By Matthew Henry
SYDNEY: Pebble Electronics, the distributor of the Conia and Hicon brands, is planning an enterprising second half to the year, with a very strong focus on plasma and LCD screens.
According to Pebble Electronics general manager, Nicholas Fry, Conia has strategically planned the launch of its new plasma range to be particularly prominent in the busiest months of the year.
"Over the past three months we’ve released our new range of LCD products – a very comprehensive line up across 12 models, and the sales have been outstanding. The response has exceeded our expectations, and the demand from our retail partners has been tremendous,” said Fry.
“On the back of this positive response we’ve been planning closely with our customers and we will soon launch a new range of plasma TV’s which will perfectly complement our LCD range as we approach the busy months ahead.”
While the various virtues of LCD and plasma technology are currently being debated in public, Fry maintains the middle ground when discussing the merit of the different formats.
"Like most people in the business, I’ve read with great interest the recent threats of legal action between some of the biggest players in our industry as they argue the various merits of plasma and LCD technology,” he said.
“There’s no doubt the two formats have their own unique strengths and idiosyncrasies if you line them up head-to-head, but our strategy is simply to hedge our bets; we’ll support both formats very strongly and let the consumer decide. Ultimately, it is their decision.”
Conia’s new plasma range with integrated HD tuners will be officially launched at Pebble’s national conference next month, with three new models on the way – the most comprehensive line up to date.
"The plasma TV market is still strong; still vibrant; still vigourous, and we’ve had some great results over the past few years with our plasma panels. While not offering the breadth of screen sizes that LCD offers, plasma still has it’s own unique and significant place in the market, and our new range of three plasma models will tap into that market, offering exceptional value, quality, features and profitability for our trading partners and a great large screen option for the end user.
“With footy finals and the Rugby World Cup coming up, we’re set to launch, we’re ready to go and we’ve got the range to cater for all consumer wants and needs."
Pebble’s new range of Conia and Hicon plasma and LCD TVs is available through its traditional trading partners including The Good Guys, Harvey Norman, Dick Smith Electronics, JB Hi-Fi and selected Retravision stores.