Brian Lee of Amber claims that PSB were given notice 12 months ago that Amber would no longer distribute the brand in Australia as it had little appeal with the "mass retailers".
"We offered it to Harvey Norman as an exclusive product but they rejected it. It is a magnificent speaker range but unfortunately the specialist market is declining and we saw little point in stocking it. We had been bundling them with Onkyo product but even that was a hard sell".
Lee added "The brand does okay in the US market where there are more audiophile and specialist stores. In Australia the specialist market is diminishing every year and we have to have products that sell via selected mass retailers as well as in the specialist channel".
"In Australia we are working closely with the likes of Harvey Norman and JB Hi Fi to grow quality Hi Fi. However there has been a tendency with the mass retailers to go with cheap Chinese brands, however this is changing". One of the big issues we have faced is the high turnover of staff in some of the mass retailers. In the past we have invested in training and we have sent key floor sales staff on retail selling courses only to find that 3 months later they have quit. This is an expensive exercise" said Lee.
Ken Dwyer the Managing Director of APA who for the first time is taking the Denon brand into Harvey Norman said "The PSB speakers are a magnificent product. Their new Synchrony One speakers have been praised by various specialist magazines including Stereophile Magazine and we see a future for them in the Australian market. I am not certain whether Amber put enough energy into marketing the brand in Australia. I am not one to knock my competitors but I do believe that there is a future for the brand in Australia".
