Alan Wolf

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Philadelphia Face-Off

Last month TWICE reported that Sixth Avenue Electronics will be opening its first Pennsylvania showroom in May. Turns out it’s spitting distance from one of Bob Cole’s two World Wide Stereo stores. In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer , Cole, a former psychologist and current president of the Home Entertainment Source (HES) buying group, expressed both confidence... More

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Would You Like An LCD With That Washer?

I’m no merchandise manager, but I’ve often wondered why manufacturers with more than one core competency don’t do more to leverage their multi-category strengths with retailers — and why dealers don’t take better advantage of same.   I’m not just talking about bundling Blu-ray players with TVs or cameras with PCs; those are obvious adjuncts.... More

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Tweeter Employees Weren’t ‘WARNed’

There’s a federal statute (the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act , or WARN) that requires employers to give workers two month’s notice before a mass layoff or plant closing, and two month’s pay and benefits following termination. For the 180 or so staff members at Tweeter headquarters who received their pink slips last week, that apparently didn’t... More

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Don't Panic! Nationwide’s Survival Guide

Despite diminishing expectations for the holiday selling season, independent dealers need to resist the inclination to pull the covers over their heads and hope for the best.   If anything, “Independents need to go after customers in a more aggressive manner than ever before,” insisted Robert Weisner, executive VP of the $11 billion Nationwide Marketing Group. That... More

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Here Comes The Pain Again

Batten down the hatches, we may be in for some rough seas, and not just from Hurricane Ike.   An oversupply of LCD panels due to slower consumer spending could lead to some scary post-Halloween promotions by manufacturers and retailers alike.   Despite sworn oaths to never repeat the discount follies of Holiday 2006 — which short-circuited Circuit City and left Tweeter... More