While the CIH new retail strategy is gaining momentum, the buying group reassesses its market standing at the beginning of 2008 which is faring to be a challenging year.

BEKO Plc has launched a new website www.beko.co.uk.  The new site provides much simpler and consumer-friendly information and advice on the full range of BEKO products. 

"It's time to recognise the service excellence and professionalism of the independent electrical dealers at the Independent Marketing Awards," announced the organisers, Datateam Publishing - the owners of IER magazine - and BDC Independents - the Awards' long term sponsors.

In his New Year message, the CBI's director-general, Richard Lambert said that he expects 2008 to be a "difficult year" for the British economy, but it is important not to exaggerate the risks. With the UK exposed to twin shocks from rising commodity prices and the continuing credit crunch, the most likely outcome is a "soft landing" as the economy slows down.

Distributor Armour Home is offering independent retailers a free place on one of its custom install training courses during January and February. Any independent who has never attended an Armour Custom Installation course is eligible to apply for a one-day Systemline Modular Introduction course.

LG  has appointed Andy Mackay to the newly created position of UK sales director, digital appliances.  The role covers the cooking, floorcare, refrigeration and laundry portfolio. Andy joins LG from Electrolux, where he worked for 20 years, most recently as group brand & marketing director.

The consumer and trade press are full of assessments of 2007 and predictions of tough times ahead. There is also plenty of advice on how to start doing things better or differently. Although many people detest New Year resolutions deriding their short term staying power, it is worth making an assessment of what went well - despite tough trading conditions - and what can be learnt from past mistakes. Like before major battles of ancient times - it could be crucial to review the weaponry at our disposal, their past effectiveness and the new ways of using them to the best advantage.

A product with a difference has been unveiled by Sony at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The Rolly 1GB MP3 player, with built-in speakers, dances along to the music it plays - either from its internal memory or streamed by Bluetooth from an external source. For a full report on CES see pages 12-13.

Parrot, the company best known for its wireless peripherals for mobile phones, founded in Paris in 1994, with voice recognition and signal processing technologies as its core competences, is bringing a number of genuine innovations to the UK electronic market - at a very fast rate.

Team UKI, the Birmingham-based small appliance brand, which is part of Team Kalorik, Europe's biggest privately owned SKA company, prides itself in bringing to the market appliances with a difference - in terms of functionality and performance.  "We have always been very choosy about the products we sell. They have to provide real benefits to the consumer - they either have special features, perform a particular function or they look special. For the retailers our products have to provide realistic margins," Tony Goldenfeld, managing director of Team UKI commented to IER.

Wine connoisseurs will welcome the latest offering from Neff - its very first wine cooler.

The K3670X0 is 54cm wide and has been designed to fit a standard kitchen furniture housing unit.

The latest wine cooler from De Dietrich is equipped with two independently controlled temperature zones, suitable for storing different types of wine simultaneously.

Building on the popularity of its retro fridges, Smeg has introduced the FAB Mini Fridge.

Roberts has extended its DAB arsenal with the introduction of its first portable EPG radio.

For those that want American-style refrigeration, but have limited kitchen space, Amana has introduced new under-counter fridge and freezer models.

With its long history of making quality FM radios, Boston Acoustics has entered the DAB market for the first time.

Ewbank hopes to renew interest in the floor sweeper category with its latest collection.

The 'Power' range comprises three models - Power, Power Plus and Power Turbo.

Sanyo's pocket-sized Xacti HD700 camcorder can record 720p HD images as well as taking 7.1-megapixel still images.

This year's show will probably be remembered mostly for a major twist in the hi-def disc format war, following Warner's announcement that it will be going Blu-ray exclusive (see boxout opposite).

In recent months I have written in this column about a variety of legislative matters currently being considered at the UK and European level. A number of times I have returned to the Waste Electrical (WEEE) Directive, since  the Department of the Environment (Defra) never ceases to remind us of the need to improve environmental standards in the design and efficiency of our products.

The industry is riding the HD wave, with TV manufacturers and HD service providers working in tandem to satisfy customers' huger for increasingly larger TV panels with life-like picture clarity. George Cole analyses the market.

A 70in LCD that should satisfy consumers looking for a cinema-style experience at home. The 1080p panel is also 24p compatible and there are three HDMI sockets.

Another 50in plasma with a 1080p panel that is also 24p compatible. There's also a 250GB hard drive for storing hours of TV programmes, plus three HDMI sockets and a powered base.

A 32in LCD set with a 1080p panel, three HDMI sockets, de-juddering software, game mode for enhanced performance when using a games console, and 24p compatibility.

This 50in plasma has a 1080p panel, HDMI sockets at the rear and side for easy access, and a game mode that will prove popular with owners of games consoles.

The new service centre will be a place for Samsung customers - the existing and potential buyers - to drop in and seek support and advice on any Samsung products, discuss servicing requirements or arrange an in-home repair at  convenient time.

According to Dawn Stockell, brand and marketing manager for Electrolux Major Appliances, the range cooker is holding its own in a declining freestanding cooking market. "This is because more consumers are opting for a range cooker as part of a built-in kitchen," she says.

The current realities of the market put great pressure on all operators in the electrical market. As both manufacturers and retailers are fighting hard not only for market share but also for survival, the distributors feel the pinch at both ends. "Wholesaling is probably one of the toughest markets to enter into, being squeezed both by the customer and the supplier. Only the strongest and most resolute can succeed and now this is tougher than ever.

From the shop to the skip in fourteen months. That was a 32in LCD TV which has just passed through our workshop, and typifies many other recent non-repairs. It was not sold by us, I hasten to add.