RWST wrote:

1) As a shareholder of the company, I would like to know what you think could be done to increase shareholder value? Is there a need for strategy change, if so, how?

Same here: thankfully just a small ISA holding in my case. The near 90% share price drop since Jan 2007 must have been devastating for longer term major shareholders, who also no longer get what was once a tremendous annual dividend.

Graham

The future of B&O audio will consist in its perception of the cloud-based environment. What will really be the interface B&O wishes to offer to its clients for listening to music taking into account high expectations in terms of quality, design, convenience and price. Personally I believe all mentioned criteria should be met on a high level. This means very nice products, of an excellent production quality, very convenient for wife and kids, and at a really high price. Thus please no entry-level televisions, medium-priced loudspeakers or beosound 4 alikes anymore. We aren't asking Porsche neither to produce cheaper cars, it's like destroying the brand and the pleasure of all current Porsche drivers. Just some thoughts.

Im not sure I agree with Pauliander. Yes people will always buys Porsches but will they spend a fortune on hifi or video? I know from my radio experience as Brand Manager and Marketing Manager that from our research over 97% of young people believe that music is free - download and unlike myself, would not pay to buy off iTunes. When asked, they simply say "Why should I pay when I can get it for free?"

I remember the days when B&O was double the price and not a penny more than top manufacturers (Technics) and this was when B&O made some really, really good products! Let's be honest how many people would spent £17000 on a television? Personally, I think that amount of money is a crime! How many future B&O customers would spend that? I can't think of one. So how could a company like B&O in todays recession survive if that was its' direction? Well, financially it hasn't has it? At the end of the day there is quality and then there is pure greed!

Well, I do. I know that buying such a TV I will have a top quality components, a very good customer service, incredible integration...

Selling the same stuff as Sony/Samsung/etc... is not the future of B&O, it is a dead end. Today you have clearly a market for high end product. It is a small one, I agree with you, but it exists.

You are right about music. People get it free now. I do not enter the legal aspect, but now, the CD is dead and products like Beousound 5 represents an interesting evolution for B&O music system.

It is not rare to have all of our audio/video content in a digital form. Just as an example (not representative, I agree), I have a +30TB NAS which handle all my files. As soon as the Beosound 5 Encore is out, I will get one!

Finally, the questions for the new CEO will be around the future of B&O. What will be the direction ?

sergio

Why do they keep building “dead end” systems which do not connect to the multi-link? B&O might call it a stand alone system and that it is designed to draw the customer to the B&O stores, but all it really does is create a substandard product which is expensive and doesn’t integrate with future purchases, and it discourages the customer from buying more products. It is sort of a bait and switch with the customer dollars.

Are there any plans for a really affordable television? It is a real crime that the best value for the dollar is a used Avant.

Apple? Get on board with this brand and stay there. They have proven that design and reliability can be had a moderately higher price point, and now they are reaping the rewards. Support the Apple products with amazing sound and design and the future of B&O will be assured. And please give us an affordable gateway for the apartment or condo owner which will integrate the iPad or iPhone with the B&O. The price point of $3500 is just to high, and you would capture the imagination of MILLIONS of Apple devotees who could now use the B&O app for their daily lives.

Porsche release their budget model sometime in 2012-13, following in the footsteps of far wealthier and more expensive car manufacturers. Mercedes A Class, Audi A1, BMW 1 series, the new Aston Martin(Toyota Aygo). Get the small business, and the large will be much easier to secure.

I started out in the mid 80's with a "budget" B&O TV. I now have a Beovision 7-40 and 6, Beolab 6000/8000/2/4, Beosound 3 and A8's.

Karla wrote:

Apple? Get on board with this brand and stay there. They have proven that design and reliability can be had a moderately higher price point, and now they are reaping the rewards. Support the Apple products with amazing sound and design and the future of B&O will be assured. And please give us an affordable gateway for the apartment or condo owner which will integrate the iPad or iPhone with the B&O. The price point of $3500 is just to high, and you would capture the imagination of MILLIONS of Apple devotees who could now use the B&O app for their daily lives.

Does the future lie in being dependant from another brand with an incredible closed system? Doesn't sound good to me.

6) When you were CEO at Truimph Motorcycles, a company you revived from almost being dead, you more than doubled its turnover. With now being the CEO of B&O, a company in a far better shape than when you started with Truimph, do you expect to have the same impact?

7) With respect to revenue, how is the volatility in the currency market effecting the company?

8) What do you expect to be the biggest challenge in running B&O?

9) In your opinion, what would be the biggest threat for B&O?

10) What target have you set yourself while being the CEO of B&O?

11) The BeoVision 4 85-inch plasma TV is the latest member of Bang & Olufsen’s home cinema family and the first Full HD screen with 3D, can you confirm the introduction of other models with 3D?

Thank you,

Richard

"B&O always used to be 'space-age' and cutting edge with its design and function (think sliding doors, etc). When are they going to go back to having the 'wow' factor? At the moment everything is sort of becoming 'MOTS'....."