Electrolux In Troubles Thousands To Be Laid Off
Swedish appliance Company Electrolux is set to lay off 3,000 employees worldwide. It is not known how many jobs will go in Australia.

Koreans Invent USB Powered Toaster Scanner
Now here is one for all the budding engineers at Breville and Electrolux. According to TechDigest, one of the nine finalists in this year's DesignLab competition was the USB Scanner Toaster, which can "print" news, weather, and even pictures onto bread.

We Dont Need Money Says JB HiFi
For all the doom and gloom in the financial markets over the past few days, it seems that one of our main electronics retailers is unfazed by the all the Wall Street bloodletting.

Mieles Lipman Retires After 25 Years
The State Manager of Miele Queensland, Tony Lipman, retires after 25 years at the helm of Miele?s branch office in Brisbane.

New Appliance Technology Increasing Energy Efficiency
According to a speech delivered by Dr. Kurt-Ludwig Gutberlet, CEO of BSH, at the recent IFA Electronics Show In Berlin, the world is at a technological crossroads in terms of energy and efficiency.

Retailers & Vendors Welcome Interest Rate Drop
Following the 0.25% drop in the prime lending cash rate by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), there seems to be an extra spring in the step of the main electronics retailers and vendors- and not just because of the change of season.

Miele Earnings Up 2.5%, Helped By Global Sales
German appliance maker Miele increased its turnover in the last year by 2.5% to AUD $4.7 bn compared with AUD $4.67 bn in the previous year.

Clive Peeters Struggles To Find The Light Switch
Struggling consumer electronics retailer Clive Peeters appears not to be able to turn a profit despite a recent restructuring and the opening of five new shops, making a total of 48.

Barack Obama Enlists Panasonic For US Election
According to a story in newsblaze.com, Panasonic is lending its expertise to the upcoming US Democratic National Convention (DNCC), to be held this week in Denver, Colorado after it was named the Official HDTV and High Definition Equipment Provider for the Convention.

Sony Starts Blu-Ray War By Cutting Prices By $100
According to a number of reports, Sony reportedly intends to cut the price of some of its top Blu-ray players at the end of September by $100. At the time of printing, Sony did not confirm nor deny the report.

Will Sanyo Dominate The Car Power Space?
Sanyo has continued its push into becoming a mass producer of car batteries far the growing green-hybrid auto world with its admission that it is in talks with six carmakers about the supply of batteries for fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles, according to a number of reports.

Bombers Sign Samsung For $10M & Ditch 3 Networks
In a move that is claimed will be the biggest individual annual club sponsorship in AFL history, Essendon AFL Club has signed a three-year deal with leading electronics giant Samsung.

Fisher & Paykel Warns Of Profit Plunge
Fisher and Paykel Appliances has warned of a half year loss of up to $10 million dollars as it moved production offshore, according to Radio New Zealand.

JB HiFi Boss Predicts Record Second Half
The CEO of JB Hi Fi is predicting a better second half of 2008 with the lowering of interest rates and demand for a ?second and third? HD flat panel TV set to have an impact.

Its The JB Hi Fi Model That Delivers Profits Says Sony Boss
Following this mornings 70 per cent profit surge from electronics retailer JB HiFi, one of its top suppliers are none too surprised at the results.

Massive 70% Profit For JB Hi Fi
JB HiFi Limited this morning reported a 43 per cent increase in sales, exceeding last years result by some 61 per cent, profits jumped 70%.

David Jones Profits Offer A Beacon Of Hope
As Australia's second- largest department store chain, there really isn?t any other store like David Jones as it said second-half earnings rose more than forecast in what is a economic slowdown.

Samsung Gets A Whitegoods Marketing Makeover
An increasingly confident Samsung has appointed three new members to the White Goods Marketing team.

Whirlpool Profit Goes Down The Drain
According to AFP, appliance maker Whirlpools profit fell 27 per cent in the second quarter due to ?higher material and oil-related costs and lower U.S. demand?.

Jaycar Opens New Store In The West
Jaycar Electronics has announced the launch of a new store, located at Midland in Western Australia.

Hisense Gets Naming Rights To Melbournes Heart
Hisense Australia has scored a six-year naming rights deal of to the former Vodafone Arena in the heart of Melbourne?s major sporting precinct, which the company says now ?heralds an exciting new commitment in the sponsorship of Australian sports and entertainment?.

Electrolux Profits Get Sucked Away
Swedish appliance giant Electrolux has reported an 82 per cent drop in net profit and cut its full-year forecast, citing very weak markets in North America and Europe.

