Solo 3DR Drones Set To Be Snubbed By Mass CE Retailers Following Harvey Norman Intervention
Are Solo 3DR drones about to fly into headwind and are Monster products set to get monstered by Australian retailers following the intervention of Harvey Norman?
Last week we exclusively revealed that Arisit, a Company that is majority owned by Harvey Norman had snared the rights to the Solo 3DR drone and Monster products, a move that some retailers claim could be the death of the brands outside of Harvey Norman stores.
Several major retailers surveyed by ChannelNews claim that they will not stock either brand due to their association with the mass retailer.
They claim that Harvey Norman will have a pricing and supply advantage.
Currently the Solo 3DR Drone is being sold via specialist camera retailers with the CameraHouse chain also looking to stock the drone. Prior to the brand moving from Convoy International to Arisit, Convoy was in discussions with JB Hi Fi about stocking the drone.
“This will not now happen” said a JB Hi Fi insider.
Another major retailer who competes with Harvey Norman said “Gerry Harvey is not stupid, he has a margin and supply advantage with these brands and there are risks associated in stocking a brand that is distributed by a competitor. Consumer electronic products are very different from appliances and air conditioners”.
Adam Mills the new Sales + Marketing Manager for the two brands told ChannelNews that “there are no risks”.
Mills who worked at Convoy for 4 years said “Arisit has been distributing brands for several years across multiple retailers. There was always the potential of other retailers forming their own opinions but if you look at the history of Arisit it speaks for itself. We knew that there was always the perception that we would favour Harvey Norman”.
Distribution via Arisit will take place from March 14th.
Arisit managing director, Simon Taylor said recently that these new brands represent the company’s first foray into the consumer technology market.
“Monster and 3DR will become the sixth and seventh brands in our portfolio. All contracts have been signed and we will be selling these from the 14th of March in Australia and New Zealand,” he said.
“We understand there is still some confusion about the drone’s market and we expect that there will eventually be a small fee required for registration. We are very excited about the 3DR brand as the future of drones is massive in the Australian market. Along with the Monster cable and surge protection products, we look forward to increasing the distribution of both brands over the coming months.”
The Solo 3DR Drone was recently Voted Overall product of the Year in the SmartHouse Magazine Best Of The Best Awards.
