Britannia has launched a three-months vehicle tour which started in Aberdeen and will be completed on 10 September in Ireland. Designed to give retailers and consumers the opportunity to explore Britannia’s full portfolio, the vehicle has a wide selection of range cookers, hobs and cooker hoods on display.

THE digital TV switchover is on track and under budget, says David Scott, chief executive officer of Digital UK. The timetable for implementation of the switchover in Britain, announced in 2005, is progressing according to plan. By end of March 2010, 20% of households in the UK had been transferred to digital terrestrial television with an access to Freeview. By 2011, 40% of homes would have undergone the switchover and by the end of 2012, 98.5% of households will have digital terrestrial TV coverage.

Glen Dimplex Home Appliances has become the exclusive UK partner of GE appliances. GDHA added the GE brand to its existing cooking and cooling brand portfolio of Stoves, Belling, New World and Lec. GE is one of the biggest companies in the world. Its consumer appliance division, worth in excess of $6bn, has a major share of the US appliance market. The brand however has struggled to consistently deliver growth in the UK.

Trade association retra has issued a warning to the government that its reticence in setting a firm date for digital radio switchover is a dangerous move.

Although good weather didn’t help Murray to win Wimbledon, it aided the recovery of a number of product sectors, including drink chillers and beer fridges, reported market analyst GfK.

PURE has invited the second year textile design students of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design to create a limited edition version of PURE’s iconic EVOKE Mio aimed at women. Entries were submitted in three categories: innovation, commercial and packaging. The competition has produced some truly innovative designs, such as those pictured opposite.

Groupe SEB, whose portfolio of brands includes Tefal, Rowenta and Krupps, has entered the summer retail season with a host of product innovations.

Following the launch of the original desk model of Air Multiplier fan, Dyson has developed two new Dyson Air Multiplier fans: the AM02 Tower and the AM03 Pedestal. These floor standing models are designed for larger spaces as they produce a greater airflow than the previous model – the AM03 Pedestal generates 50% more airflow than the AM01 Desk fan. Both machines come with a magnetised remote control.

The latest product innovations from LG employ the power of steam either to improve cooking results (and energy consumption!), to sanitise the laundry or to deliver the benefits of steam cleaning with its floorcare.

A joint venture between AEG-Electrolux and the state-of-the-art Dalesford Organic Cookery School gives Electrolux the kind of brand exposure that every manufacturer dreams about.

The Co-operative Food has introduced electrical shop pilots in three of its larger stores. The pilots use a combination of an in-store display and ‘pods’ where customers can view an electronic catalogue of more than 2,000 products in The Co-operative electricals range. Larger products are available for delivery within 48 hours. Lines carried in-store will include white goods such as washing machines, audio, video and personal care items.

Based in the North of England, Cello Electronics which manufactures affordable LCD televisions retailed through a wide range of channels – from John Lewis to Netto, and makes own brand products for the likes of Marks & Spencer and Littlewoods, has announced its two firsts on the UK market.

PANGOO, a new and innovative Chinese brand, is establishing itself in the UK and seeking the cooperation of the independent channel as its chosen distributor. The majority of the brand's shares are owned by Tsinghua University in Beijing, which is also responsible for the technological know-how and product innovations of the company.

For the fifth consecutive year, BSH has received the Supplier of the Year Award in the white goods category from Euronics International. The coveted title was awarded at the Euronics Annual Event in Berlin.

Sony recently launched a full range of 3D hardware and content in almost 600 retail outlets around the UK.

The Finalists

The Independent Business Awards are a continuation of the Independent Marketing Awards which were annually conducted by The Independent Electrical Retailer magazine since 1993 and are acknowledged as the most prestigious awards event in our industry.

The voting for the Awards is an opportunity for you – the independent electrical dealer – to have your say about the products and initiatives of the electrical industry and to play a key role in these prestigious awards.

