Westan has been appointed as the new distributor of Focal and Naim in Australia, the move comes as former distributor Busisoft, is still discounting out stock after parting Company with the French Company earlier this year.
ChannelNews understands that several specialist audio Companies met with VerVent Audio Group this year with some choosing not to take the brand on after meeting with the French Company.
Currently Focal and Naim stock is being discounted out by as much as 40% with Westan management set to meet with Busisoft executives this week to discuss stock issues.
According to the CEO of Westan Kamil Agtan it’s a case of “softly”, with Westan management now looking at setting up demonstration areas in key States where dealers can take their customers to see the top end of the Focal and Naim product as opposed to retailers having to take on the cost of carrying Focal and Naim’s premium range.
According to Agtan, the initial range of Focal & Naim products distributed by Westan will be the affordable premium range.
Observers claim this is a smart move as Busisoft is still carrying the premium end of the range having already got rid of the affordable premium models.
One distributor who had talks with the French Company said “some people would like the market to think that there is over $10M dollars’ worth of Focal & Naim stock being discounted out. This is not the case it’s more like $2.5 to $3M”.
Another distributor who recently met with Focal and Naim claims that there is every possibility that Focal and Naim brands will be sold in 2024 by the French owners of the brand.
“That is if it is saleable” they said.
“We were asked to place an initial order of $2M to get the business. We chose not to”.
After parting Company with Busisoft some dealers are questioning the warranty period for Focal and Naim products and whether Focal and Naim or Westan will take on warranty liability which appears to have been slashed in recent months to one year.
VerVent Audio claims it is “accelerating its presence in Oceania, continuing to promote the know-how and excellence of its brands and preparing for 2024, which will be full of new products”.
VerVent has a questionable track record in Australian having appointed and then dumped several distributors of their products.
HyperFocal: 0
A leading distributor who not only had discussions with Ver Vent but was approached to take on the brand after Busisoft became another casualty of the on off management of the brand in Australia.
They said ” Focal and Naim are good brands but dealing with the Company behind the brands is high risk. We understand that the business is keen to have a distributor in this region as they are looking to sell the brands next year.”
VerVent management are reported to have claimed that the appointment of Westan is “More than just a commercial partnership. This collaboration is anchored in a long-term vision and the sharing of strong values. VerVent Audio and Westan Group place experience, quality of service and customer satisfaction at their core.”
This is almost identical to what they said when they appointed Busisoft, and prior to that NA Distribution, and prior to that the Len Wallis owned distribution Company.
All these Companies were dumped by the French owners of Focal & Naim as they struggled to gain the traction, they wanted in Australia said a former Busisoft executive.
