Following a trip to Japan in March Pioneer Australia Managing Director Yasuo Sakuma has been undertaking a major review of the Australian operation which has struggled in the plasma TV market due pricing and distribution issues.
While it is not known whether there will be layoffs it is known that the Company is looking at the possibility of Pioneer branded retail shop that will sell vision, sound navigation and car entertainment products. A spoksperson for Pioneer Australia said "We are going to be making a major announcement soon re the Australian operation. We do not know whether their will be layoffs. We doubt it. It is going to be more about the restructure of the business going forward" they said.
During a recent interview with ChannelNews and SmartHouse Yasuo Sakuma said that he wanted to position Pioneer as a premium brand and that the Company did not want to compete in the "mass or bottom end" TV and home entertainment market.
Due to the withdrawal of both Hitachi and Fujitsu from the Australian market and the decision by Loewe to cease distribution in Australia retail analysts have said that a big opportunity exists for Pioneer to become a major supplier in the specialist market while also working with selected retailers to develop a Pioneer shop within a shop strategy that will allow them to position their products which include high end 2 channel audio, home theatre systems and display as a premium brand.