The voting process is very simple. Please check the nominees’ supporting statements featured below before you cast your vote using the voting form enclosed with this issue of the IER magazine. You can also vote online using the online voting mechanism which you will find on:

www.independentbusinessawards.com

Sony UK has launched a new a new initiative inviting consumers to trade in their old consumer electronics products, from televisions to cameras – whether in working condition or not – in return for money off new Sony products. The campaign will run from 29 April until 11 July, the day of the World Cup final.

At its annual key dealer event in Scotland in February 2010, Sony announced a new direction for its market strategy. The company has decided to stop chasing market share and intends to ensure that Sony products are sold only through retail channels which add value to them and are able to give customers a good shopping experience.

BSH Customer Service is offering its dealers business cards in standalone holders providing phone numbers and website addresses for various types of customer services dedicated to its three brands.

AS a new requirement for shops to collect used batteries came into force in February 2010, the British Retail Consortium said retailers recognise their responsibilities and are confident that in-store collection facilities are now in place.  However on its own that will not be enough.

ALPHASON has launched a new training scheme for its retailers to help them increase sales of accessories. The company has developed an online training micro site featuring industry training expert George Morton. The facility is interactive and users can choose to participate in the entire experience in one sitting, or focus on specific areas that are appropriate at the time.

In partnership with the European Schoolnet project, which is to be piloted in the UK, PC manufacturer Acer, will help schools in introducing a new kind of interaction between teachers and students through the use of netbooks. Acer will supply classes in the project with one netbook per student, one notebook per teacher and a server with 19in monitor for sharing all class activities.

Maggie Thomas has joined retail training specialist Beyond The Box as sales and marketing director. Maggie brings with her over 20 years’ experience acquired with Philips Consumer Lifestyle and LG Consumer Electronics where she has managed in house trainers, in-store consultants and field marketing teams.

Responding to the requirements of modern living, Miele has introduced to the market its first high performance cordless vacuum cleaner. The Miele Hybrid S4812 offers both a cord and cordless option, seamlessly switching between the two power supplies.

Sony has just extended its Vaio range of notebooks by introducing the E series, the unique feature of which is its ease of use, and the W Eco series that is designed to be kinder to the environment.

The March 2010 edition of IER will feature the first of what is anticipated to be a bi-monthly Employment Law Column from Stuart Lawrenson of Shoosmiths. Many of you will have　heard　of Stuart via　retra; he has spoken at retra conferences, run training sessions at their　summer　school and advised many retra members via their helpline. Stuart hopes that his column　will keep you up to date with　both changes to legislation and　key cases, whilst also providing you　with practical advice.

The process of selecting the nominations for the Independent Business Awards has just begun. The Awards, which recognise excellence of electrical retailing and manufacturing, conducted annually since 1993 by IER magazine, are acknowledged as the most prestigious awards event in our industry.

Ten British fledgling tech companies were invited to exhibit at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, after winning a competition run by the UK Trade & Investment – the government body promoting British business in international markets.

BDC has entered into a distribution partnership with Fratelli Onofri, the specialist Italian range cooker and built-in appliance manufacturer. Fratelli Onofri is known for kitchen appliances that combine technical innovation with traditional Italian style and elegance.

Although we all wish to hear that the end of the financial recovery is round the corner, economic gurus tell us that with unemployment between 2.3 and 2.5 million, the country is still in recession. Yet, there are encouraging signs on the horizon that 2010 is going to be a better year for the industry.

TV is set to enter the third dimension in 2010 with several brands, including LG, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony, unveiling 3D TVs at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The 3D panels will be hitting shops from April onwards, and will also be joined by an array of 3D-capable Blu-ray players.

Duracell’s latest range of torches, Duracell Daylite, incorporates the company’s patented TrueBeam Optic technology. It captures 100% of light produced by the LED bulb, creating a light that is twenty times brighter than a regular LED torch, says the manufacturer. Duracell Daylite also has a 3:1 focus ratio from spot to flood without the quality of light deteriorating or any black spots.

