HENLEY AUDIO THE ERT INTERVIEW


‘It’s been a record year for record players’


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Henley Audio celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Nick Fuller and Simon Powell reflect on recent years, telling Jack Cheeseman they have been as busy as ever, with people seeking the latest audio gadgets during the pandemic. “We have seen growth on a whole new level,” they say.


Pro-Ject Audio Systems, Klipsch, Roon, Musical Fidelity and Cabasse… to name just a few. The company was founded by Managing


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Director, Laurence Armstrong, and Sales Director, Nick Fuller, 25 years ago this year. Today, Henley’s in-house sales team looks after its network of over 400 retail frontages, while all other operations, including customer service, marketing, service departments and technical support, operate from the 20,000+ square foot headquarters. But this is more than just a distribution hub, as


the building is also home to a trendy product showroom, a demonstration area and a training room... a music-lover’s paradise! It is “a curated space” reminiscent of a dealer’s shop floor, “a one- stop-shop for everything,” says Nick Fuller. Every brand has its own individual section and


this allows the Henley team to support its dealers with training and product introductions. The dealers love getting hands-on experience with the products; they can even bring their own customers in if they don’t have a particular item in their store.


ased in Didcot, Oxfordshire, Henley Audio is one of the UK’s leading audio equipment distributors, bringing together a variety of brands from across the world, including


Simon Powell is the Operations Director. He


adds: “We are very privileged to sell products that are literally designed to make people happier! And our facility here is a constant reminder of what we do and why we do it.” Mr Powell believes that audio is a massively


missed opportunity in the mass market… “You can go into a department store and spend thousands on a new TV or a camera,” he says, “yet audio doesn’t seem to have that same level of impact.” Henley is working with its growing network of


partners to turn this around and bring better quality audio products to wider audiences. Only last year it announced it was beginning to supply turntables to some of HMV’s reopening flagship


stores – including Oxford city centre, Lakeside Shopping Centre and Southampton. “It’s all about the right partnerships for us, and


this is a prime example,” says Mr Fuller. “HMV wanted to demo some equipment in its stores and we were best-placed to help them with that. “It’s important to have accessible gateway products


out there and we are putting the expectation in the consumer’s head that a turntable can be within their reach – it’s not just a £100 or a £10,000 all-in-one system; there is in fact a whole world in between.” In this exclusive interview with ERT, Mr Fuller


and Mr Powell share their thoughts on the changing audio market and 25 years of distribution and support.


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