By Chris Nicholls

SYDNEY: Sony Australia has split its consumer AV/IT sales division into two as part of a restructure, with head office-based retail chains and de-centralised proprietor-driven groups each getting their own specialist divisions.

The changes, which came into force on Tuesday, will mean each group will have its own team of specialist sales people and is the result of a large-scale shopper research study.

“During the past year, Sony Australia has undertaken the largest shopper research study carried out by an Australian consumer electronics company, which has delivered insights into how we can align our internal functions to continue to add growth and value to our retail partners,” said Sony Australia managing director, Carl Rose.

“It is out of this research that we have developed a business case for focusing our consumer AV/IT sales division into centralised and de-centralised channels. We are confident this shift will align our account management more succinctly with our customers’ buying structures and enhance the communication and planning of our business,” he said.

Sony consumer AV/IT general manager David Hargreaves will maintain control over both divisions, according to a Sony spokesperson.

The company also confirmed the appointment of car Entertainment sales and marketing manager Abel Makhraz, who will report to Hargreaves.