IT WAS SAD to see so many Sony Centres around the country closing, but I am pleased to report that some were quickly reopened by new owners.

I spoke to former Retra president, John Hutchinson, who now has Sony Centres at Cheltenham, Worcester and Hereford.

John told me: "As soon as I heard that Sony shops near me were closing, I set the wheels in motion. I have changed my existing Panasonic store in Gloucester into a Sony Centre and moved the Panasonic products into my main multi-brand store. Due to the recession, I've been able to negotiate good terms from the landlords and I am looking forward to running the extra shops.

"I have been trading for 38 years and am used to running a tight ship. None of my stores are far away and my family will make sure we keep the personal service we are known for.

"Very few people are expanding at this time, but I think we have been presented with a rare opportunity to grow our business."

I think John is right as some of the big dealers who have been forced to close had outlets all over the UK and were therefore difficult to manage.
John seems to have the right idea with his own small golden triangle of stores in the south-west.

I wish the Hutchinson family well and congratulate them on their enterprise.


I WAS VERY pleased to hear that Howard Saycell has joined the staff at retailers association Retra.

Howard certainly knows our trade well, as he has held a variety of top positions with Sony over the past 27 years and spent much of his time working closely with independent retailers.

As Howard has always been a strong supporter of Retra, he is an ideal man to be joining the team at our trade association. I look forward to meeting up with him again at the forthcoming Retra conference.