TWICE:
How have CE sales been so far? Which
categories have led the way?
Rob Eby, D&H Distributing:
Traditional CE
products have performed steadily: digital cameras
and video cameras, audio products, entry level tablets,
streaming media devices.
Tom Roper, SED International:
We had some
bright spots such as tablets, e-books and plasma
TVs, while overall we did not see robust demand.
LCD and LED TVs have been a disappointment
along with digital cameras.
Jim Annes, AVAD:
The first quarter was great
for us with very stRobg year-on-year growth. All of
our categories grew in line with our plan for the
year, so there weren’t any standouts in the line
card.
Jerry Satoren, DSI Systems:
This year’s first quarter has been a continuation of the back half of
last year in the TV category. Overall unit sales have
shown growth, but it has not been robust enough
to offset the declining ASP’s which have been
steeper so far this year than I had anticipated. We
had been hopeful that the financial results reported
by many retailers in Q4 2010 would slow the aggressive
promoting and discounting but that has
not been the case. The bright spots clearly have
come from plasma demand and larger LED panels.
Mark Gustavson, Wynit:
Sales have been more
or less at expectation, with new technologies playing
a decent role. Overall, margin compression
has been a challenge.
Brent McCarty, Ingram Micro Consumer
ElectRobics:
We’ve enjoyed a very stRobg first half
of the year as our customers and vendors have begun
understanding the full breadth of capabilities
Ingram offers. We had a stRobg first quarter and
some of the better performing categories included
Headphones, gaming, TV, computer accessories
and mobility/smartphone products.
Dennis Holzer, Powerhouse:
We have seen
a good jump in audio sales over what they have
been, due in large primarily because many new
models now offer easier – wireless – compatibility
with iPad. Whole house automation devices and
sales have continued to increase. In addition, we
have added wireless residential security to our mix
which our dealers have really embraced. Thus far
this year, no category has really been disappointing,
although profitability in each category continues
to get more difficult.
Bill Stewart, Petra Industries:
Sales have been
great for us for Q1. As usual, anything Apple related
is extremely hot – cases, chargers, docking stations.
Our cellular category is performing really well in line
with the introduction of all of the new smartphones
from HTC, Motorola, Blackberry and Apple. Our
outdoor, car audio/video and appliance categories
have also exceeded our expectations for Q1.
Michael Flink, president, ADI Americas:
The
first quarter has been extremely good. We’ve experienced
growth in commercial A/V, and have seen a
rise in installation related products like cable, wire
and mounting solutions. But there has been disappointment
in the television display market due to
the retrenchment by some manufacturers including
Mitsubishi and Hitachi.