back to article 16 Sony Centres jump the tracks, liquidator hits the brakes

RSM Tenon has been appointed to liquidate a batch of 16 Sony Centres that ran into insurmountable financial difficulties. The franchises operated by Bascam and Headsun, which formerly traded as Shasonic UK and Shasonic Centres respectively, were formally placed into administration on 21 February with RSM handling affairs. A …

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  1. MJI Silver badge

    Lost a few round here too

    All ran by the same company.

    The Home Cinema shop closed, Sony Centre closed. All we have now is Comet & Currys

    1. LarsG

      Re: Lost a few round here too

      Expensive compared to online, I saved £150 buying a Sony HD recorder online rather than in the shop.

      I did look at it in the shop though, same model same make just cheaper.

      They need to be competitive.

      Sad though to see so many shops close.

      1. The Wegie

        Re: Lost a few round here too

        Yup, here too. And if you can't keep a Sony Centre running in Richmond upon Thames, there's really no hope.

        As an example of how expensive the Sony Centres are, though. I just bought a 26" Bravia (don't laugh! It's the only bloody flatscreen that fits in the the space of our book shelves once I've taken out a shelf) from John Lewis online because it was seventy quid cheaper than the Sony Centre in Kingston. Somehow I suspect the Kingston franchise will be joining the Richmond one in the very near future.

      2. MJI Silver badge

        Re: Lost a few round here too

        They were open to deals though.

        Got enough bits to make it worth buying a 46" W series TV from them.

  2. dotdavid
    Meh

    Not surprising

    They were pretty expensive shops. And the Hertfordshire one mentioned was in Stevenage; not known as an area with a demographic who enjoy shopping in expensive shops, although granted some of the surrounding Hertfordshire countryside may have had one or two potential punters.

    1. MJI Silver badge
      Unhappy

      Re: Not surprising

      I have had price matching and discounts.

      Got £25 off a very difficult to find AV receiver which had just got ***** reviews in the Home Cinema press. Not a Sony Centre but a Sony stockist who became Sony Centre a few years later - same chain which went bump recently near me.

      £100 off a Mini Disc player, when still popular.

      My main source of Pro-X L500 video tapes, (used then in my portable and home VCRs).

      R.I.P. Robbs

  3. asdf
    FAIL

    more proof

    Who says the demand for Sony products had anything to do this? Its just a coincidence that the demand for their products has been so low they have lost billion for the last five years in a row and their retailers are failing.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Not just Sony...

    I noticed on Saturday that the Panasonic outlet shop in MIlton Keynes centre was also closed down, and had a "Shasonic" notice taped to the window...

    1. Mark 65

      Re: Not just Sony...

      Fact of life really. Why would you want to limit yourself to selling only one brand? There'd have to be discounts and exclusive products to even consider it and we know that in the EU that can't happen so it'll happen more and more.

      1. MJI Silver badge

        Re: Re :Not just Sony...

        Single brand, but the alternatives were Comet & Currys - sorry that is not good.

        I remember TV shopping locally a few years ago.

        Home Cinema shop was still open, Pioneer plasma TVs were too expensive for me, Currys and Comet - well would you? Didn't see anything that good anyway (still good to see the TVs).

        Sony Centre - had all the 46" TVs set up and running, as per expectations W series was best picture for the price.

        Saw a lot of TVs and the only one I thought similar in quality was an expensive Pioneer Plasma TV.

        I forgot there was one other place, an Antics, they also had a few big TVs set up, again Sony W series was best, better that Currys/Comet, but their stocks are different all of the time.

        Yes ended up at the Sony Centre, NOT because it was Sony, but because it was a local company, friendly service, price matched, and had W series Sony LCD TVs. Most importantly NOT MAIL ORDER, which for a TV and the ability to deal direct if you get dead/stuck pixels is essential - I got a panel with no faults.

        ----------------------------------------------

        For all the people wondering about this. When Sony used letters STVWX ect, they were in quality bands.

