Bang & Olufsen released its annual report last Friday, showing a loss of 212 million DKK before taxes. B&O also revealed that they will kill off a range of products, with BeoVision 10, BeoVision 7 and BeoVision 4 being first in line.
BeoVision 10, 7 and 4 are no more
Bang & Olufsen is killing off products in a goal to focus on its more recent and modern TV lines and new products coming in within the next 12 to 18 months that have not yet been announced.
The iconic BeoVision 7 will no longer be sold
The first product line being discontinued is the iconic BeoVision 7 that has been available for many years with updates along the way. BeoVision 7-55 was one of the last LCD TVs with backlit LED and full local dimming on the market but Samsung recently stopped production of these particular panels.
BeoVision 10 has been discontinued and replaced by BeoVision 11 with the same design and upgraded internals
B&O is also discontinuing the modern classic BeoVision 10, which comes as no big surprise as it has already been replaced by the BeoVision 11 that carries the same design but has improved internals and a Smart TV platform.
The BeoVision 4 range with the gigantic 103-inch TV is dead
Lastly, B&O has discontinued the BeoVision 4 line that was first launched in 2004. It is probably best remembered due to the gigantic 85-inch and 103–inch TVs. BeoVision 4 was a plasma TV range but B&O has instead launched the new BeoVision 12, which is also a plasma series that has just been updated.
B&O confirms that even more model ranges will be discontinued in the near future and gives the following statement in its annual report:
Bang & Olufsen has decided to carry out an extraordinary termination of a number of older, nonproductive products across all product segments in the first quarter of the 2013/14 financial year. This initiative will significantly reduce complexity and rejuvenate and strengthen the product portfolio. The write down of inventory related to this impacted the gross margin negatively by DKK 22 million in the fourth quarter of the 2012/13 financial year.
B&O recently introduced its new brand with products in lower price ranges called B&O Play. The B&O Play brand sells the cheaper BeoPlay V1 TV and a range of audio products. B&O Play revenue reached around 532 million DKK this fiscal year.
- Source: B&O annual report 2012/12 and EPN
Bang & Olufsen kills the BeoVision 10, 7 & 4 TVs
