TV TEST testy telewizorów
O kłopotach znanej niemieckiej firmy Loewe pisaliśmy już tutaj. Tym razem mamy dobrą wiadomość: Loewe i Hisense (producent telewizorów z Chin) osiągnęły 31 lipca br. porozumienie w sprawie zawarcia strategicznego sojuszu. Według serwisu evertiq :
Współpraca ma umożliwić Loewe wejście do niższego niż dotychczas segmentu odbiorników TV. Hisense ma też udostępnić Loewe długoterminowy dostęp do najnowszych technologii produkcji paneli oraz dostęp do atrakcyjnego rynku chińskiego.
oraz
Z kolei Loewe zaoferuje Hisense dostęp do rozbudowanej sieci dystrybucji w Zachodniej Europie (w szczególności w niemieckojęzycznejczęści Europy i w krajach Beneluxu). Inną korzyścią dla Hisense jest też możliwość skorzystania z opracowanego przez Loewe oprogramowania, umożliwiającego wiele innowacyjnych funkcjonalności odbiorników TV, takich jak multimedia czy Internet.
Więcej informacji w oficjalnym komunikacie Loewe poniżej (w języku angielskim).
komunikat prasowy
31.07.2013
Loewe and Hisense Agree on Strategic Partnership
– Synergies in purchasing, production, development, and sales
– Reinforcement of entry-level premium segment
– Expansion of sales
– Capital increase planned
Kronach, July 31, 2013 – Loewe AG, Kronach, Germany, and the Hisense International Co., Ltd., Qingdao, China, today agreed on a joint strategic partnership. The executive boards of both companies have signed an extensive partnership agreement in this context. Loewe’s Executive Board will report on at today’s annual shareholders’ meeting.
The objective of the strategic partnership with Hisense, China’s leading manufacturer of consumer electronics with an emphasis on TVs, is to promote shared synergies in purchasing, production, development, and sales. The partnership is meant to enable Loewe to offer more state-of-the-art TVs in the premium brand’s entry level segment in the future. In addition, Hisense will give Loewe long-term access to the latest TV panel technology and attractive markets in China.
The strategic partnership with Hisense is a central milestone in the continued restructuring of Loewe,
said Loewe CEO Matthias Harsch.
Above and beyond consolidating purchasing potentials, Hisense will give us continuous access to the latest fundamental technologies. This will also strengthen our production facility in Kronach, which we will continue to develop for the manufacture of highly individual home entertainment systems.
In return, Loewe is offering Hisense a first-class distribution network in Western Europe, in particular in the German-language markets and the Benelux countries. As a first step, Loewe will take on the exclusive distribution for Hisense in the Austrian test market for the introduction of the latest Ultra-HD technology. In addition, the strategic partnership can give Hisense access to Loewe’s powerful TV software encompassing the entire range of functionalities of state-of-the-art televisions, including all multimedia and Internet applications.
The strategic cooperation between Hisense and Loewe is benefiting both of us and will help us to gain market share in Europe based on advanced technologies like UHD,
says Dr. Lan Lin, Executive Vice Precident, Hisense.
After its negative year-end results for 2012, already reported extensively in the media, the general weakness of the market for LCD TVs in Europe led to a significant decline in Loewe’s sales for the first half of 2013 as well, dropping by 39% to EUR 76.5 million (H1 2012: EUR 125.6 million). Due to a considerable reduction in sales and production volume, Loewe recorded an EBIT loss of EUR 24.2 million (H1 2012: EBIT loss of EUR 2.1 million).
In order to bring the company back on track for a successful future, Loewe is strengthening both its high-end and entry-level premium segments. As part of this strategy, a new television line will be presented at the 2013 IFA. In the audio segment, too, more attractive entry-level solutions will be available in the future, mainly aimed at younger target groups.
Additionally, beyond qualified retail partners new sales channels will be sought, for instance in the technical superstores in Germany and abroad. “Classic retail will remain the preferred mode of distribution since it offers the advantages of sales advisors, presentation, and service,” Matthias Harsch explains. “The classic retail partners will also have access to an exclusive range in the high-end premium segment.”
Another step toward the restructuring of Loewe will be a capital increase involving existing and new investors. This move is meant to strengthen the company’s capital resources. “Our agreements with Hisense have brought us a big step forward in our focus on strategic partnerships,” says Harsch. “In addition to creating the conditions internally, we have now established a solid basis for the ongoing talks with potential investors.”
© TV TEST 2013
