’s Extreme Series of displays in 49-inch and 55- inch sizes offer customers the flexibility to tailor the size and shape of a video wall to best fit their space,” says John Dixon, Senior Product Manager, Chris- tie. “The 1.8 mm combined bezel width, in conjunction with 24/7 operability, make these displays ideal for control rooms, retail and digital sig- nage applications.”


The FDH493-XE meets ADA depth requirements with a Christie ML20 mount making it ideal for video walls in pub- lic spaces, or where space is limited. Like the other Extreme Series displays, the FHD493- XE is backed by Christie’s in- dustry leading service, support and 3-year warranty. It will be available next month.


Vivitek is aware that many SMEs are budget-conscious, so it has en- sured that the NovoDSmini is packed with value-added features appre- ciated by the target market.


by fulfilling the market’s need for an entry-level media player featuring network-based, easy- to-use playlist editing software. The NovoDSmini can be con- nected to any display device with HDMI. Like Vivitek’s exist- ing NovoDS solutions, the No-


day, week or month - means SMEs can use the product to deliver relevant messages over their chosen time-frame, with- out having to frequently update content manually. The price of NovoDSmini is £229 ex VAT, and it is available immediately.


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