<April 4, 2012> Best Buy Co. may be starting to feel a little like Rodney “I don’t get no respect” 
Dangerfield as Wall Street reacted strongly to news today that Standard and Poor’s may drop the industry’s largest retailer’s bond rating to “junk” status. As word leaked out, Best Buy’s stock dropped 2.55%, more than twice the rate the overall Dow dropped. [Read more…] about Best Buy Bombed by Wall Street as Word Comes Its Bonds May Get Rated ‘Junk’
Retailers
New Group Azione Unlimited Continues Ramp-up with New Dealers & Vendors
<March 28, 2012> Azione Unlimited, the new buying group targeted at the integration and custom retail channels announced Tuesday that it has added two “founding” dealer members who will both join the organization and serve on its advisory board. The organization followed this announcement up today with another hailing the addition of two new vendors bringing the total number of vendors supporting the group to just under thirty. [Read more…] about New Group Azione Unlimited Continues Ramp-up with New Dealers & Vendors
HTSA Announces New Member – Their 64th for the Group
<March 28, 2012> Home Technology Specialists of America, a national dealer buying group of integrators and custom retailers, announced today that Digitech Custom AV of Carmel, Indiana has joined the group as their 64th member dealer. According to HTSA, Digitech merged with another dealer in 2011 – Integrated Home Technologies – and has been in business for 23-years offering a variety of residential, commercial, and industrial solutions. [Read more…] about HTSA Announces New Member – Their 64th for the Group
Wal-Mart Gets Angry…Birds, That Is
<March 21, 2012> In a unique partnership, Rovio Entertainment, Ltd., creator of the popular Angry Birds game and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. are coming together to offer exclusive Angry Birds clothes, plush toys, and snacks that will include clues to a new version of the game launching later this week called Angry Birds Space. The partnership offers benefits to both Wal-Mart and Rovio…but mostly to those Wal-Mart customers who are Angry Birds fans as items sold in the store will include “Golden Eggsteroid” clues to unlock levels of the new game. [Read more…] about Wal-Mart Gets Angry…Birds, That Is
Agreeing with Soul by Ludacris, Judge Orders PRO Group To Testify Now
<March 14, 2012> Over the last few weeks, we have reported on a trademark and unfair business practices lawsuit filed by Signeo, the parent company of Soul by Ludacris, against Sol Republic. In its original filing, Signeo alleged that Sol Republic deliberately selected the SOL mark used on their headphone products in order to confuse the marketplace with a name that is phonetically identical to the SOUL trademark used by Signeo on its headphones. [Read more…] about Agreeing with Soul by Ludacris, Judge Orders PRO Group To Testify Now
Netflix Looks to Partner with Major Cable Company
<March 7, 2012> Reuters is reporting today that Netflix, once feared as a predator to many in the Cable TV industry, may be more kitten than lion as it seeks to partner with one or more major cable TV providers in offering Netflix as part of its programming package. Once an unthinkable proposition, Reuters says the company is actively pursuing just such an arrangement. [Read more…] about Netflix Looks to Partner with Major Cable Company
HTSA Appoints New Director of Marketing
<March 1, 2012> The Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA) announced today that it has created a new Director of Marketing position that it believes will dramatically increase support for HTSA members with dynamic new programs. The new Director of Marketing is Kathleen Marini. [Read more…] about HTSA Appoints New Director of Marketing
Pro Group Pulled into Lawsuit
<February 29, 2012> New court documents filed late last week as part of the ongoing lawsuit 
between Soul by Ludacris and SOL Republic appear to more deeply entangle one of our industry’s most prominent national retail buying organizations, the Pro Group. Court filings from both sides have ignited a controversy in which certain Pro Group members appear to make a claim that is contradictory to one by the Pro Group Executive Director David Workman. [Read more…] about Pro Group Pulled into Lawsuit
Can a Court Decide Who Has Soul…or Sol? We’re Going to Find Out
<February 22, 2012> Dealerscope reported on its website today that Signeo, the company that markets primarily headphone products under the brand Soul by Ludacris or “Soul,” has filed a trademark lawsuit against Sol Republic, Inc. who markets primarily headphone products under the brand “Sol.” At the root of the case is consumer confusion over the marketing of competing products that are similar in design and price containing one word brands…that are pronounced phonetically to sound identical. [Read more…] about Can a Court Decide Who Has Soul…or Sol? We’re Going to Find Out