        Cheap panel - no toys (S) (for ages not even full HD)

        Cheap panel - with more toys (V) (for ages not even full HD)

        Top end panel - not too many toys (W) (always were 1080p)

        Top end panel - loads of toys (X)

        So if you forgo a few toys you got their best panel for a decent price, was like that all the time Sony did letters, the enthuiasts with limited pockets bought W series. The great unwashed thinking they were buying a quality product bought S series (mugs), the rich people bought X series. But then due to lower sales were often a generation behind the W series.

        As to picture - shove BluRay through and the difference between the S and W series was shocking. People who hate Sony would say why pay that much for a TV with the S Series (just buy a Samsung then - they were same panels at the time). People who liked them or neutral would mention the W TVs.

        And I agree with the lot of them, the cheap LCDs were over priced, the mid range good panels were excellent.

        I can definately see me going Internet and hoping for no dead pixels on my next TV.

        Sorry if anyone is bored.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    One in St Albans Gone Too

    I find it rather funny that RSM Tenon are brought in as administrators when they look like they are going the same way too ;)

  6. MJI Silver badge

    Those sort of shops

    Most I have bought from gone bump or gone crap.

    My old HiFi speakers* - gone bump - was a national chain I think with good quality gear.

    Centre speaker - the afore mentioned Home Cinema shop.

    My new HiFi speakers - now downgraded to a Bose shit shop.

    The speaker manufacturer - gone bump and resurrected as a cheapo Chinese brand, rather than craftmen made in Skipton.

    * now are rears

    1. MJI Silver badge

      Re: Those sort of shops

      Yesterday - seen another one shut - camera shp as well.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    Local success story

    Our local one closed a few years back and an indie opened in it's place. Seems to be trading successfully as well so it makes you wonder what the Sony Centre was doing wrong.

    Paris because she offers "good service" as well.

    1. MJI Silver badge

      Re: Local success story

      Indies

      We need a few now, there is one about 12 miles away.

  8. Jay 2
    Meh

    Shops lacking kit, with big prices

    Whilst looking for a new amp recently I popped into a few Sony Centres, and they now seem to be rather heavily slanted toward TVs, fondleslabs and not much else. Not that I was thinking of buying from there, just wanted a look at the kit. Purchased from Richer Sounds in the end for £150 under the Sony list (web) price.

    In the past I'd managed to haggle a deal at the Sony Centre on TCR (one of the Shasonic ones) when buying a TV and DVD/HDD. Though at that point I was walking up/down taking notes on who could offer what, and ended up buying from Ask opposite in the end.

    Have purchased from the actual Shasonic shop itself a few times, I wonder if that is going under. Likewise a Sony Centre opened in Wimbledon a few months back, I also wonder if that is one is on the way out. Strangely w-a-y back in 1996 there used to be a Sony Centre in Wimbledon, but that closed down some time after. Maybe someone thought if Stormfront (Apple reseller/specialist.whatever) could sell shiny kit there, Sony could too?

    1. MJI Silver badge

      Re: Shops lacking kit, with big prices

      Amps

      I could do with a new one, and you know what, they are now all plasticy light weight things, looks like the £500 market has collapsed. Will tehy last like my old one?

      I think it means I have to go up rather than sideways, just because I want the latest high def codecs my 12 year old amp doesn't do.

      BTW the plasticy light weight included a LOT of brands!

  9. terry 1
    Unhappy

    profit of £116,000 in the previous twelve months, on sales of £12.1m

    That is a tiny margin and not surprising that they are closing. But as LarsG said, you can get cheaper online so I would imagine they kept cutting the margins to pennies per sale until there was nothing left other than give it away.

    I guess thats the problem these days is there's no profitability in anything as consumers demand cheaper goods because their income in diminishing, but then when the employers go out of business due to unstainabilitiy then more people become unemployed. Its a vicious circle.

  10. Danny 14

    ouch

    less than 1% profit at best. Wow, thats pretty pointless in continuing really.

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