The Dyson City DC26 is a compact but powerful cylinder cleaner designed for smaller homes. With this product Dyson has responded to the societal trend showing that as homes get smaller, space becomes a premium. According to recent research,  2.3 million homes in England are smaller than 50m².

Polish white goods manufacturer Amica has signed a preliminary agreement to sell its laundry and refrigeration plants in Wronki to Samsung Electronics Manufacturing Poland.  Simultaneously, both companies agreed that the South Korean group will sell washing machines and refrigeration products to Amica. It will allow Amica to maintain the supply of the washing and cooling products popular with the UK’s independent retailers and concentrate on the research and development of cooking appliances.

The last year proved to be very difficult for CIH which, in line with rest of the industry, had no control over many external economic factors, such as reduction of credit limits which has caused some members to retire early, said Robin Millwood, chairman of the buying group, speaking at the annual CIH Suppliers Luncheon. “It seems like CIH has become a property company with now having 20 first charges on members’ properties and many of these members have been solid supporters of CIH for years and have never missed a payment, but payment records and credibility do not appear to account for anything in today’s difficult trading environment.”

Electrolux, together with its brands AEG-Electrolux and Zanussi, has been ranked by the Brand Emissions Leadership project as emission leader in its sector in the first annual ranking of brands sold in the UK and their ambitions to cut carbon.

Indesit Company, energy supplier npower and RLtec, the smart grid technology company, are about to begin a UK trial of fridges fitted with grid-balancing technology.

The dynamic demand technology, developed by RLtec and Indesit research teams, helps to maintain the balance between supply and demand across the national electricity grid. Through 2010, up to 3,000 UK npower customers will be supplied with Indesit Company dynamic demand fridges and fridge freezers, free of charge, in what will be world’s first residential test of the technology.

Recent research published by Defra shows that some of the top selling household appliances may not be performing in accordance with claimed standards printed on the labels. Defra tested 24 of the best selling washing machines, 24 ovens and 265 different light bulbs. These tests were not full legal compliance testing, but simply a snapshot, testing individual appliances against their energy labelling.

Big tax rises will harm customers and damage recovery, warned the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Reacting to the Pre-Budget Report BRC chief executive Stephen Robertson said that substantial cuts in public spending must be the main route to bringing public finances under control, not tax rises which would damage demand, stifle recovery and undermine consumer confidence.

Fisher & Paykel Appliances has appointed Stuart Broadhurst as managing director and chief executive officer of the company. Since September 2009 Stuart was acting CEO of Fisher & Paykel when former CEO John Bongard announced his retirement. He commenced his employment with Fisher & Paykel Appliances in 1988 and has extensive experience in every aspect of the company’s operations.

The Annual EEIBA powerBall, held in London’s Grosvenor House hotel, has helped to raise an impressive sum of £225,000 this year – to the tunes of the 1970s music.

Miele recently opened its experiential showroom in Cavendish Place, Central London.   The Miele Gallery London offers visitors a hands-on experience of a range of working cooking, cleaning and laundry appliances. Visitors can also test a washing machine programme on a favourite garment, and even put a Miele vacuum cleaner through its paces to test its performance.

Shaun Barrett, director of Barrett’s Digital World, has begun his term of retra presidency. Barrett’s Digital World is a 10,000 ft² out-of-town superstore in Canterbury which has been serving consumers for over 100 years.

Shaun took over the reins from Robert Hughes, director of Hughes Electrical, a chain of 44 stores across the Suffolk and the East Midlands.

Following shareholder investment and company restructuring, BDC has opened a new Centre in Broxburn, West Lothian, Scotland and it plans to open two more Centres, in the North-East of England and Northern Ireland. Four additional area sales managers have been recruited to support the company’s customers.

