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June 2019 ertonline.co.uk


Q: What are your key plans for your new role at this stage? Barend Ezechiels: Well, of course, it’s early days at the moment, but my priority is to learn the people and learn the customers. John left a fantastically- run organisation, and the UK arm of the business is one of the strongest organisations across Europe, even globally I would say. We’ve got a good team with strong people, good


results, good market shares and good growth over the past few years, and we’re profitable, which is also very important of course. So it might look like a walk in the park, but it will be very hard to make any big improvements. At this stage, I will just assess the people, understand the processes and see if we have any other opportunities to improve. It’s a different pair of eyes and a new take on things, so I might have a different look at things than John had in the past. Sony in the UK is successful and I just want to see if we can make it a little bit more successful, with some fine-tuning here and there.


Q: How do you see Sony UK developing in the next few years then? BE: Firstly, our heritage is in our audio categories, which we have actually revitalised over the last three to four years, especially with Bluetooth and noise-cancelling headphones. Recent data showed we’re number one in this segment as well, so we’re doing really well. But also in soundbars, even clock radios, we’re doing well.


Every audio category, especially headphones


and soundbars with Dolby Atmos technology, we are really distinguishing ourselves first compared with other brands.


Then TV is also one of the traditional strongholds for Sony – TV is part of our DNA. It is no secret that we had a tough time in 2011-12; there were some losses but we’ve covered all the bases since then and we’re profitable all over the world again now.


Q: How will you ensure that people continue to think of Sony when they think about consumer electronics? BE: The key thing is to keep an eye on what happens in the shop front, where most people make decisions on their purchases. But of course, the whole customer journey nowadays is online and in-store, so it’s important that we help ensure the process is fluid. We want to be very clearly present in the retail sector and make sure our products are available; as soon as the consumer comes in, it’s important they are well-informed either by staff or by our own people to make sure that any conversations are made easier.


For us, we can make nice TVs but if the retailer is not supporting us we can end up having a tough time. If you compare us to the competition, we are roughly one or two hundred pounds more expensive, but there is a reason and that is the technology and the build quality. If the retailer can explain to the consumer and show the key differences, then overall he has more ››


Q: So how involved were you in these decisions at the time? BE: Because it was my company first, yes it was something I was aware of. But again,


Brace for brexit


Q: After this announcement, people may have been left speculating what might change here in the UK. So what went on? Barend Ezechiels: So, first of all, nothing moved – the headquarters remains fully here, 100 per cent. I don’t believe there was even the space over there [in Amsterdam]! Of course, I was over there when this happened and I can imagine it raised a lot of questions. We used to have Sony Europe Limited, which is a UK-based company. But we made changes to Sony Europe BV, which is the name for the Dutch company. Today, Europe BV has an address in Weybridge. But it’s purely an administrative move. If


Brexit happens or whenever it does, this means we would need to be complying with any importing rules in the EU. So that’s the reason.


At the beginning of the year, Sony announced it was moving its European headquarters from the UK to the Netherlands; it stated this “would help it avoid customs issues tied to Britain’s exit from the EU”. However, the company confirmed it is not moving personnel and operations from the UK. In a statement in January, Sony said the move would mean business would continue “without disruption” once the UK leaves the EU, and that all existing European business functions and departments would “remain unchanged”. Mr Ezechiels assures me the move is “purely administrative”.


being commercially responsible, this is more administrative; we know it’s happening but it’s basically a legal decision to make sure we don’t run into problems in the future when Brexit really happens.


Q: What about Brexit then, where do you stand on the issue? BE: Well, nobody knows the answer, even the government doesn’t know, right? I’m sure it will happen somehow; there might be some impact, maybe economic downturn in the short-term, maybe in the long-term it will be better. But our job is to just maximise what we can and adapt to the circumstances. To me, it’s just another challenge in a business environment – I don’t see it as a big issue. I think the uncertainty is the biggest frustration for everybody. We’re all putting measures in place but we don’t know how long these need to last. People are just like ‘come on, make a decision, let’s move on’.


Q: What would you like the outcome to be in the near future? BE: Just clarity. Make sure people, businesses and consumers know what they will get and what they need to do. People feel it’s also quite exaggerated – if you just half listen to the story, it feels like a big disaster. In reality, I don’t think so. We need to re- adjust. There will always be consumers out there wanting to buy products. TVs will still need to be replaced. You still need to have new headphones. You still need to have a camera to capture your memories. So maybe there might be an impact left or right, but things happen which are outside of your control. It comes back to the fact that nothing is planned, and that’s the only frustration at the minute I would say.


Well, nobody knows the answer, even the government doesn’t know, right?


17


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