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On 16th September TV and Video Direct celebrated its annual company conference, reviewing the year 2008/09. There was a lot of good news with the company increasing both turnover and profit during this financial year. Operations director Matthew Brown states, "During the recession that we find ourselves in it is important we capitalise on every sales opportunity. It is a great credit to all of our sales representatives that we have achieved the figures we have done. Not only does this show how competitive we are in the commercial and retail sector but also proves the service we provide is amongst the best in the business."

All employees of TV and Video Direct were present and were treated to a hot buffet before the presentation began. Managing Director Jim Brown was quick to praise the achievements of the company, "At TV and Video Direct we pride ourselves on how strong the team spirit is within the company. Everybody has a good word to say about each other and I believe this to be one of main reasons of our success."

Employee and Salesperson of the year

As part of the company conference, TV and Video Direct issues three awards to showcase the achievements of certain employees. First of all congratulations goes to Leigh sales representative Tony Stuchbury for winning season 1 of the Premier Sales League which involves all members of TV and Video Direct's retail outlets. The competition was fought hard and fair and Tony was elated to be the eventual winner, "All of us wanted to win this competition and I was really pleased to edge out the other members of staff." Tony is a keen photographer and was awarded with some vouchers for a leading Photography store.

The next award to be given was Salesperson of the year award. Again this was closely contested within all areas of the business however the award was given to Internet Manager Dan Jordan. Dan created sales of more than £450k throughout the year and also helped expand the commercial reach of the website. Since becoming manager of the department in June 2008 the department has managed to grow considerably whilst also gaining a reputation for the best service you will find online. Dan was delighted with the award, "The internet department has had a resurgence in the past 12-18 months and this is proof to show we are still an integral part of the business. It is also positive to show we can turn a considerable profit in a market which is probably one of the fiercest in the online market."

The final award of the evening was for the coveted Employee of the Year Award. Once again this was a hugely contested award with special mention going to Retail Manager Phil Winstanley, his colleague Chris Houghton and Internet Manager Dan Jordan.

The award was deservedly given to Commercial Operations Manager Paul Lomas. Now in his second spell at TV and Video Direct, Paul Lomas has nurtured the internal operations of the Commercial department to unprecedented levels. Not only that, but he also played an integral role in producing TV and Video Direct's largest customer. In June 2008 the Gala Coral Group who are responsible for hundreds of bookmakers, bingo halls and leisure facilities, made TV and Video Direct their primary supplier of AV equipment.

Paul played the lead role in making this deal possible and this has allowed the company to move onto the next level. Paul was understandably delighted with the award, "With the country being in the middle of a recession, creating and retaining business has become even tougher in today's marketplace. I am just happy to have been able to help in our ever-progressive department and hope I can continue this into the next 12 months."

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TV and video direct is proud to announce the opening of a brand new warehouse.

This will allow us to stock more great products and allow us to sell them at the same low prices our customers have to come to expect from us. Operations director Matthew Brown is absolutely ecstatic about the news, "This is great news for the company and another sign of TV and Video Direct's ambition and drive to moving the company forward. This new space will give us much stronger buying power and will move TV and Video Direct to the next level. We also plan to build on the side of the warehouse with new custom built offices for our ever-expanding Commercial and Internet divisions."

The new custom built offices should be completed in early 2010.

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TV and Video Direct has recently acquired the selling and distribution of all Televisions to Coral Bookmakers.

Coral is among the four major players in the bookmaking industry with around 1600 stores nationwide. Steve Hargreaves (Commercial Sales Director) was over the moon with the news, "TV and Video Direct has become a major player in both the distribution and shop fitting to hundreds of independent bookmakers around the country. The fact that this hard work has been noticed by one of the major chains of bookmaker is fantastic news and full credit should to go to all of our hard working team who have made this possible. It is also a sign of how TV and Video Direct is growing as a company and we hope to continue in this vein in the coming months and years."

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TV and Video Direct Partner Plus Experience

Completed in January 2008, the new Loewe Partner Plus showroom at TV and Video Direct is one of only 3 such showrooms in the north of England. In recent years Loewe has distinguished itself from all other brands in the rapidly growing flat TV market with a unique achievement: it has succeeded in clearly positioning itself as a premium brand in comparison to all volume-orientated competitors.

The key to this success is finding the right partner. TV and Video Direct have always appreciated what the Loewe brand promises. Captivating designs with superior materials and workmanship. Pictures and sounds as natural as every day life. Intelligent technology with real benefits. A typical experience when you have over 80 year’s German manufacturing heritage.

The Integrated DR+ Hard Drive allows you to record up to 200 hours of your favourite TV without the need of another box! Don’t waste time formatting discs or even finding the right remote! Just press record - it’s that simple.

