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Trade News Trade News Briefs Record numbers of Brits will be taking tablets this Christmas, with the iPad topping the wish-list for the second successive year Dixons Retail has published its annual Christmas Top 10 wish list, as it reveals 1 in 5 consumers are looking to bag their Christmas gifts three months earlier than usual1. The unusually early rush is being driven by high demand for tablets, as well as budgeting considerations. Apple’s all-conquering iPad is going to be the most sought-after gift again this Christmas, one of three tablets featured in the wish list, reflecting the popularity of this relatively new category. Blackberry’s Playbook, which hit shelves in June and Sony’s Playstation Tablet, due for launch in autumn, both feature in the list at numbers five and seven respectively. TCL Signs Landmark Deals in Italy to Boost European Presence TCL Corporation, one of China’s largest consumer electronics manufacturers, has signed a series of business contracts worth a total of EUR 300-million with Italian manufacturers and distribution partners, covering color TVs, mobile phones, and home appliances. The contracts were signed at a business conference convened in June in honor of visiting Guangdong government and business leaders. Pixmania signs agreement with Carrefour Dixons Retail plc, one of Europe’s largest specialist electrical retailing and services companies, today announces that Pixmania has signed an agreement with Carrefour to develop its non-food internet offer. Under this agreement, Pixmania, one of Europe's leading pure play multispecialist etailers, will deliver a multichannel website in a number of European countries for Carrefour's non-food offer, utlilising its marketleading ‘E-merchant’ platform. Together We’re Stronger! European Home Appliance manufacturers group together with the “Pro Business” initiative Home Appliances @ IFA 2011 in Berlin will once again be the worldwide focus of the home appliance industry, and 15 European brands of the Pro Business initiative will be exhibiting their small electronic appliances. Aimed at the European market, the member companies of this initiative will be presenting over 200 products in lifestyle, wellness, and smart technologies, featuring innovative designs and high user-friendliness, covering a record total area of over 3,400 m² in Halls 2.1 + 4.1 + 6.1, as well as in the corridor area between Halls 2.1 and 4.1. Pro Business is a marketing initiative of European electronic home appliance brands. According to the organisation’s CEO, Heinz Werner Ochs: “Member companies of Pro Business have participated in IFA since 2008, and the event draws a huge worldwide audience, as well as being an important by Richard Barnes source of orders from both national and international dealers. By having a high profile presence at IFA, Pro Business member companies get an unprecedented opportunity to showcase their innovations and present their product highlights at the optimum moment, the start of Christmas season pre-orders." For Pro Business, the 2011 event is a “festival of novelties”, where visitors have a chance to experience the full force of the marketing power of these renowned suppliers of small electronic appliances, as the companies present their innovations in ever more remarkable ways and demonstrate their functionality. Pro Business looks forward to welcoming IFA visitors to the exhibition stands of the following member companies: Beurer, Dyson, Fakir, Glen Dimplex, Graef, Jura, Kärcher, LauraStar, Melitta Haushaltsprodukte, N i v o n a , R i t t e r w e r k , Rommelsbacher, Steba, Severin and Thomas. THE DEAL MAKERS Three Austrian buyers tell IFA International what they are hoping to find at IFA Berlin this year... HiFi Video Majdic Hannes Majdic, CEO What is your reason for coming to IFA? The reason is that the IFA is the most important exhibition of the consumer electronics industry at the moment. What new innovations are you purchasing at the moment? OLED-TV, glasses-free 3D displays How important is IFA for you? It’s an annual highlight of the industry, in a technical sense as well as a social one. Hartlauer Handesgesellschaft Michael Stalzer, Product Manager Electronics How has sustainable development been affecting your buying decisions? In our fast paced world it is extremely important to work with partners who continuously develop and work on their products. In our ever-more complex world, it is especially important to make operation, installation, inter-connection, and so on, as easy as possible for our customers. This is calls for action both on the sides of the trade and the industry. How important is IFA for you? As an information platform, the IFA is extremely important to us. Schuss Home Electronics Erich Schmidt, CEO What is your reason for coming to IFA? Primarily, we come to meet up with our suppliers and trade partners. How has sustainable development been affecting your buying decisions? This is an extremely important factor, seeing as products in many consumer electronics categories such as TV can only stand out with innovative and sustainable features. What new innovations are you purchasing at the moment? Products from the area of LCD and LED TVs, glasses-free 3D TVs www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 29 th August 2011 41
