Dixons aims high, medium and low with own-brand blizzard

Dixons is aiming low to high with four new own-brand lines for its PC World and Currys stores. Let's give them a twirl, starting at the bargain basement end and work our way through to the sleek, quite expensive, Scandinavian sounding brand. Currys PC World New Range Currys Essentials was created to make "straightforward …

[Anonymous Coward]

No Saisho?

No dice.

[Anonymous Coward]

???? Why

"in December, punters can pop a picture along to PC World and have it printed on their laptop."

Why????? But then we are talking about DSG shoppers, so I suppose anything is possible...

[Anonymous Coward]

Fertility symbols

No doubt another opportunity for proud parents to force images of their offspring down their colleagues' throats.

[Peter 66]

Depends

I suppose it depends on what you can have printed.....................I for one welcome our new pornographic blazened laptop overlords.

[Adam Salisbury]

Why indeed

Having known people foolish enough to actually buy Advent machines I can safely say the only image I want printed on one is the one of my boot print on the lid!

[Rob]

Advent are...

... the Research Machines (RM) of the consumer world.

[Lunatik]

http://www.sandstromdesign.com/ ?

Funny linkage there, something not quite right methinks.

DSG will struggle to pitch their brands at anything other than the low- to mid-end, they simply lack the focus and retail environment (stores & staff) to make selling premium products work. They may sell a few Apple products but they're relying on the Beast of Cupertino to do all the brand cachet heavy lifting.

Bring back Saisho!

[Anonymous Coward]

Saisho

Back when Amstrad launched their first computer, the CPC 464, it was by no means certain that Amstrad would sell it under their own name. They might have sold them in bulk to Dixons as the sole UK distributer who would then brand them as they liked.

As a result there is a jumper on the CPC's main board that will change the branding on the startup screen. It's well known that in Germany the CPC was sold under the Schneider brand name, but not so well known that the CPC could be configured via the jumper to start up as a "Saisho 64k Microcomputer".

[Anonymous John]

I can't wait.

What day this month?

[Elmer Phud]

PC World

PC World Essentials --- That'd be the bits you can grab off the shelves instead of playing 'hunt the sales staff'. The bits you go for when there is no alternative available like on a Sunday.

[Anonymous Coward]

Horrible

At least I know what brands to avoid.

[JMB]

Dixons

So are Dixons dropping their brand named that used the name of a WWII Japanese war criminal? Always seemed rather tasteless.

[Jamtea]

Japanese?

Actually, Saisho means a number of things in Japanese. So does Matsui. Why DSG were trying to trick people into thinking these are Japanese brands is beyond me.

[xj25vm]

Exciting stuff

Oh dear - DSG International must be beside themselves that their press release has made it so faithfully into the Reg. I mean, come on, have we reached the point where a re-branding exercise constitutes news in a reputable technology publication? Or maybe you are hoping that the sprinkling of sarcasm here and there masks the complete lack of useful or relevant information in the so-called article. I cringe.

What is next - are we going to be informed every time they have a sale, refurbish a store, or run any sort of promotion at all? Isn't anybody able to make the distinction between relevant news and disguised advertising these days?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Exciting stuff

I beg to differ.

Love it or hate it, PC World / Currys is by some distance the UK's biggest consumer electronics retailer.

And love it or hate it, we have better sense of what is newsworthy for (most of) our readers than you do.

[Steve Adams]

Re: Exciting stuff

hi,

is Drewc an El Reg employee/writer?

I can't see a link to a profile - apologies for any F'wited-ness on my part?

If so.. well done for taking the time to back up your editorial policy and explain yourself - this is often missing in Reg forums where commentards dis the editorial decisions.

If not... how (and why) do you get to speak for the Reg here?

Steve.

[Anonymous Coward]

See the vulture icon?

See it in the list of icons you can select?