Manufacturers of electrical accessories will welcome the news that the popular accessory category at the Independent Business Awards will be split into Accessories for Consumer Electronics Products and Accessories for White Goods and Floorcare.

Indesit Company is to join the smart grid technology company RLtec, and energy company npower, in Europe’s largest residential trial of dynamic demand technology. The trial will demonstrate the potential for ‘smart’ appliances fitted with dynamic demand technology to reduce CO2 emissions in the UK, by up to 2 million tons per annum.

Freesat, the subscription-free digital TV satellite service, has launched a major TV advertising campaign to stimulate interest in its offers and the new Freesat+ HD recorders which are going to be on sale in time for Christmas.

Britain’s supermarket chains have launched the biggest discounting bonanza in years before the Christmas season, with toys, gifts and electricals on sale more than a month and a half before the big day. The big four grocers are trying to capture entertainment and toy sales following the collapse of Woolworths and Zavvi.

Mark Veysey has joined the growing field sales team at Big Red Sales ltd to manage the South West region. The new area sales manager, who will be based in Exmouth, brings 23 years of sales and management experience in manufacturing and distribution of the brown and white goods sectors and home improvement industries.

Capitalising on the growing demand for AV furniture with a difference, Yorkshire-based AV furniture company Off The Wall (UK) Limited has launched two stylish TV furniture products. Following the success of its Origin range, the new Skyline and Profile ranges have been designed to meet the demand for elegant, high quality TV furniture at affordable prices. The Skyline range is based on a cantilever design that removes the need for pole legs for support, creating more shelf space in less floor area with a modern, minimalist design.  It is available in two sizes, 750mm for screens up to 37in and 1000mm for screens up to 52in and with two colour options, a silver column with clear glass and a black column with black glass.

Russell Hobbs recently unveiled is latest range of products including the Quick 2 Toast which toasts bread up to two times faster than conventional toasters, says the maker.

The kitchen appliance specialist also introduced the Quick 2 Boil, which is similar to Tefal’s Quick Cup, but with the added bonus of a conventional rapid boil kettle, creating a compact two-in-one unit.

A professional association of installation and services engineers has been launched to offer service support not only to the end customer but also to smaller electrical independents who are not able to carry repairs themselves. 

MODEST economic growth in the third and fourth quarters of this year will initiate the emergence of the UK from the recession. However, the growth in 2010 will be slow due to constraints on demand, predicted the CBI in its latest economic forecast.

BSH Customer Service has launched a cash back scheme for customers owning its appliances which are deemed to be ‘beyond economical repair' by one of the company's engineers. It entitles customers to a 50% refund on the engineer call out fee for the repair, if they replace their existing Bosch, Siemens or Neff appliance with a new BSH model.

ACLANDS Radio and Television of Bridgewater in Somerset has become the D&G Retailer of the Year for the second year running, beating some 1,400 retailers who have been assessed by their customers this year. East Anglia's Hughes Electrical was a runner up by a narrow margin. Internet Retailer of the Year 2009 top honours went to Crampton and Moore - for the third year running.

Independent electrical retailers, proud of their professional achievements, should now register their company for one of the Best Independent Retailers Awards 2010. They are a key award category at the annual Independent Business Awards, which are in their 18th year and have the longest heritage of any awards in our industry. They recognise the achievements of the independent electrical retailers and honour their professionalism and service excellence.

The task of getting the UK ready for the digital radio upgrade will be delivered by a new organisation to be called Digital Radio UK. Digital Radio UK will build on the work of the Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB) and will incorporate the recently announced Digital Radio Delivery Group to become a new consumer-facing brand that will co-ordinate and manage the expansion of the digital radio platform throughout the UK.

To celebrate the first year anniversary of its Viewsmart initiative Alphason Designs has launched a travel promotion for independents which will run over three months leading up to Christmas. The top prize in the Smart Get Away lucky draw promotion is a sevennight holiday for two in a fivestar hotel in St Lucia, with runner up prizes of a trip to New York and a weekend break in Paris travelling by Eurostar.

