As trading conditions are getting tougher, retra has launched a new initiative facilitating the cooperation between the independent sector and its manufacturing partners. It comes in the form of an associate members pack which outlines ways in which suppliers can work more closely with the independent trade. The association believes such a step to be crucial for the survival of many smaller retailers and to the long-term prosperity of the industry. 

Roberts has joined hands with retra to trial a free disposable battery recycling scheme in 21 UK towns and cities.

Armour Home, AV manufacturer and distributor, has been awarded the ‘Best Trading Partner' accolade for the UK home cinema and custom installation industry, according to the Plimsoll Publishing survey which analysed the performance and financial health of 326 companies in the sector.

This year's Berlin-based IFA consumer electronics show was the biggest yet, with 10% more exhibitors than last year, along with a record attendance of 220,000.

Ebac plans to launch a new commission-based scheme for independent retailers who stock Ebac refrigeration products. Under the new scheme, retailers will be paid a commission when customers in their local area make a purchase directly from Ebac's website.

The trading performance of DSG International is under intense scrutiny as its like-for-like sales declined in all areas of the business, with a fall of 7% recorded across the whole company, which compares with an increase of 6% during the same period last year.

Domestic & General has appointed a dedicated international MD, Jonathan Grisdale. Jonathan has extensive financial services experience having spent twelve years with Cendant.

With the recent news about the collapses of giant financial institutions and the media reporting new casualties every day, it is difficult to think about anything else but recession. Preparing for hard times by tightening the belt as much as possible is what every prudent organisation is doing at present. However, for an independent electrical retailer not all retrenchment measures are sound.

Seven staff from the Indesit Company marketing department got out their bikes on Sunday 7 September in aid of Hotpoint's charity partner ChildLine. The team undertook a 23 mile bike ride around Rutland Water, near Peterborough to raise over £600 for ChildLine.  The money they raised will help ChildLine to answer around 200 calls from children across the country.

Environment-friendly solutions without compromise for design and convenience - this is how LG wishes to present its latest products to the customer.

JVC has entered the Blu-ray market with the introduction of a 2.1 channel Blu-ray system. The NX-BD3 is part of the maker's collection of Sophisti sound systems and according to JVC, it's the world's first DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) enabled Blu-ray system, so it can be used for a wireless home network.

Epson is focusing on the home cinema market, with the launch of a new range of projectors.

Apple's fourth generation iPod nano is its thinnest iPod yet and is offered in nine striking colours.

Green consumers will welcome the introd-uction of Roberts Radio's new energy-saving range.

Hoover's latest range of cleaners features Airvolution technology - a new separation system.

The Ecolectric Collection from Morphy Richards is the first energy-saving small appliances range, claims the maker.

Radiopaq, the brand which offers thousands of Internet radio stations and podcasts, has introduced the Rp5 Internet radio.

The Dual V is one of the first of a new generation of Vax carpet washers boasting patented Air Path technology, designed to deliver consistent suction across the width of the floor nozzle.

With the recent introduction of Freesat in the UK, the demand for HD-compatible aerials is increasing and the SelfSat H21D is one such product.

This year's IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin saw a record attendance, managing to draw 1,245 exhibitors from 63 countries, as well as trade visitors from 126 countries.

This brand new range of TVs from Toshiba is the first to offer the manufacturer's integrated upscaling Resolution+ technology which is designed to up-convert standard definition broadcasts to near-HD quality.

Panasonic unveiled the very first European Blu-ray recorder - the DMR-BW500 - although the new player will not be available in the UK.  However, it's a good indicator of what Panasonic may be planning for the future.

Among the innovative TV panels that Sony introduced at IFA was the world's slimmest LCD TV, measuring just 9.9mm deep. The 40in screen hits UK shops in December and boasts wireless HD.

Recent figures from the BRC reveal that sales of electrical goods were down for the last four months out of five.  This clearly represents a testing trading period for retailers.  The electrical sector is being squeezed by rising costs on the one hand and spiralling price depreciation on the other.

As 'The Time to Change' campaign celebrates its first anniversary, Douglas Herbison, Amdea's Chief Executive,  looks back at what has been achieved over the past 12 months.

The home cinema market has undergone something of a revival over the past year or so. That's not to say that we are seeing a return to the heady days of home cinema when systems were flying off the shop shelves, but the recent downward trend in sales has shown signs of being reversed.

Dubbed a "Blu-ray Network Media System," the NX-BD3 is a Blu-ray Disc home cinema system that also plays a wide range of DVD and CD disc formats. It's also compliant with the Digital Living Network Alliance, an industry standard that allows different products from different manufacturers to share digital music, movies and photos.

A multi-room audio system with a wireless speaker station and an 80GB hard disk drive Giga Juke server that can store up to 40,000 songs. It rips CDs at 16x speed, so converting your CD collection to MP3 files won't take forever.

This iPod docking audio system is designed for a wide range of iPods including, those with video playback. An iPod can be positioned in portrait mode for regular music listening or landscape mode for video viewing, and there's an option of table- or wall- mounting.

Not all home cinema systems consist of lots of boxes and cables. The HT-X810 offers a neat solution to the home cinema fan who doesn't like clutter. The two-piece system consists of a main unit and wireless sub-woofer.

It was clear that in spite of difficult trading conditions in the market, both manufacturers and retailers consider the CIH trade show as an important place for doing business. "A significant feature of this year's show is how enthusiastic the members are.

The 1st July 2007 will be forever etched in the memory of everyone connected with the implementation of the WEEE Regulations. At first glance, the process appeared to be fairly simple. Producers needed to select and register with a Producer Compliance Scheme (PCS). Local authorities needed to sign up their sites to become Designated Collection Facilities (DCFs) and then select a PCS to collect WEEE from each of their DCFs. Meanwhile retailers either needed to join the Distributor Take-back Scheme, or offer their own free in store take back of WEEE.

Yamaha Music UK, the UK arm of Yamaha Music, one of the world's largest producers of musical instruments and professional commercial audio products, has merged with Yamaha Electronics (UK) Ltd. The AV & Hi-Fi product categories will become the fourth Sales & Marketing Division within Yamaha Music UK Ltd based at the company's headquarters in Milton Keynes.

Every good retailer knows only too well that add-on sales are an invaluable revenue stream and that it's well worth stocking a comprehensive range of accessories.

The July issue of IER featured a profile of Forbes Direct, the UK's largest independent rental company. Many small dealers have long since abandoned rental, but it's a very good earner if you can get and retain the customers.