JB Hi-Fi has chosen Convoy to fill the empty bench space left after its split from Yamaha earlier this year. Two brands specifically from the Convoy stable, JBL and Harman/Kardon, will fill the speakers, receivers and home theatre void.

“We have been seeking new avenues to promote music to the mass market in order to contribute to the growth of our industry and Convoy was best able to understand our vision,” said JB Hi-Fi CEO Terry Smart.

“The Harman/Kardon and JBL product ranges are not only fantastic quality, they offer outstanding value for money for consumers and we’re confident this partnership will allow us to attract new customers to the specialist channel.”

Current.com.au understands that JB Hi-Fi split from Yamaha after a disagreement over JB’s musical instrument strategy. In addition to marketing audio product, Yamaha is also a leading brand in musical instruments, especially keyboards.

JB Hi-Fi ramped up its musical instrument retailing division late last year, and currently sells the Casio brand on its website.

Convoy is understandably thrilled with this new association.

“Obviously this is big news for the industry and really exciting for everyone involved,” said CEO Geoff Matthews.

“Harman/Kardon launched the world’s first audio receiver in 1953 and the first stereo receiver in 1958, while JBL is one of the world’s oldest speaker brands.

“To have two iconic brands come together to fill a gap in the market like this is fantastic. We’re really excited about the partnership and look forward to many successful years working together.”

From the media statement announcing this partnership:

With tremendous growth in Australia over the past year, JBL and Harman/Kardon’s partnership with JB Hi-Fi is a natural fit and comes after the retailer’s agreement with Yamaha came to an end earlier this year.

Convoy has been instrumental in the recent growth of both brands in Australia, in particular JBL, investing in huge marketing and PR support behind the American audio electronics company.

Convoy has further plans to raise JBL’s profile to become the market leader in the next 12 months, with an ongoing presence at technology exhibitions and plans to host media launch days in both Australia and New Zealand.