Bang and Olufsen’s largest retail group, NuCONNECT, has announced that it has appointed Bournemouth-based installer Smartworks its exclusive installation partner for the UK.
NuCONNECT has six stores (Knightsbridge, Harrods, Marylebone High St, Selfridges, Windsor and Dublin, and says the deal came about to react to a growing consumer demand for harnessing emerging technologies to deliver security, convenience, energy efficiency and entertainment.
The biggest of its kind in the UK & Ireland, NuCONNECT previously delivered AV products and services but its expanding its offering with the help of Smartworks in a bid to “establish itself as the number one connected home expert” in the region.
The strategic partnership is in place from October 2018 onwards.
“The way it works is that Smartworks is contacted from the NuCONNECT store to carry out an installation,” explains Andy Baldwin, director at the newly founded Smart Homeworks.
“The Smartworks team then either collect from the store, or the products arrive on site on the day of installation. Smartworks unbox the kit and NuCONNECT remove the boxes. Products are then installed, tested and a handover carried out with Smartworks’ contact detail left with the client for ongoing queries.”
For equipment in stock at the nearest store to the customer, it can be delivered and installed in targeted time-frame of within 7 days of the order. By the close of October, the service’s launch month, B&O and Smartworks state that they hope to have 10 man days per week dedicated to delivering installations across stores involved.
“The industry has been crying out for IT-focused technology partners who are adept at seamless integration of intelligent services, taking the complexity away from the consumer and delivering genuine real-life benefits, effortlessly and reliably,” he continues, on what he thinks the partnership will bring to the home technology industry.
Smartworks says its goal is to improve more than 1,500 homes and businesses through the integration of infrastructure, automation and control solutions “delivering convenience, security and cost savings” by 2020.
