German audio brand Sonoro has relaunched in the UK.
The company, which specialises in all-in-one, lifestyle, tabletop CD and DAB products aimed at the mid to premium sectors, claims to be the market leader in connected home audio systems in Germany.
It has set up a UK subsidiary office in Nottingham, with a showroom, sales department, technical support, logistics and administration.
It has also appointed a new team, including consultant Neil Drain, who was a former managing director of Vivanco, and Leon Tomasevic, Sonoro’s international sales director.
The brand has been available in the UK for the past few years, but will be extending its existing customer network to offer nationwide coverage.
Its product range includes the Sonoro CD2 audio system, which has been designed in conjunction with sleep specialists and features a number of preprogrammed relaxation and meditation soundtracks, as well as Smart Light Automation technology, to create ambience for the bedroom.
Among the other products available are the SonoroRadio alarm clock, a high-end music system called the SonoroHi-Fi, the SonoroStereo 2 sound system (pictured) with digital radio, CD and Bluetooth streaming, and the SonoroGo London – a portable DAB+digital radio that is designed for use in the kitchen or outdoors, which has a battery-powered option and comes with a washable outer sleeve that’s available in a wide range of colours.
An additional product, the SonoroStream – a digital and internet radio with Bluetooth streaming – will launch this summer.
Sonoro was founded in 2005 by Marcell Faller, who is the chief executive of the company.
Based in Neuss, Germany, the brand has won several major design awards for its products.
Said Mr Tomasevic: “We are delighted to have Neil Drain on board to implement a strategic marketing policy for our new generation of products. German engineering is highly regarded the world over and we are confident that true audiophiles will really appreciate and embrace this philosophy and will love the Sonoro products.”
He added: “We’re here to do it properly in the UK and next we have to transmit our message and support our dealers in a way in which they deserve to be supported. We’re 100 per cent focused on independents and specialists – that’s where we want to cut our teeth. We’ve got about 30 to 35 independents that we’re successfully working with.”
Commenting on his appointment, Mr Drain said: “The Sonoro products, with their unique features and fantastic colour range offer proactive retailers a great opportunity to create some theatre in-store and stimulate interest from consumers looking for something totally different.
“We all know that the specialist retailers and the independents who are going to survive for the next 10 years and beyond are the ones who are able to offer theatre in-store.”
He added: “At the same time, Sonoro is offering excellent margin to their stockists and a service and support set-up that’s second to none.
“We don’t want to flood the market – we’ve got a very logical business plan and we want a key partner in every major town.”
• For more on Sonoro, see the May issue of ERT
