"We are delighted to have Audioforce on board in the UK. We have evolved a very close rapport with Guy Lewis and Tim Pollard in the past few weeks and it is clear to us that Audioforce will come as close as possible to having a factory-direct operation, such is the symbiosis between ourselves and Audioforce," says Lab.gruppen's European sales manager, Claus Behrens. "Their complete focus on the Lab.gruppen brand will benefit Lab.gruppen's broad base of existing UK customers and provide an unparalleled level of sales and service for the future. We see the market for Lab.gruppen products expanding greatly from its already strong position."
"In talking to sound company owners and installation market professionals in the UK, it became clear to me that a specialist pro audio distribution company could fit into the UK industry make-up pretty well," comments Audioforce managing director Guy Lewis. "I had great conversations with Tim Pollard of PAXT about this and, before long, we decided to take it further. Drawing on the commercial resources of Tim's current set-up, Audioforce has been created as a fresh new company to develop the market opportunities for Lab.gruppen amplification in the UK.
"Lab.gruppen wanted a more specialist and dedicated approach to the sound reinforcement and installation businesses in the UK," continues Guy, "especially with the new C Series installation amps. I have known the Lab.gruppen team for several years, and spending time recently at the Kungsbacka factory allowed us to forge a strategic relationship that, we trust, will hugely increase the brand's penetration in the UK. Just as Lab.gruppen are impressed by Audioforce's plans for sales, marketing and support, we are impressed by their approach to design, marketing and service and their desire to grow - 23 research and development staff alone tells a great story."
Audioforce is located in a new office and warehouse complex on the outskirts of Cambridge. "We have an established, very experienced team in place, supported by state-of-the-art customer management software," adds Lewis. "By focussing on Lab.gruppen, we can provide an instant response without finding resources being committed to other parts of the business. We are already recruiting further support staff for the venture and can't wait to get our teeth into what is already shaping up to be a very busy year."
(Jim Evans)