WHIRLPOOL UK has just unveiled its new training and brand experience centre in the group's headquarters in Croydon, Surrey. ‘ATHOME' is a showcase of all four of the company's brands, Amana, KitchenAid, Maytag and Whirlpool, and it aims to present the leading collections of each brand in their natural setting and make them easy to demonstrate and use.

LAUNCHING its latest range of Vaio computers and notebooks, Sony reinforced its intention to clearly differentiate Vaio products for different customer markets and needs.

The CW Series, a stylish multimedia notebook, which comes in black, blue, red, pink and white, is aimed at fashion conscious users who value not only its powerful performance but also such ergonomic features as the perfectly-pitched keyboard.

BELLING has just launched a new collection of kitchen appliances which includes a number of firsts for the manufacturer and the UK market.

The most innovative development is perhaps the BI60i Belling Eco Induction Oven, which uses induction technology in the main oven cavity making 50% energy savings on an A rated oven. The built-in, 6-in-1 oven uses an integrated induction plate inside the oven cavity and is capable of slow cooking, roasting, grilling and steaming food. The BI60i comes with a cast iron pot as well as a steaming and roasting trivet for induction cooking. The Eco Induction Oven will be manufactured in Britain as part of GDHA's commitment to home-grown innovation.

The retail industry has seen the largest rise in people claiming the dole during the last year, a new TUC report has revealed.

Bosch is offering to pay customers back the cost of a whole year's energy usage on selected domestic appliances. The promotion is available across the home laundry, cooling and dishwashing ranges and it features up to £45 cash back on new appliances. It underlines the importance of energy efficiency and superior performance of Bosch products, many of which offer from 10% to 64% greater energy savings than other standard A rated appliances.

A record 228,600 visitors attended this year's Berlin-based IFA technology fair, making it the biggest show in IFA's 49-year history.

More than 1,600 exhibitors made the trip to Germany to showcase their latest technology, with 3D TV causing the greatest buzz. Both Sony and Panasonic pledged to launch products in 2010 while several other manufacturers also showed off their own 3D technology concepts.

The economic indicators implying that the economy is rapidly rising out of recession are misleading, warns Anthony Norman, GfK business group director.

Factors such as the stock markets rises from the record lows and growing sales in some technology sectors are not necessary signs of growth in the technology markets.

The industry has welcomed the BRC proposal to remove VAT for energy efficient appliances and to introduce a car-industry-style scrappage scheme. Enrico Vita, managing director of Indesit Company UK, said: "This proposal will provide the white goods sector with further encouragement to accelerate development of more efficient products. (...)  By removing VAT it would give retailers a significant sales boost during these very difficult trading conditions."

Connect Distribution Services Ltd has appointed David Payne as director of business development.  David joined Connect in 1999 as field sales manager and was promoted to head of sales in 2005.

Launching Sensia, the ‘tactile' internet radio and the fourth model using the Flow technology, PURE intends to give the Facebook generation a new way of enjoying Internet radio. With a 5.7in high resolution touchscreen the users can select stations and view radio content by scrolling and spinning lists. They can access DAB/DAB+ and FM radio, a wide choice of PURE Applications, such as weather, news, various sounds, together with Facebook and Twitter, and new broadcast material such as a station slideshow. Sensia is also a media streamer enabling users to listen to music stored on a PC or network storage devices, such as the iPhone, via Wi-Fi technology.

Jarden Consumer Solutions, perhaps best known for its air treatment under the Bionaire brand, has introduced a premium kitchen electrical brand to the UK market. VillaWare, which can trace its roots back over 100 years to Italy and then the US, will feature a starting line-up of five products, which group managing director Mike Yates confirmed was "just the beginning".

Now in its 49th year, the IFA consumer electronics exhibition in Germany was the biggest show yet, drawing in a crowd of 228,600 visitors - an 8% increase on the previous year's turnout. The halls of the Berlin-based exhibition venue were filled with products from 1,164 exhibitors over an area of 121,000 square metres.

