Kevin Duffy, CEO of Sound United, said: “The acquisition of Bowers & Wilkins combines its leading expertise in acoustic design, engineering and manufacturing in the premium category with scale, technical acumen and reach of Sound United consumers to ensure Bowers & Wilkins thrives in the future.
“Sound United has a solid track record of enthusiastically protecting the unique identities and core competencies of each of its brands, and our approach with Bowers & Wilkins will be no different. ”
Earlier this year, B&W confirmed a restructuring following the departure of its CEO and the deterioration of the relationship with Eva Automation, a Silicon Valley start-up that acquired the brand in 2016.
Eva Automation led the launch of B&W Formation, the company’s first multi-room wireless system, with rumors subsequently swirling around whether the B&W Formation Duo was successful or not.
The Bowers & Wilkins Home app, which powers the Training range, was developed by Eva Automation and has not been updated since February. Sound United brands use the HEOS platform to power its multi-room products, first seen on the Denon HEOS multi-room line, so it will be interesting to see if HEOS makes its way into B&W products.
Fingers crossed over this Sound United deal will mean that this great British brand can continue to offer excellent hi-fi products.
