allow me a pedantic, but I think non-trivial, correction. They changed their description of target market segments from HNWI's to Very HNWI's. In that context, the recent adding of 2000 GBP/EURO to the base price of a Theatre makes sense. Absent that context, it doesn't.

Yes...pedantic Sandy. For your future B&O Lexicon knowledge base .......“its not for everybody” = Very. Glad to have clarified that for you. :)

I was unaware that B&O had re-targeted its product line to VHNWIs.  It is fair for any company to re-target its product offer, if it thinks a better business opportunity lies there. According to the magazine Forbes, in the U.S. market, this describes households with liquid assets between $5m and $30m.  The website Insurance Newsnet says that these households are heavily concentrated in the 55 to 74 age group... and further defines this group as the famous, much derided 1% (!). Well, it looks like we might all be, either by legacy or by recent purchase, one-percenters.  Congratulations are in order, one can hazard? Did B&O announce when do they expect to complete this transition?  Because I have news for B&O: it is a bit questionable that Explore and A1 are suitable for this market, even if a rather gauche prancing horse happens to be pictured in the casing, except, perhaps, as party favors for the hired help.  I'd even put an asterisk by the Emerge. Same goes for Beoplay EX, methinks, and Beoplay HX —for, if the target truly is the 1%, why does HX even exist?  What kind of skin-flint one percenter would buy HX, and why, when good and proper H95s are available? As to the Stage, well, who knows, perhaps true one percenters could have it installed it in the servant's luncheon area.  To show some magnanimity, you know, and besides, ostentatious displays of equity are all the rage. But what really gives me pause is that Bang and Olufsen is included in the Audi A4 Premium Plus which retails for $45,400... this is below the price of the average car in the U.S.  Do one-percenters get around in compact conventionally fueled sedans?  Questionable.  On the other hand, they may buy this vehicle for their daughter as she departs for university, so it is not like 1% households would never own an A4. ------ Please take no offense, this brief essay is written with tongue fully planted in cheek.  In all seriousness, I am glad B&O still offers entry-level products and most of mine are, in fact, entry-level items.  And my current cars cost a fraction of what an A4 does.

Xavieritzmann, I think SandyB has a very good grip on the direction of B&O's marketing direction having listened (Im told) to numerous investor podcasts and has scoured B&Os financial results with an eye more detailed than a tax man looking for his next victim to suck the life-blood out of. The message appears clear.........Doubling of Margin, reduction of range and units sold and focussing on the VHNWI's for the big-boys toys (gold-plated Bl90s etc) and I guess what you would call the "aspirational Bluetooth/portable/flexible" offerings for the rest of us. This will be accompanied by reduced store count, focussing towards flagship boutiques and online sales.  I think the recent 30% price increase is the first real shot of attempting that strategy? As a footnote, on the 1st September, the BL90s will have exactly doubled in price since their introduction in March 2016. Additionally, the base Theatre soundbar (with out all the add-ons required to make it a Beovision) will be priced at £7990 within the next two days - representing ~40% increase over the price I paid in October last year I'm sure SandyB will come correct me on the detail but that I would say that there are not going to be many people who are prepared to keep supporting that rate of increase on an ongoing basis unless they are in the higher net worth demographic?

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