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Mitchell & Brown is a brand for the independents and we’ve never wavered from that’
British TV brand, Mitchell & Brown, which is part of the TVD Group, is aimed exclusively at independent retailers. Sean Hannam spoke to director of operations, Dan Brown, and sales director, Rob Greenlees, to get an update on the business.
Sean Hannam: With the new Experience Centre you can easily show customers the breadth of services that TVD offers under one roof. How long has the TVD Group been planning the showroom? Dan Brown: It was before Covid – we had several people come and quote for us, and it was just down to pushing the button. We kept thinking ‘shall we do it?’ or ‘shall we not?’ We started it during Covid – when it was safe for people to come in. We built the shell – some of our engineers are builders as well.
SH: TVD Group owns the Mitchell & Brown TV brand, which is on display at the Experience Centre. What’s your take on the TV market now? Is it tough? DB: Yes – it’s tough and competitive, but it’s been like that for the past 26 years – nothing really changes. Since the internet came in, which was a long time ago, a lot of things are more visible – you do come up with some discounters…
SH: Have you had a good year? DB: So far, so good. We’re up on last year – both Mitchell & Brown and the TVD Group. Last year was our best year ever. Rob Greenlees: With our brand, we’ve stuck to our word – it is for the independents and we’ve never wavered from that. You won’t see us on AO and discounters. DB: We’ve been approached and we’ve talked to them but we thought it would affect our business.
SH: You sell through Euronics and Sirius, and other independents… DB: We do – and we have Pik-a-Pak, or Bluestem, as they are now, who distribute our products.
SH: You’ve made a big thing of the seven-year parts and labour warranty on your products, which sets you apart… DB: Exactly. RG: We’ve had a central stand [for the TVs] from the beginning, which is a big thing for independents. DB: What we tend to do is listen to our customers and then act on it. RG: We can’t cater for everyone, but we try our best. DB: In the early days, we had some comments about improving the sound – with a lot of flatscreen TVs, the sound isn’t that brilliant… We addressed that and we improved the sound by putting speaker boxes within the screen. RG: We were asked for a big button remote, so we brought that to market in the past few months – it’s been greatly received by the independents and the end users.
SH: Is that because your customers tend to be older? DB: Our demographic is 60-plus. RG: The big button remote is a good add-on sale for dealers – they can package it with the TV.
SH: The TVD Group started out as an independent retail business – TV and Video Direct in Bolton, in 1996… DB: With us being independents, the independent channel is very
20 Showroom Focus
important to us. I’m glad to say there are still a lot of independents, but there has been a decline. The independents have customers from various different generations and they have same the same ethos as us, which is service. Dealers can make money from us and our demographic buys into our story – we’re not just a manufacturer bringing out a TV with a name on it. There’s added value to it – the dealers can tell the story about our British brand and they can make a margin from it.
Dan Brown and Rob Greenlees “
The TV market is tough and competitive, but it’s been like that for the past 26 years – nothing really changes
SH: Your retail operation is still a part of the business – how’s it going? DB: It’s still performing… It’s a small shop. SH: And it’s a Euronics retailer… DB: It is.
SH: You sell Mitchell & Brown in the store, but what other brands? DB: We sell Samsung and LG, and Bosch, Blomberg and Beko. RG: We also run our Mitchell & Brown customer service helpline from there.
SH: Are you looking for more Mitchell & Brown dealers? DB: We’re always looking for more. They’re guaranteed a 20 to 25 percent margin across the year and we also offer next-day delivery – whether it’s single or multiple items. RG: We also offer POS and bespoke walls for shops, and 50/50 advertising with the dealers in their local area.
SH: You launched QLED TVs last year – what are your future plans for Mitchell & Brown? DB: We’re currently looking at OLED, but whether that’s going to happen the early part of next year…We’ve got to negotiate a little bit harder.
SH: But you’re confident for the business going forward? DB: Yes – we’ve got more or less a screen size that suits everybody. █
Showroom Focus
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