By Patrick Avenell

SYDNEY, NSW: Bush Australia has a raft of new products scheduled for release in 2010 across its Grundig, Revo, Joh Bailey and eponymous brands.

Current.com.au sat down with Bush sales director Brian Rodgers earlier this week to get the inside news on how Bush Australia was travelling and what was expected in 2010. Rodgers said the supplier was doing well, with consumers responding well to the respected brand names in Bush’s cache. There has been some pressure through price erosion on Grundig’s smaller size LCD models, but that is just one of very few downsides at this time.

Internet radio has been a big winner for Bush, especially through the mass merchants. Rodgers attributed this to some expert cataloguing by Big W, which was able to use literature to convey the benefits of the technology to consumers. In 2010, Bush will continue to educate consumers as to the advantages of both internet radio and DAB+ digital radio.

New products to support this include the recently released Gener8 Sol (RRP $259), which is both a DC and solar-powered digital radio. Coming in Q2 will be two personal, smaller size DAB+ models across the Grundig and Bush ranges. Before that, in early February 2010, a DAB+ microsystem will be released. Rodgers said this was expected to be around the RRP $299 mark.

In an exciting move in the Grundig TV range, Bush will be releasing two new LED models in 22-inch and 33-inch sizes. Rodgers said this will provide a point of difference to what’s currently on the market. As consumers move to LED technology in the larger sizes, as evidenced by Samsung’s runaway success, Bush believes consumers will also gravitate to LED in the smaller sizes.

The Joh Bailey Mistyle range was a particularly strong performer in the lead up to Christmas. This range of colourful straighteners benefited from a targeted marketing campaign, selling especially well in the purple and pink varieties. Bush will again be promoting this range in Q4, but with some model upgrades and a change in the colour scheme: orange will be changed to blue.