BSH Customer Service is introducing an advanced training course, ‘Customer360’, initially for its directly-employed engineers to further improve their customer service skills. BSH won the TEQ Award (Total Excellence & Quality) award for Best Customer Service in the UK white goods industry in 2009 and 2010.
Devondale Electrical Distributors is celebrating 30 years in business by opening a new branch in Glastonbury, bringing the total number of branches to six. Devondale is an independent electrical wholesaler, which specialises in same day delivery. It employs some 50 staff and has an annual turnover in excess of £6 million.
GDHA has confirmed that 90% of its cooking appliances are now produced at its Merseyside base. GDHA has transferred the production of a wide range of products across its Stoves, Belling and New World brands back to the UK, most notably the new Stoves built-in collection.
Hoover will launch a £1million promotional campaign to promote its new range of built-in and freestanding kitchen products directly to consumers.
The above-the-line advertising campaign will begin in May and run until the end of the year.
The new Humax TV portal is now available on all Humax HDR-FOX T2 Freeview+ HD boxes. It offers a gateway to a world of on-demand and internet TV services, including Flickr, BBC iPlayer, Wiki@TV and internet radio.
Indesit has been voted the ‘most reliable freestanding cooking brand’ by readers of Which? magazine. Indesit’s freestanding cookers received 4 stars for reliability, with a reliability score of 90%, in a survey completed by 1,547 Which? members.
Miele has been announced as the best brand in the 2011 Which? home appliance reliability survey. The survey saw Miele come top in five out of ten categories to beat off the competition from the leading UK DA brands.
PURE has extended the colour range of its EVOKE Mio digital radios which now come in five new colours – teal, lava, grape, cherry and noir – with a two-tone leather effect finish and matching cream fascia.
PURE has revamped its radio and media portal, the PURE Lounge (thelounge.com) and added a full online music store.
Families are experiencing the biggest squeeze on their budgets since the 1920s, reported the Office of National Statistics. Since 2007, household bills have soared but average salaries have risen by only 7.6%. The Bank of England’s governor, Mervyn King, said the wage squeeze is likely to continue this year, with inflation currently at 3.7% and an average predicted pay rise of only 2.1%.
‘The Business failures for 2010’ report from business analyst Equifax paints a relatively positive picture for UK businesses as they continue to tackle the current economic challenges. It shows a 12.1% fall in business failures in 2010, compared to 2009. For the last quarter of 2010, the trend of reduced numbers of businesses going under was maintained.
retra Insurance Services has unveiled its extended warranty scheme for members, which includes a range of new benefits, both for the retailer, and the consumer. The policies now include three years accidental damage and no depreciation for three years that compare them favourably with the rates offered by BrightHouse, Domestic & General, Comet and Currys.
Channel 4 and Freesat announced that Freesat HD viewers will soon be able to enjoy C4HD when the channel launches on the subscription free satellite TV service in April. C4HD becomes the fourth HD channel on Freesat joining BBC1 HD, The BBC HD Channel and ITV1 HD.
Sharp, Europe’s largest solar panel manufacturer, has announced the creation of 300 new jobs at its European manufacturing plant in Wrexham, North Wales, following the extension of production facilities and over £20 million investment in the factory.
