Renew North East, a north-east charity, working closely with Tyne and Wear councils to increase the employability of local people, makes a significant contribution to the reduction of the amount of electrical waste in the area. The products refurbished by Renew are sold back to the public with a six-month guarantee at reduced prices.

Admiral, the American laundry brand from Maytag UK, has introduced a new colour brochure which features Admiral laundry products, the company's heritage and service and warranty information.

At the time as the EST Energy Saving Recommended product list has reached the 3,000 mark, Pure has received its seventh Energy Saving Recommended (ESR) accreditation for ONE Elite DAB radio which joins other Pure's ESR-accredited products, such as Move; EVOKE-1S; Siesta; Chronos II; TEMPUS-1S and ONE Mini.

Alphason Designs has entered into partnership with former retra president Malcolm Marshall to deliver retail training courses at various locations across the country.

After 17 consecutive quarters of growth, sales in the £9.14bn annual consumer electronics sector have shown their first fall since Q4 2003.

Freesat has appointed Carolyn Fairbairn as its new chairman. Prior to this appointment Carolyn was ITV's director of group development and strategy.

Preparing the report on the products for customers with special needs (see page 28), I wondered why ‘special' in relation to needs has become such an undesirable or a politically incorrect term in the electrical industry. Undeniably, there is a strong argument for designing all products well - around good ergonomics - so they facilitate cooking, washing and all other domestic chores instead of straining the products' users in the process. Yet, there are many groups of customers in the modern society whose needs don't fit into universal patterns. Therefore I don't see the reason, apart from the financial one, why some products shouldn't be made and marketed specially for them.

Cubo, an all-in-one CD/MP3 player, DAB/FM radio and an alarm clock from German manufacturer Sonoro, distributed by BBG, has been launched in Harrods and Selfridges in ten colour options, to great customer acclaim. The same perspex cubes in both clear and white are also being supplied to independents ordering this range, enabling them to create an eye-catching display of their own.

Demonstrating the latest range of its VAIO laptops, Sony made a long-term strategy announcement with regard to this product category. Taking into account that 54% of people use a different PC for business and for personal use, Sony decided to clearly differentiate VAIO laptops designed for work and leisure by launching two lines of VAIO products with distinct features and customer benefits. Even the product warranty policy reflects the new approach. The ‘leisure' FW series which consists of five models has a one year warrantee while the four models in SR, BZ and Z-Series designed for business, come with a two to three year warrantee.

Home-tek International, which has its own factory and design studio in China, is consistently bringing new products with distinctive USPs to the market. At its recent product showcase, Home-tek revealed new additions to its Ainsley Harriott label, among them the Nutri-Steam food steamer (AH171) whose unique feature is the steam function which rapidly produces steam within seconds to seal food so it retains up to 50% more vitamins and nutrients compared with other food steamers, says the manufacturer. Its unique ‘clip' system allows the top tier to be removed without the base, enabling easy and safe removal of hot dishes. This also allows the top two tiers to be used as one for cooking large foods such as a whole chicken.

Smeg has expanded its cooker collection with the introduction of the SY4110 Symphony.

Part of the new Symphony collection, the 1100mm-wide cooker features contemporary styling and is rated AA for energy. Fully clad in stainless steel, the new model boasts two integrated ovens and a separate grill.

Developed over three years with the Porsche Design Studio, the Porsche Design Radio and Sound System is now available.

The latest washing machine from AEG-Electrolux is one of the quietest machines on the market at just 49db, says the maker.

Sony's new generation of Blu-ray players feature BD Live capability for enhanced movie watching.

AVF's Cornermount enables both TV and components to be mounted across the corner of a room.

Toshiba's latest DVD player boasts its new and exclusive XDE upscaling chip which enables users to upscale standard-def DVDs to high definition.

Maytag UK has introduced a new American-style laundry pair from across the pond.

The American-made washer (3RMTW4905TW) and matching tumble dryer (3RMED4905TW) offer load and time saving benefits for busy consumers, says the maker.

PURE has expanded its EcoPlus range to include the ONE Elite - an affordable stereo DAB radio, which has been endorsed by the Energy Saving Trust.

Chris' entry into the AV furniture market was almost coincidental. His background is in the IT industry, including Rank Xerox, where he learned sales skills and the rules of selling. In 2007, he decided to take a professional break to pursue some of his life passions, such as gardening and walking. Unfortunately, in the late part of 2007 it rained a lot, and it was then when the Armour Group invited him to join Alphason Designs.

When trading becomes more challenging it is important that you identify ways to reduce costs and increase profits. Ways that this can be achieved are through more targeted advertising, better use of your customer database and more efficient management of stock. 

There seems to have been a steady stream of activity within Defra and associated bodies during 2008, particularly in the context of seeking to improve the energy-efficiency of products as well as what is being called "actions to improve the environmental performance of products and their supply chains".

Mark Nicholson, trade marketing manager of Digital UK, says the digital switchover is: "Going well. The first switchover in Whitehaven, Cumbria [October 2007] was a success, but we have much bigger challenges ahead. Scottish Borders will be the first major transmitter area to switch in November this year. Then 2009 will be a particularly busy year, culminating in Granada switching to digital on a single night. We're making sure there is support in place for people who need it, including those who don't qualify for the Switchover Help Scheme. And, of course, our information campaign continues, to consumers as well as retailers."

What are the benefits of cross selling to your business? Simply, it brings monetary rewards and positive affirmations about your customer service.

Marketers in all industry sectors are well aware that the uniformed society as we knew it is long gone. Modern consumer markets are finely segmented in response to people's changing needs.

For some time now, the heating market has been governed by one specific issue - just how cold and miserable a winter are we likely to have and can we capitalise on that in sales.

Energy efficiency is key with the Homeflame Harmony gas fire range from Valor. The range has an energy efficiency rating of 89% and Valor claims it is the most efficient deep-bed fire on the market. Heat output is 4kW. The Homeflame Harmony range was voted ‘Fire of the Year 2007' by registered Corgi installers.

Heat Electric's ‘Easy Heat' radiators comprise a built-in boiler, pump and thermostat transforming each product into a virtual self-contained central heating system. The Easy Heat is wall mounted on brackets and plugs into any 13amp socket - no pipework needed.

Dimplex is justifiably proud of its new Opti-myst flame effect technology, appearing in four models launching this autumn. The patented technology gives it flickering flames and a swirling smoke effect. It features a fully variable flame, smoke intensity controller and ‘optiglo' glowing log. The ‘shimmering' ash bed is lit by long life Xenon bulbs ensuring it's virtually maintenance-free.

The Metropolis range from De'Longhi, which includes focal point fires and oil filled radiators, is finished in a distinctive matt gun-metal finish. The use of wood and metals in interior design is echoed in heating products and has proved particularly popular during the last year.

According to the latest GfK NOP Index, consumer confidence has plummeted to an all-time low, as concerns over the economy and personal finances take a real hold. The measure dropped a further five points in July, down to -39, the lowest level since records began in 1974.