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Nortek Management Scrambles in Wake of Troubling Q2 Results

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Company Loses Almost 6% of Total Market Value in Just a Few Hours

Nortek 2015 Q2 PresentationNortek, Inc. released the results for its fiscal second quarter after the market’s close on Monday and took the unusual step of issuing optimistic performance guidance for the remainder of the year. The company does not typically release future performance guidance as a matter of policy, but did so in an apparent attempt to calm investor reaction to their troubling report. It didn’t work – investors reacted strongly on Tuesday by driving Nortek’s stock to a close of $75.23 per share, down sharply from the previous close of $79.88. In just a matter of hours, the total market value of Nortek collapsed almost 6%.

Why did investors react so strongly?… [Read more…] about Nortek Management Scrambles in Wake of Troubling Q2 Results

Bluesound to Offer iHeartRadio Streaming Internet Radio

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iHeartRadio logoBluesound, a line of high performance wireless multi-room music components offered by specialty supplier Lenbrook America, announced this week that it has added iHeartRadio to the list of streaming services its line offers. iHeartRadio, one of the more popular Internet radio solutions, joins a growing list of cloud-based music services offered by the industry’s first high performance wireless multi-room system.

See more about this announcement from Bluesound… [Read more…] about Bluesound to Offer iHeartRadio Streaming Internet Radio

Investigators: Toshiba Over-Inflated Profits; Top Execs Knew

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BREAKING NEWS

Company Schedules Press Conference Tuesday; President Expected to Resign

Toshiba FacilityThe Japan Times is reporting today that investigators looking into potential accounting malfeasance at Toshiba Corp. for the five-year period ending March 31, 2015 have released summary findings that confirms that the company management was directly involved in misreporting profits. The news exploded in Japan, as one of its most venerated companies has lost all credibility.

The company has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday in which it is widely anticipated that Toshiba’s President Hisao Tanaka will resign.

But the damage to the company, doesn’t end with Tanaka…see more… [Read more…] about Investigators: Toshiba Over-Inflated Profits; Top Execs Knew

After 1-Year Delay, Artison Ships Pint-Sized Powerhouse

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Artison logoArtison announced last week the availability of a new freestanding subwoofer called the RCC Nano 1. This seemingly mighty miniature looked appealing on several fronts and we were curious to learn more. We read the release with interest…something about the Nano looked and sounded familiar to us. Then we remembered…we’ve seen it before!

See where we – and our loyal readers – saw the remarkable Artison Nano before… [Read more…] about After 1-Year Delay, Artison Ships Pint-Sized Powerhouse

Stressing the Industry, LCD Panel Prices Collapse 10% in 2015

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Photo of LCD panel

In a sign of continuing struggles in the TV business, reports out of Japan indicate that LCD panel prices continue to decline. So far in 2015, the average price of LCD panels have dropped 10%…and show no sign of slowing down.

See what’s driving the decline in sales of LCD panels… [Read more…] about Stressing the Industry, LCD Panel Prices Collapse 10% in 2015

Toshiba’s Troubles Hit Tipping Point

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BREAKING NEWS

Reports Say CEO is Out; Board of Directors Faces Massive Overhaul

Toshiba logoWhen Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced an initiative to tighten up corporate oversight he couldn’t possibly have known that his administration’s first catch might be his biggest – Toshiba Corp. Toshiba, one of the largest and most respected companies in Japan, is being investigated for what many sources are calling one of Japan’s worst accounting scandals.

See what is coming for this titan of Japanese industry… [Read more…] about Toshiba’s Troubles Hit Tipping Point

Reps – Hire Them? Or Fire Them?

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GUEST POST

Graphic of Sales NetworkManufacturers in the CE industry have bantered this question about since the industry began. Should we establish factory direct sales teams or use independent sale representatives? Or maybe a hybrid of both? Varied levels of success and failure with any of these models riddle the history of our business. What works for one vendor may not work for another. Get 10 vendors and 10 dealers in a room and you’ll get 30 answers as to the most effective sales strategy, many of which would be valid. Which is one reason why the debate continues as to which selling strategy is best.

Let’s break down the many issues surrounding sales force strategy… [Read more…] about Reps – Hire Them? Or Fire Them?

Apple Watch Sales Drop 90% Since Intro

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Photo of Apple Watch
Photo: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

It is not unusual for a hot new product to launch with huge demand, only to see unit sales taper down to more sustainable levels after the initial launch demand is fulfilled. Surely, Apple, Inc. was expecting just this type of behavior after the launch of their long-awaited Apple Watch wearable. However, new data from Slice Intelligence shows that sales of the Apple Watch have plummeted by 90% – an amount well beyond Apple’s typical experience.

See more on this surprising sales curve for this new Apple product… [Read more…] about Apple Watch Sales Drop 90% Since Intro

TiO Gets Down to Business; Launches ‘Grow Your Business Tour’

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TiO logoThe folks at Anuva Automation, maker of the TiO wireless home automation solution, are getting their act together and taking it on the road – launching what they call the “Grow Your Business Tour” for dealers around the country. Kicking off today at the Anuva Innovations center in Raleigh-Durham, NC, the GYB Tour will hit 10 major markets between now and September 23rd.

See the schedule & more on this significant dealer expo and training event… [Read more…] about TiO Gets Down to Business; Launches ‘Grow Your Business Tour’

LG Relents, Will Reduce Height of New HQ to Preserve Historic Palisades

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Photo of the Palisades
Along the Palisades [Photo: New York Times]
It took the involvement of one of the oldest and most powerful families in the United States, but when Laurance Rockefeller reached out to LG Group Chairman Bon-Moo Koo, talks ensued that resulted in the global electronics powerhouse agreeing to alter construction plans for their new headquarters building in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, resolving a long-running dispute. The issue, not well-known in other parts of the country, has been the center of a firestorm here in the New York metropolitan market, with its almost pulp fiction-like storyline of greedy developers cutting backroom deals to despoil a pristine environment in a raw display of corporate hubris. But a story with a happy ending.

See more on LG’s decision to finally become a responsible corporate citizen… [Read more…] about LG Relents, Will Reduce Height of New HQ to Preserve Historic Palisades