ERT Award-winning retailer Moss of Bath has opened a smart-home CE showroom.
The business occupies two adjoining five-storey Georgian townhouses in the centre of Bath, Somerset, and the new showroom is located in a drawing room on the first floor.
The area had previously been used as a hi-fi demonstration lounge and, more recently, a TV showroom.
Speaking exclusively to ERT, owner Tim Moss said: “With the increased demand for smart-home technology, the opportunity to convert the space into a smart showroom was an obvious one.
“The conversion involved rewiring, redecorating and a total redesign of the space, taking two months to complete.”
He added: “Firstly, we needed a dedicated meeting area away from the shopfloor where clients, architects, designers and builders could unscroll their plans and discuss audio, video, satellite and aerial and data needs.
“Secondly, the smart-home ‘movement’ presents a fantastic opportunity for the independent retailer. Data networking and connectivity are the buzzwords of the moment and we find customers are genuinely interested in future-proofing their homes. Moss of Bath has seven vans on the road, three of which are dedicated solely to smart-home business.”
The smart-home CE showroom includes products from Sonos, Technics, Rotel, Pioneer, Sony, Amina, Loewe and Ruark Audio.
Said Mr Moss: “We still find Sonos the most in-demand multi-room audio product – customers are very aware of what Sonos is and what it does.
“That said, there is most definitely a resurgence in two-channel hi-fi separates, including turntables. We have chosen Technics, Rotel, Pioneer and Sony as our key audio brands.
“We have also installed a couple of pairs of Amina in-wall speakers, as well as a motorised drop down projector screen and the obligatory, large, flat-screen on the wall. We use the space to showcase new ‘lifestyle’ products such as the Loewe Bild range of TVs and the Ruark R7 Mk3 [radiogram].”