BSH Customer Service, which covers the Bosch, Neff, Siemens and Gaggenau appliance brands in the UK, has won the coveted Total Excellence and Quality (TEQ) service award for 2009.

An impressive 94.5% of customers gave BSH Customer Service top marks which won BSH first place in the white goods manufacturers' category of this annual independent national customer service award, beating eight other well-known domestic appliance service organisations to the title.

Retail training specialist Beyond The Box, is preparing a retail training package for the DSGi group, during which staff will receive product knowledge and sales skills coaching, in order to assist the consumer decision making process.  

Nearly 12% of shops in Britain's high streets now stand empty. These dire statistics, which deteriorated from just over 4% in the middle of 2008, illustrate the malaise spreading across the country and affecting all levels of retail from the largest regional centres to the smallest high streets.

New research from accountants and business advisers BDO Stoy Hayward LLP heralds the emergence of  the ‘hypersensitive consumer' - an individual that is both time and money poor, feels guilty about spending, is less loyal and believes that retailers are privileged to have them in their stores.

The Border TV region has become the first to complete the switchover to digital television. History was made on 22 July as the last analogue signals were switched off at the Caldbeck transmitter group. Following switchover, the availability of Freeview digital TV channels in the area has increased from 51% to 98% of households.

Glen Dimplex Home Appliances (GDHA), has appointed Rob Burton as commercial manager for range cookers across its three brands, Belling, New World and Stoves. Rob previously worked in the paper industry as a sales and marketing director. 

Film and TV celebrity Shilpa Shetty (pictured with Andy Griffiths, Samsung UK vice-president, on the left) added sparkle to the opening of the new Samsung Zone at PRC   Hi-Fi & Video's flagship store at Ilford, Essex, run by its director John Digwa (right)

The new Batteries Regulations came into force on 5 May 2009 in the UK. On 1 January 2010 producers will have to become compliant with the Regulations while on 1 February 2010 retailers will have to commence the take back of waste batteries. Bob Mead, batteries implementation project manager for the Environment Agency, advises IER readers on the responsibilities of the parties involved in the collection and recycling of batteries.

This was the motto of the recent event organised by German battery manufacturer Varta, with some 100 years of heritage and the number two position in the Europe battery market, to present its latest line-up of products.

Hutchinsons HiFi & Vision, which has been operating in Cheltenham since 1986, has won the Best Customer Service Award at this year's Independent Business Awards.

AVF Group has announced that it has achieved three-star carbon neutral status for further reducing its carbon emissions through product manufacture, distribution, business travel and running offices in the UK and US.

Leading Indian consumer electronics firm Videocon has launched its brand in the UK and unveiled its initial line-up of LCD TVs. The company intends to produce high quality mid-range products at affordable prices.

Dear Ms Ryland,

I was devastated when Olympic Electronics, my local electrical shop and a family-run business, closed last year owing to unsustainable rent/rate levels in the borough of Kensington & Chelsea. 

A move from analogue to DAB radio may leave people with sight problems left out of Britain's digital revolution if steps are not taken to assist in the switchover, stated the Communications Minister Lord Carter in the Digital Britain report. Although this report initiates further discussions around a Digital Help Scheme similar to that used for switchover to digital television, The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) believes such a scheme is absolutely essential.

Derrik Lam has joined BBG from Peerless in the US as operations director. His responsibilities will include all operations functions, engineering, customer service and an on-going involvement in product management.

Encouraged by a successful ascent of Kilimanjaro a few years ago, Susan Dean, the public relations representative of Electrolux UK, decided to conquer - for charity - Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe at around 4,800m. 

At an intimate preview hosted by TV's Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver launched his first range of electrical food preparation products, which are manufactured by Tefal. The collection comprises a liquidiser, food processor and multifunctional grill, which will be available nationwide from September 2009.