[Jim Morrow]

a 5 second makeover of a press release is not "news"

> we have better sense of what is newsworthy for (most of) our readers than you do.

not this fucking time matey. and who's "we"?

the percentage of your readership who give a shit about any marketing trivia must be vanishingly low. this is probably about the same percentage of the readership who have any interest in the amazing products and delightful shopping experience available in dsg's sheds. the intersection of those two sets will be very, very low: perhaps just you. and just because you think this press release was newsworthy doesn't make it so.

now if you'd worked in a paris hilton angle instead of mindessly regurgitating dsg's press release, you just might have come up with something newsworthy. but you didn't.

[Sarah Bee]

Re: a 5 second makeover of a press release is not "news"

I'm accepting this so Drew can respond, but must you be so rude?

[Anonymous Coward]

You sir, are wrong

Newsworthy does not mean that everyone is interested in every story. Or that every story has to be hilarious or hard hitting.

Editors determine newsworthiness. And part of that editorial judgment involves determining how stories should be treated. If they get it wrong people ignore the story in their droves. This is easy enough to measure with a website. If editors get it wrong often enough, they stop being editors.

BTW, I have worked at The Register since 1997, and I am one of the owners.

[Anonymous Coward]

re:

In defence of this story's newsworthiness, for me, anyway, casting an eye over Dixons' car crash of a retail ethic is very enjoyable schadenfreude (if you'll forgive the double qualification), and part of what it means, for me anyway, to be British now - as is reminiscing about Saisho etc.

[Anonymous Coward]

A quick peek at the archives

shows DSG financials being reported as long ago as 1998 (http://www.theregister.co.uk/1998/09/09/09_09_98_daily_digest/)

[Chrissy]

Pile o'junk

I worked for DSG 1989 > 1991, and I swear the failure, return and junking rate for Saisho and Matsui (and Amstrad, but thats another story) branded products was single-handedly responsible for the introduction of the WEEE Directive.

If they are intending to use the same manufacturers as then, avoid!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Still no improvement

I worked for them 10 years later for a few years, and the big pile of returns in the warehouse was 99% own brand... and my dad did some hours for them to last year, and guess what... still the same.

[Anonymous Coward]

Me too

I also had the displeasure of working for DSG starting whilst at 6th form as a Saturday lad in 1988, then for a couple of years full time, and then during holidays while I was at uni. Around 9 years in total on and off (shudder).

Back in my day Matsui was the Curry's own brand and Saisho was the Dixon's one and never the twain shall meet. They were basically the same crap with a different name painted on. Logik was split between the two stores, but was the absolute lowest of the low when it came to price and quality. I'm really surprised they're bringing this brand name back as it was pure shite.

If I recall the only good Matsui/Saisho product back then was their higher end video recorders, which were actually made by Aiwa and were identical to the branded model. The 4 head NICAM machine was actually pretty tidy and reliable. I have one that's over 10 years old and still works!

Anyway, I agree that on the whole the own brand stuff was always over flowing the returns bay, along with Amstrad (as mentioned) and there were always some knackered Indesit washing machine kicking around too.

God I hated that job...

[Anonymous Coward]

However

Saisho, Matsui are still lower return rates than Xbox360. What does that tell you...

[mittfh]

Sandstrom Design

That link points to a Portland, Oregon design company. And judging by their website, if I lived in the area I'd avoid them with a barge pole.

"Look ma, I can do Javascript background colour cycling!"

The source also reveals two other bits of JavaScript: a tracking cookie and a "data collection script". Even more reason to avoid them!

Then again, I wouldn't touch Dixons PLC with a barge pole either. A friend of mine once visited PC World and asked where the laser printers were. After being taken to the scanners, the sales droid asked "Are they the ones that don't use any ink?" Needless to say, said friend exited the store, went around the corner to Staples, and found intelligent life (plus a laser printer).

Tombstone for the linkage mistake. Naughty, naughty!

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Sandstrom Design

Our bad - the link was removed a minute or two before you posted this comment.

Drew

[dogged]

PC World Essentials

£20 for 1m of CAT6.

£22.95 for a 3-pin kettle lead.

No thanks

[DrXym]

Try Poundland first

Currys / PC World already flog "budget" stuff under a PC Line brand. I say budget even though it is often ludicrously expensive and often crap quality.

