By Alexey Fedorenko @ Shutterstock.com
In The Robin Report, Mark Faithfull describes the new strategy rollout by Bang & Olufsen for selling premium audio and television products in a luxury setting, as exemplified by the company’s new store in London. Faithfull writes:
In December 2023 Bang & Olufsen opened the doors to its new flagship concept on London’s upscale New Bond Street. More than showcasing the brand’s full range of high-performance speakers, headsets, and televisions, the new flagship store has been reimagined as an immersive, luxury shopping experience. It’s one that will be replicated as it rolls out the concept globally to major cities and aims to set itself apart from its technology rivals.
“We want to break away from competing within the black-and-white plastic technology space and build on our own strengths,” says CEO Kristian Teär. “We want to communicate the past with our heritage and technical knowhow but our direction forward is much clearer, to celebrate this concept of luxury, timeless technology.”
Bang & Olufsen Goes Luxury
There’s plenty to say about the three-story Bang & Olufsen London flagship, which covers all the bases of a premium-priced audio and visual brand that has long been renowned for its extreme engineering and minimalist Danish design aesthetic. Its new store takes the brand up a notch aligned with the luxury market.
Kristian Teär, CEO of Bang & Olufsen, says its new brand message is more akin to the luxury watch market than the latest Sony or Samsung showrooms. And its flagship fits right in on a street dripping with designer luxury.
The company says its new approach is predicated on four awareness pillars: cultural, creative, design, and human-centredness. Making the most of its Scandinavian heritage, Bang & Olufsen wants you to know that its exquisitely designed products are investments forever.
The store resonates luxury across its 4,000-square-foot footprint. The first floor showcases B&O’s range of luxury products against a spare Scandinavian backdrop of natural finishes and blonde curved wooden panels. Ceilings throughout are covered in a special acoustic material to make the sound experience as good as it looks.
The lower ground floor has been designed as a “sensorium” (their word, not mine) for the “ultimate sound experience,” with reflective metallic walls and pink carpeting which leads to a closed door to private demonstrations.
The second floor with handmade furniture and a high design tiled bar showcases Bang & Olufsen’s specialist finishes and its refurbishment program, which aims to make its products last forever. It will also be used as an events and demonstration space.
As an upscale store on London’s most upscale shopping street, Bang & Olufsen also intends to integrate local artists into the store similar to the specially commissioned furniture by London artist James Shaw that doubles as seating to inspire customers to contemplate emptying their bank accounts.
Read more here.
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