The new generation TV displays, gloriously showcased in Las Vegas at the CES 2012, are stealing the limelight from tablets and gaming gadgets, while connected devices are about to transform our work and leisure habits.

At a time when the media are whetting consumers’ appetites for the next big thing in CE technology, the market analyst GfK reports that consumer electronics suffered badly in 2011, declining in value by 14%, which amounted to around £800 million loss at retail.

Anna Ryland, Editor

The forecasts for 2012 for the retail industry make very sobering reading. With the all-important consumer confidence remaining depressed, we can expect slow growth at best.

"2012 will be about future proofing the business to ensure survival in a market that will not change any time soon," said KPMG’s UK head of retail, Helen Dickinson.

Tom Cole reviews recent events in the multiples sector and the prospects for 2012.

 cole.tom@virgin.net

Wherever you look there is no shortage of gloomy news, but whilst the general outlook is clearly bleak for many retail sectors, the shake-out in electrics, with Best Buy closing down and Comet soon to be under new management, will be welcomed by others in the trade.  

TV screens are set up in the factory for the competitive environment of your showroom and window, with fierce, over-bright and over-contrasted pictures. If the out-of-box setting was made correct for home viewing, sales would dive. Today’s TV sets are capable of giving excellent pictures, but only after readjustment for the very different conditions in the viewer's home.