At LG's London Design Centre, the company presented an exclusive preview of independent research revealing the nation's lifestyle habits, which has been used to develop its 2009 range of home appliances.

Sharp has just unveiled its first collection of LED backlight TVs, the LE600 and LE700 series. All models combine AQUOS LCD technology with a LED backlight system to deliver top image quality and energy-efficient performance. The LE600 is available in 32in, 40in and 46in models while the LE700 also includes a 52in model. The LE700 series utilises 100Hz technology and a rapid pixel response time of 4ms, providing the perfect medium for high-definition viewing.

The third annual Which? Awards organised by the consumer organisation and held this year at the British Museum in London, saw Bosch and Cannon winning the top accolades of the Best Domestic Appliance Brand and the Best Audio-Visual Brand respectively. John Lewis reclaimed the Best High Street Retailer title and play.com retained the Best Online Retailer award.

GDHA has reported an increase of 8% in sales via the independent sector, driven by growth across its three cooking appliance brands - Stoves, Belling and New World. This growth includes a 25% increase in GDHA's sales within the freestanding category and a 21% increase in sales within the built-in oven category. Overall, GDHA now has a 19% share of the cooking appliance market within the independent sector.

In response to the government's announcement that its trade credit insurance top-up scheme, originally reported in the Budget, is to be backdated to 1 October last year, the British Retail Consortium said this was a welcome move - but it fell short of the 1 April 2008 start date the retail trade body has been campaigning for.

Research recently commissioned by Whirlpool Europe shows that, even in the recessionary times, for 57% of UK consumers environmental considerations are as important as getting the best value deal when making a purchase. When it comes to buying household appliances, low energy and water consumption are top of the list.

The Business Network Online (BNO) - developed by the British Chambers of Commerce and Accredited Chamber Network - is the first network of this type to provide a safe platform for people to buy and sell their products and services from as well as to develop and build new contacts. The BNO, which operates through the trusted Chamber community, provides people with a simple and effective way to meet new business partners and suppliers as well as reach new markets and customers.

Ian Humphreys, managing director of BI Electrical Services (NI), has succeeded Jim Speirs,  executive chairman, NICEIC Group Ltd (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting), as president of the industry's charity, Electrical & Electronics Industries Benevolent Association (EEIBA). Ian has been EEIBA Vice President since 2007.

Helping parents teach their children to develop an effective oral hygiene early in life, Philips has launched Sonicare for Kids - the first Sonicare power toothbrush for children.

Following its merger with Yamaha Music in 2008, and utilising the company's expertise in the areas of musical instrument manufacturing and professional sound technology, Yamaha Electronics is bringing to the market a host of new products. The offer includes five AV receivers (entry and high end models), home cinema systems, including a model with a One Bar Home Cinema System and a TV stand incorporating multi-channel surround sound system and a digital amplifier, three models of speakers including 5-channel speakers. Also new is a collection of desktop audio products which is set to bring the company closer to the mass market.

Eighteen months after a fire has consumed company's buildings and £3 million of stock, Jegs' staff, its suppliers, customers and trade press gathered outside its shining new HQ in Leigh on Sea, Essex, to witness the official reopening of the company by David Amess, MP for Southend West. Mr Amess praised Jegs' staff and management for their dedication and tremendous effort which made it possible for Jegs to start trading again five weeks after the fire.

Electrolux and Whirlpool have announced measures which they plan to undertake to make their companies truly sustainable in the future. 

Armour Home has announced the launch of a new subsidiary company Armour Nordic, to distribute selected Armour brands in Sweden.

The retail industry, which employs over 3 million people in the UK, has at last received official recognition of its unique skills employed on the retail floor, as the first industry-wide training scheme that will provide essential skills and widely-recognised transferable qualifications has been launched in London.

