Exactly that. A welcoming environment where they can explore a range of high-end audio products, from headphones to hi-fi systems to home cinema set-ups. It’s about showing how great their music and movies can sound; all about the experience (hence the use of experiential!)
The larger stores also have other elements such as event spaces, vinyl retail and even (in the flagship Focal Powered by Naim store in Cannes) a dedicated area where you can spec out audio and AV systems for your yacht. That’s a big deal for many locals on the Riviera!
My guess is that this is up to the dealer? In Berlin, the Focal by Naim is simply an established hifi shop that always carried Naim, the FbN is a new store next door under the same leadership. It seems similar at Sevenoaks. Surely they won’t refuse if one asks them to compare the Focals with a speaker from the next door room
Not yet! As you can imagine, the whole COVID-lockdown situation hasn’t made it easy to launch new retail outlets in the past 18 months. The Sevenoaks store-in-store is our first UK location for Focal Powered By Naim, but there will be more on the way. We’ll keep everyone updated!
There’s little doubt that Naim, most probably under Focal’s influence, is trying to boost its image as an exclusive brand by opening its own stores (in Cannes, of all places), very much on the Apple store model, or better, the Leica store model. I know next to nothing about marketing, but is this a good idea?
It’s simple: we already reach (for want of a better word) the audiophile audience through our global network of specialist hi-fi retailers. We also reach a wider group of customers with Mu-so via more mass-market retailers (including online retailers).
But if we are to demonstrate the value of high-end audio to new generations - and new demographics - of customers, we also need to be where those people shop, and to give them a welcoming, premium experience.
It’s not an ‘either/or’ situation, it’s an extension of our brands into new areas. Remember, we’ll have @15 Focal Powered by Naim stores by the end of this year, all in partnership with existing retailers. In comparison, we’re in 10,000+ traditional audio retailers worldwide.
(PS: As Louis Vuitton is currently celebrating its 200th anniversary, stronger than ever, I wouldn’t knock it!)
And I know there are several more US launches in the pipeline this year (sorry, but I can’t share details until they’re official!), with more to follow in 2022.
It must be quite a balancing act:
Keeping the things that both work well and helped create the ‘Naim’ reputation, which is after all what made me buy Naim when I got the chance to afford it.
While at the same time responding to changes / progress in technology and identifying markets that will respond positively to products that are expensive / not cheap.
It’s not a balancing act at all. Naim carries on doing what it’s always done - refining and redefining what’s possible in search of an ever-more authentic music experience.
Technologies may change, but that founding ethos continues to drive us every day.
Some people thought the sky had fallen in when we launched Mu-so - it was not the case. It’s the same with this progression. And it very much is a progression that will keep Naim thriving and continuing to address multiple audiences well into the future.
I never understood why people had problems with the Muso. The QB is a great product. We liked it so much we bought another one… And even worse — from John Lewis… We love John Lewis — their partnership model appeals to us. I wish there were more retailers like JL. Never understood snobbish comments when Naim became available in JL…
I probably won’t become a regular in Focal powered by Naim shops — but I think it is good that Naim diversifies. Surely this makes the company more future-proof, and if this goes well they will have more resources for Research and Development. Good for everybody, even if one “disapproves” the odd new product…
