Daytime jaunt accompanied by Minty447 with regards to Madman for the info
"November 22, 1998  It had to happen eventually. Britain's internationally successful loudspeaker manufacturers tend to be highly geared exporters, with overseas markets often accounting for 80-90% of sales. The dramatic downturn in sales across virtually all Asian markets, alongside the collapse of the Russian ruble and an ever-strengthening pound sterling, has been making life very tough indeed.
Domestic UK sales were doing pretty well up until the end of the summer, but worldwide financial uncertainties seem to have sapped consumer confidence right across the UK retail sector, while from a specialist hi-fi perspective the launch of two new rival digital TV services in the pre-Christmas run-in is a further unwelcome distraction.
The fallout has begun. Some companies are arranging financial re-engineering of one sort or another. More worrying is the news of some actual closures.
Although the Rogers brand remains fully operational in sales and distribution, the UK manufacturing facility in Mitcham, South London (purchased from Swisstone Electronics some time after Rogers' Chinese owners acquired the brandname) has been closed down. There's ample stock to satisfy immediate demand while alternative manufacturing arrangements are made, but it's an uncomfortable reminder that this is not the best time to be manufacturing in the UK, and that the actual place of manufacture is becoming increasingly irrelevant in the modern global economy."
Speaker Testing Room!
TV/Film Script?
All in all a pleasant explore interuppted by the fact that a lot of the building is used for storage & we had to make a hasty retreat....
"November 22, 1998  It had to happen eventually. Britain's internationally successful loudspeaker manufacturers tend to be highly geared exporters, with overseas markets often accounting for 80-90% of sales. The dramatic downturn in sales across virtually all Asian markets, alongside the collapse of the Russian ruble and an ever-strengthening pound sterling, has been making life very tough indeed.
Domestic UK sales were doing pretty well up until the end of the summer, but worldwide financial uncertainties seem to have sapped consumer confidence right across the UK retail sector, while from a specialist hi-fi perspective the launch of two new rival digital TV services in the pre-Christmas run-in is a further unwelcome distraction.
The fallout has begun. Some companies are arranging financial re-engineering of one sort or another. More worrying is the news of some actual closures.
Although the Rogers brand remains fully operational in sales and distribution, the UK manufacturing facility in Mitcham, South London (purchased from Swisstone Electronics some time after Rogers' Chinese owners acquired the brandname) has been closed down. There's ample stock to satisfy immediate demand while alternative manufacturing arrangements are made, but it's an uncomfortable reminder that this is not the best time to be manufacturing in the UK, and that the actual place of manufacture is becoming increasingly irrelevant in the modern global economy."
Speaker Testing Room!
TV/Film Script?
All in all a pleasant explore interuppted by the fact that a lot of the building is used for storage & we had to make a hasty retreat....
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