Guided by the findings of its recent research which revealed that waiting for repair engineers to call is one of the biggest home life irritations, Indesit Company has introduced two-hour appointment slots for the company's engineer visiting customer homes in the UK.

The European Parliament has voted to keep the familiar A-G energy labelling format for televisions, but not for fridges. This situation will create customer confusion, reported the BRC. The introduction of a new set of energy efficiency categories for fridges will include, for example a rating of ‘A-20' - to indicate the product is 20% more efficient than ‘A' and ‘A-40' for 40% more efficiency than ‘A' etc.

Electrolux has appointed Brad Tribble as head of Northern Europe, a region encompassing the UK, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Stockholm and Finland. Ian Banes will take over as country head for Electrolux Major Appliances UK, reporting directly to Brad Tribble. 

Belling has gained a place in Guinness World Record History alongside 100 UK school children after setting a world record for the most people cooking simultaneously.

Eco-holidays worth £500 are to be offered by PURE to independent dealers as an incentive to sell more of its Energy Saving Trust accredited radios. The promotion will run from June until the end of this year. On top of the monthly incentive, running from October to December 2009, dealers will have the opportunity to win the grand prize of a luxury eco-holiday worth £2,000.

Total Disc Repair (TDR), a supplier of disc repair machines based in Dorset, has launched a promotional competition designed to see how much money can be generated by a retailer with one disc repair machine, over a six month period.   

The full extent of Samsung's investment in the white goods sector and the company's intention to establish itself as a major player in this market is reflected by the suite of built-in cooking appliances which the manufacturer has just launched.

The new X Series WALKMAN is Sony's first portable media to feature a touchscreen display on an OLED screen.

Humax, the digital TV recorder and set-top box specialist, has launched Humax Trade, a new initiative designed to support independent electrical retailers across the UK.  The service will be underpinned by a dedicated online portal: www.humaxtrade.co.uk, providing registered Humax Trade retail partners with product information, advice and support.

Armour Home has been appointed by Scandyna International of Denmark, to be the exclusive UK distributor of their Scandyna range of loudspeakers and matching iPod-related electronics.

The Indesit Group has just unveiled its latest product propositions in its three leading brands: Indesit, Hotpoint and Cannon.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has welcomed a one month delay in the implementation date of the Battery Directive for retailers which were originally scheduled for 1 January 2010. The BRC has been campaigning for the postponement of the original date as it would create a New Year nightmare for shops. It comes at retailers' busiest time of the year and is precisely the same time they are expected to cope with the task of reversing last year's VAT cut - the BRC has already called on the Chancellor to use next week's budget to announce he will delay the VAT increase by at least a month. 

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has launched a new, universal on-pack recycling label which will provide customers with standardised information on whether packaging can be recycled. The single, industry-supported, label replaces the potentially confusing range of symbols previously used. The new label will have three categories depending on how local authorities will accept packaging for recycling: widely recycled, check local recycling and not currently recycled.

Whirlpool UK has appointed Ian Railton as managing director.  Previously commercial director, Ian takes the reins from Paolo Conte who has returned to Whirlpool Europe HQ.

Roberts' Revival radio was one of the prizes donated in support of the Willow Foundation's fundraising Keepsake exhibition and auction held at the SW1 Gallery in London in April. Hardeep Singh Kohli, best known for his appearances on the One Show, was one of the star supporters of the Willow Foundation's work which provides special days and creates precious memories for seriously ill 16-40 year olds.

Toshiba UK is bullish about the future after announcing that is has reversed the decline in its TV share, following a restructure of the company.

PURE has teamed up with The Energy Saving Trust and retra to launch its ‘Less than a Light Bulb' campaign, which underlines the energy saving credentials of its radios to the consumer.

Vogel's, Dutch manufacturer of innovative audio-visual mounting solutions, operating in Europe for over 35 years, has launched its own distribution company in the UK - Vogel's Product UK - which is bringing to Britain the company's latest offer, the 8000 Series.