Las Vegas – Luxury
A/V brand Bang & Olufsen revealed the name of a new sister brand, called
B&O Play, and unveiled the subbrand’s first product, a portable AC/DC
AirPlay speaker priced at $799
The company
developed the subbrand to expand its customer base to a younger demographic through
more affordable portable A/V products that offer broader appeal than Bang &
Olufsen’s core A/V products. Distribution will be through Bang &
Olufsen-branded store, but the company also plans to expand distribution to retail
outlets such as high-end department stores.
Select Bang
& Olufsen products such as headphones and a docking speaker were previously
available through select Apple stores and Apple’s on-line stores, and the new
AirPlay speaker, called the BeoLit 12 portable speaker, will be available
through those Apple outlets.
Additional
B&O Play products will be rolled out throughout 2012, including lower
priced portable speakers.
The subbrand
will focus on four product categories: tabletop docking speakers, portable
speakers, headphones, and smaller size 32- to 46-inch TVs that require no
custom installation or setup services, said Zean Nielsen, president of Bang
& Olufsen America.
Both the
BB&O Play and Bang & Olufsen brands will share a focus on design, performance, craftsmanship, and
ease of use, but the new brand carry a playful, outgoing, vigorous connotation,
whereas the original brand connotes confident, subtley, and perfection, said
Henrik Taudorf Lorensen, VP of B&O Play.
The new brand
will expose more consumers to the Bang & Olufsen name with an eye toward
eventually enticing them to the original brand for larger purchases, he said.
The BeoLit 12
with leather carry strap delivers 120-watt output through a 2.1 speaker system,
features USB connection to iPods, iPhones and iPads, and comes with aux in to
plug in other portable audio sources.
