JB Hi Fi is set to replace Yamaha with JBL and Harman Kardon after the Japanese Hi Fi Company had a falling out with the mass retailer.
Convoy who already supplies JB Hi Fi with Bowers and Wilkins and Monster products will now supply a range of high end audio equipment to the mass retailer who is currently expanding their Hi Fi offering, the range includes sound bars and audio receivers similar to what Yamaha use to sell into the mass retailer prior to being kicked out after the Japanese Company reneged on an agreement to supply music instruments to the mass retailer.
The two new Convoy Hi Fi brands will be stocked in JB HI-FI stores nationally from September this year. These include an exclusive range of Harman Kardon receivers, as well as JBL home theatre packages and Soundbars from both brands.
Management at Convoy who has been shipping five container loads of products a day for the past two weeks to JB Hi Fi stores believes that their new range of sound products will appeal to Australian consumers.
They said that the JBL and Harman Kardon partnership with JB Hi-Fi is a natural fit and comes after the retailer’s agreement with Yamaha came to an end earlier this year.
Convoy has been instrumental in the recent growth of both brands in Australia, in particular JBL, investing in huge marketing and PR support behind the American audio electronics company.
Convoy has further plans to raise JBL’s profile to become the market leader in the next 12 months said the CEO of Convoy, Geoff Matthews.
The CEO of JB Hi-Fi Terry Smart said “We have been seeking new avenues to promote music to the mass market in order to contribute to the growth of our industry and Convoy was best able to understand our vision. The Harman Kardon and JBL product ranges are not only fantastic quality, they offer outstanding value for money for consumers and we’re confident this partnership will allow us to attract new customers to the specialist channel”.
Mathews said that several new products are currently being shipped to JB Hi Fi they include the AVR171, AVR161 and AVR151 which feature the brand’s iconic styling and delivers high quality sound reproduction they also deliver power saving with new GreenEdge technology built into the new products.
In addition to these, JB Hi-Fi will also stock a range of exclusive and specially-formed Harman Kardon and JBL home theatre packages including the MTS4000, MTS3000, MTS2000 and MTS500, plus five Harman Kardon and JBL Soundbars the SB30, SB16, SB400 and SB200.
“Obviously this is big news for the industry and really exciting for everyone involved. Harman Kardon launched the world’s first audio receiver in 1953 and the first stereo receiver in 1958, while JBL is one of the world’s oldest speaker brands. To have two iconic brands come together to fill a gap in the market like this is fantastic. We’re really excited about the partnership and look forward to many successful years working together.”
