Believe it or not disc players in general were not selling well and many have left the market. Long before COVID hit.
What In The World Is Going On?
Recently, I’ve been shopping on-line for CD and network players and it seems no matter where I look, almost everything is out of stock. Some items have an "expected by" date but many do not. What is going on? I’ve never seen a situation like this. I suppose the pandemic plays a role, but I think there must be more to it. Onkyo and Pioneer seem to have practically disappeared from the market. I know there have been buy-out talk concerning Sound United, Pioneer and Onkyo, but I don’t know the current status. Anyone up on the situation?
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From Wikipedia: In March 2015, Onkyo purchased Pioneer Corporation's Home Electronics Corporation, which produces home cinema amplifiers, Blu-ray players and other AV products. In return, Pioneer took a 14.95% stake in Onkyo. The Ohtsuki family remained the largest shareholders of the company with an approximately 26% stake,[1] just above Gibson Brands, with a 16.5% stake.[3] With the bankruptcy of Gibson in 2018, Onkyo's shares held by Gibson were sold, as the company itself reported.[4] In the summer of 2020, major US retailers Amazon and Best Buy discontinued sales of Onkyo products. A call to Onkyo USA's customer service line indicated the number is no longer in service. Distribution of Onkyo, Pioneer, Integra and Elite products has changed hands from Onkyo USA to 11 Trading Company. There's always plenty of backstory to these situations.Technics turntables are selling like hotcakes yet some models are backlogged by months. I wonder why... |
The last thing any retailer wants is to head into a recession (depression?) with a warehouse full of merchandise. So the whole supply chain begins to shut down. The major hi-end retailer in my town has a nice online catalogue that shows almost nothing in stock. As an experienced audiophile retailer, I recommend everyone adjust in their own way to the new way of doing business. Direct to the end user makes a lot of sense when the "looking" can be done most effectively online. Let UPS do the walking. |
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