French audio Group Focal and Naim are believed to have appointed a new distributor in Australia, the business was previously handled by Melbourne based Busisoft who have extensively promoted the brand on the front facia and inside their own Addicted to Audio stores.
ChannelNews has been told that an Asian based distributor is set to take over distribution of the brand.
Busisoft has only handled the business for three years having been appointed from 1 May 2019, by the owners of the Focal and Naim brands.
At the time Busisoft claimed that they had established a new entity Focal Naim Australia to manage the brand in Australia.
George Poutakidis, the CEO of Busisoft, has not responded to our email sent earlier in the week asking him to confirm the position the Company is in regarding the two premium brands.
We did get a legal letter from his legal advisers, who also failed to confirm whether he was still the distributor. That correspondence did not deny the fact that the distribution arrangement had or was about to cease.
Further evidence emerged later today, when retailers noticed that the Focal Naim Australian web site operated by Busisoft was no longer live.
The Registrant and ‘Tech’contact for this site is one George Poutakidis.
The trustee forthe site is the BusiSoft Discretionary Trust.
The site later returned and was fully operational.
The two French brands have a checkered history in Australia, NA Distributors the New Zealand based distributor was stripped of the Naim and Focal brands in early 2019, with Melbourne based Company Busisoft appointed to take over the business. Several dealers have told ChannelNews recently that a new distributor has been appointed.
According to retailers Busisoft executives have told retailers that Focal and Naim shipped stock to Australia that was “not ordered” resulting in discounted stock being offered to the market.
Questions are also being asked by dealers as to what will happen to the Focal and Naim branded stores including an Addicted to Audio store in Church St Cremourne, that heavily features Focal and Naim products. ChannelNews understands a significant investment was put into the store that has Focal and Naim branding right across the front of the store.
The Addicted to Audio store in Newtown Sydney, is also heavily branded Focal and Naim.
Shortly after Busisoft took over the two brands in Australia the price of Focal and Naim products were lifted 40% with local distributor Busisoft telling ChannelNews that the move was “in line with overseas price rises”.
In an effort to educate retailers on the brand Busisoft took 10 Australian dealers overseas in 2020, to “Gain a better understanding of the brands heritage” claimed Busisoft executives.
Poutakidis, has not said what percentage of revenue Focal and Naim contributes to the turnover of Busisoft or what impact the loss if any would have on his other brands.
If Busisoft, management do respond we will add it this story. Another options is that the business is still negotiating to keep the Hi Fi brands.