Samsung Boss Cops Massive Fine For Tax Dodge
According to overseas reports, the former chairman of the Samsung Group and one of South Korea's most powerful business leaders has copped a huge fine and a slap on the wrist over corruption allegations.

LG Recalls Microwave Ovens
LG Electronics is voluntarily recalling microwave ovens manufactured between August 2007 to February 2008 in order to repair a fault which ?may pose a risk of electric shock to the user?, according to the company.

Wow Goes Online As Of Today
Queensland electronics retailer Wow Sight and Sound has launched its new online shopping website today at www.1wow.com.au.

Sharemarket Savages Harvey Norman
From that perpetual font of bad news known as the ASX, shares in Harvey Norman (HN) have dropped some 43 per cent since the start of the year, contributing to a $1.2 billion wipeout from the value of the retailer.

Wow! --- QLD Retailer Takes On JB Hi-Fi
Its only been some 6 months when JB Hi-Fi launched their online Digital Home concept and less than a few weeks when the company topped 90 stores nationwide, but all of a sudden they now have had the gauntlet thrown down at them by Queensland electronics retailer, Wow Sight and Sound.

GE In Death Spin As It Puts Appliance Division Up For Sale
According to Bloomberg.com, General Electric, just two months after placing its appliance unit up for sale, said it plans to spin off its entire GE Consumer & Industrial group to shareholders as it struggles to raise a slumping stock price.

Vivo Grabs Onto Dick Smith
AV and consumer electronics brand Vivo has announced a supply deal with Dick Smith Electronics, which will see VIVO 32 inch Plasma and 15 inch LCD televisions in Dick Smith, Dick Smith Powerhouse and Tandy stores throughout July.

Sony Pins Future Growth From Emerging Markets
After becoming a household brand name in the established economies, Sony is looking to keep the momentum going by putting more focus on emerging markets, the company said.

Its Syonara For The Matsushita Brand
According to reports from Japan, Matsushita Electric Industrial, best known for its Panasonic brand, has announced its shareholders have approved a proposal to change the company's name to "Panasonic Corporation" at its 101st Annual Shareholders' Meeting that was held today. The change will become effective from October 1, 2008.

LG Looking To Buy GE To Boost Flagging Appliance Business
According to Bloomberg LG is looking to expand their appliance market share by buying US appliance group General Electric. Also in the running is Chinese group Haier.

Appliance Retailing Sales Start To Wobble
The recently released Citi's Retail Sales Indicator showed a retail spending slowdown with 6.8 per cent growth in March, compared with the 11.1 per cent growth in February 2008.

Fridge Patent War LG Slug It Out With Whirlpool
A fridge war between Whirlpool and LG Electronics has broken out with both Companies claiming alleged refrigerator patent infringements in a US Court.

Churn And Burn Retailers Leave Customers Fuming
According to a new online satisfaction report released yesterday, more than half of the consumers surveyed have ceased buying products and services from a company due to poor customer service and a high number felt that the supplier didn?t know it had lost their business.

Electrolux Chief Punishes His Indians
According to Hans Stråberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Electrolux, his staff will be bearing the brunt of any changes the company will make in a bid to try and get back into the top tier of electronics retailers.

Hasta La Vista Baby: Fisher & Paykel Runs Off To Mexico
Fisher & Paykel Appliances is to close production at its Cleveland factory in Brisbane, Dunedin and California plants within the next 12 to 18 months, in a move many observers say shows the company is having trouble competing with the razor thin margins in the whitegoods sector.

Supplier Churning And Burning Costs Soar
According to the latest BMC Software Churn Index, customer churn is no longer an issue confined to the banks and telephone companies but is now affecting additional sectors including mobile phone companies, utilities and broadband suppliers.

Citi Retail Report Gives JB-HiFi A Gold Star
The just released 2008 Citi Retail Benchmark Report has shown some eye-opening results for a number of well-known retailers, including electronics retailers whose outlook is generally better than expected, although some have been far more successful than others.

Online Sales Not Important Say AV Retailers
When companies like JB HiFi start setting their sights online and Radio Rentals turns into clicks from bricks virtually overnight, one would think the era of electronic shopping has very much come of age in this country.

David Jones Celebrates Early Xmas With Record Profits
There certainly isn?t any other store like David Jones, with the retailer chalking up another record half year result, with a Net Profit after Tax of $AUD89 million, up from $AUD71.1 million last year- a rise of over 25 per cent.