I do think that the ultra-rich are slowing their spending, for example:

Very sad indeed - I've had nothing but excellent service from the team at Roundhay - I'll miss them greatly.  I'd just got off the 'phone from them this morning (Beo 5 arrived!) and the same letter dropped through my door...

I've only been in the Leeds City Centre store once, on my lunch from work,  and it wasn't a particularly pleasant experience.  I'm a contractor working in Leeds at the moment, and my current project affords that I wear what I like; jeans and t-shirts in the main.  It felt like I was being judged on my appearance, and I left.  Never had that at Roundhay...

:(

Puncher:

Is the Harrogate store still open? - when I was in town at the end of Feb. it looked liked it had closed down!

It's still open. The store is/was getting a revamp, from what I was told when I was last at the store (at Christmas). I'm sure that's completed by now though!

That must have been it - I never got quite as far as crossing the road (from the main drag up from Betty's) - the sign above the shop had gone and there was nothing in the front window and so I assumed it had closed, turned around and headed back (to Yates' if I remember correctly)😁

Their site is fairly up-to-date, too:

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/sw7566.asp

It's actually a fairly decent store, the Harrogate store. I was in there over Christmas and made it fairly clear I wasn't there to purchase (it's all done through the Bath store), but they still spent 30 or so minutes chatting about things B&O, products, the store etc.

Hi all,

Director and shareholder of the store here. Some of you are thereabouts, most are utterly clueless, so here goes...

The closure of the Roundhay branch has nothing to do with any "economic downturn", or indeed any other Leeds - centric issues. The fact is simply that I am going to live overseas, and am obliged to spend 80% of my time out of the UK. So it's a resources issue; my fellow Directors have chosen not to work 70 hours a week at this time, and feel that three stores (Lincoln, Ecclesaal, Leicester) is more than enough.

Herbie Sykes.