I remember seeing a PC Line branded USB hub for sale for £16 when the exact same hub without the branding was selling in Poundland for a quid. Specifically the PC Line 4 port hub on this page:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/external-expansion-hubs/734_7118_70127_xx_xx/xx-criteria.html

The £1 hub worked fine by the way for 1/16th the price. In general if you need a cable, or blank discs, or a mouse or any small consumable you're better first looking to Poundland or a 99p store. You'll get a similar (sometimes the same) item for a fraction of what DSG would rip you off for it. Failing that try Tesco / Asda / Sainsburys. Failing that order online.

PC World should always be regarded as a last resort. I have to wonder who actually buys a PC or similar item there when in this day & age there is no shortage of cheaper outlets.

[Sooty]

Pcworld has it's place

Usually though, it's when you desperately need something on a Sunday and it's the only place open.

[Anonymous Coward]

re: Try Poundland first

No kidding-I checked the link on the PC World website and said hub (or one like it for £9.99) is USB 1.1! Nice!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Logik??

Arent they an established cheapo German electrical brand?? I remember seeing some naff looking TVs branded Logik back in the 80's and 90's.

and it's NOT PC World.

Thanks to Weebl and Bob everyone should now know they are called

"Pissy Weirld"

[swisstoni]

Budget range?

Does that budget range include their £20 usb and iec power cables? The sort you get conned into buying because there's nowhere else to go?

[Anonymous Coward]

PC World Essentials?

Would that be like when they sell a bog standard foam mouse mat for £7.99 when Maplin next door is selling the same but bigger for £1.99

Is that the PC World Essentials they are on about.

[Anonymous Coward]

Prinz

After racking my brains for their own-brand name adorning many malfunctioning gadgets from my childhood in the 70s, I've remembered "Prinz" - there was Prinzsound and Prinztronic (mostly futuristic alarm clock/radios which always broke within a month, then couldn't be replaced because they'd discontinued that model).

I'm sure there were others - anyone remember? Not sure of the "Logik" of using a Germanic-sounding name to re-brand generic Made in Hong Kong (it was the 70s) crap, but it was cheap and looked like it was out of Space 1999!

[David Paul Morgan]

Not all bad, though....

My Prinztronic LE808P calculator (used a pp3 battery, was handheld and came with a transformer) from 1973/4 is still working. Also my first chocolate bar scientific calculator is in the house somewhere (4xaaa batteries).

I think my first LCD watch (silver/steel, bevelled edge) still works too. It cost £60 and was the first thing I bought on hire-purchase using the money from my milk round. (1978)

Over the years, though, I think I've bought most of my kit from Comet.

most recently, i only use Euronics dealers with a local branch.

I'm glad Currys is back in Cardiff in the St David's mall, though.

[Tom 3]

worst shop ever

I wouldn't trust PC World to make a mouse mat, let alone a mouse.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Finally, there's the Goji label, which caters for the accessories department"

Pronounced "gouge" if the prices are anything to go by.

[Zimmer]

Better connected?

I reckon they want you to pronounce it as if it had an extra 'O' ie Gooji (and say the 'J' softly... see what I mean?)

Lawyers ahoy ...maybe?

[Zimmer]

Pronounced?

I reckon they want Goji pronounced as if it had an extra 'O' (and go soft on the 'J'...)

Lawyers ahoy ... maybe?

[20legend]

err..

a crock of shite by any other name is still a crock of shite (and will still be vastly overpriced and sold to unsuspecting punters by poorly trained monkeys)

[andy gibson]

USB cables

PC Line USB cable, £12.99

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/pc-line-a-to-b-usb-2-0-cable-1-8m-00773017-pdt.html

[Anonymous Coward]

High, Medium, Low?

Or Low, Lower, and utterly-disposable-crap?

[The elephant in the room]

If I ever want to spend £25 on one USB cable I know where to go

PC World - for the clueless and the desperate.

[Anonymous Coward]

I think

You misspelled "sandstorm".

*crickets*

[Anonymous Coward]

as usual, caveat emptor

Hats off to DSG for doing a bit of NuLabour poo-polishing. If they increase sales because of this, it will just prove that blatant spin does actually work on those who on't make the effort to do research to better understand what is on offer ; thus ever has it been.

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