Who needs cables! With the new Loewe Connect you can send all the pictures, music and movies from your home PC straight to the TV screen via the wireless broadband in your home! No need to mess around showing your family photos from your PC, just pick up the TV remote and view them in the comfort of your lounge. Why not download a movie and stream it through to the Loewe Connect - no cables, just brilliance.

The perfect sound for the perfect picture: Individual Sound is a high quality speaker system to immerse yourself in symphonies and rediscover films. With matching cabinet designs and cabinet colours Individual Sound compliments your taste in Loewe TVs. You don’t even need an unsightly centre speaker - we use the speaker in the TV as the centre channel!

Loewe Peripherals. Add the finishing touch to your television experience, with our range of DVD Recorders and now the new Blu-Ray High Definition DVD player. All products match perfectly with all key functions available through the TV remote control.

As you can see we have continued to promote the founding principle behind our complete range: to promote innovation. In the past 20 years Loewe products have received over 150 national and international awards, above all for their fascinating design.

When you visit TV and Video Direct you will not only see the full range of Loewe products but their staff have a knowledge and passion to convey just how special owning a Loewe is. The complete service that TV and Video Direct offers ensures that you are clearly guided to the right product, colour and specification individual to your needs. Then their installation team will make sure you get the most from your purchase.

When you make time to visit Loewe at TV and Video Direct, you’ll truly understand why you shouldn’t settle for a run of the mill television. With a Loewe TV set viewing becomes a highlight. Your eyes and ears will prove us right.

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Warriors Fan Wins HD TV

If you were offered a brand new 42" LG HD Ready TV for just £2, would you snap our hands off? Well that is exactly what it cost Wigan Warriors supporter Gordon Butters of Stoneclough, Kearsley, to buy just two Warriors Xmas Draw tickets from fellow fan Mr Ellis.

He thought his wife was kidding when she told him he had won 1st prize and won the TV sponsored by TV & Video Direct of Knowsley Street, Bolton, & Bradshawgate, Leigh, but then he remembered the two tickets he had bought and were still upstairs at home. On Friday afternoon the shock was completed as he visited the Bolton store to be presented with his prize.

Gordon and his son Stuart attend all home and many away games with friend Justin and have this year all bought season tickets. The strange thing was that he had only been discussing with his wife over Christmas about buying a new TV, now the talk is about where to locate the 42" set!

Gordon is pictured being presented with the TV by TV & Video Direct sales consultants Gareth & Adrian Jones, who incidentally are also both Warriors supporters and both travel every day from Winstanley in Wigan to work at the Bolton store.

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August 2005

WANDERERS TUNE IN TO BIG SCREEN SUCCESS

Latest signing TV and Video Direct revamp half-time TV

A quick pint at half or full-time at the Wanderers is being given a multi-media makeover thanks to TV and Video Direct, who are embarking on a televisual refurb at the Reebok.

Whilst Bolton boss Sam Allardyce has earned himself something of a reputation for being a little bit cute in the transfer market, it would seem that those behind the scenes at the Wanderers can also lay claim to being a little savvy with their signings.

TV and Video Direct is the latest name to sign up over at the Reebok as the Wanderers continue to hit the big time, this time quite literally with the size and quality of the plasmas that adorn the walls in its executive suites.

Matthew Brown, a director at the Bolton-based family business, was delighted with the Wanderers’ deal. "There’s been a complete revolution in terms of televisual options for companies in all aspects of the leisure sector and Bolton Wanderers are the latest to sign up with us." he said. "We’re a Bolton company and the Wanderers have always been the club that generations of our family have supported. Now as official suppliers we’re extremely proud to be associated with the club."

"We’ve done a lot of commercial installations but this really is one of the ones that we’re most pleased with" Brown added. "We’ve supplied 15 high end, glass finish plasma & LCD screens in total, spread throughout the Platinum Suite, the Wanderers Suite, the Chairman’s Suite and some of the executive bar areas. But more than this we’re now recognised as an official supplier to Bolton Wanderers and can use the club crest on all our literature, advertising and letter heads which, as supporters, we’re delighted by."

The club’s Head of Corporate Sales, Paul Hunt, revealed that with the original TVs being installed when the club first moved to the Reebok seven years ago, it was time for an upgrade. "Technology has moved on at a pace, as have the Wanderers, and nowadays the televisions play such an important part in the match day experience providing our customers with up-to-date information on our Premiership rivals. We’re extremely pleased with the results. We wanted customers to have the ‘wow’ factor when they saw the new plasma screens for the first time and we weren't disappointed. The dedicated team at TV and Video Direct were very supportive from initial concept stage right through to installation, with nothing ever being too much trouble.

Already delighted with the installation, the Wanderers are looking to install a similar amount of plasmas in the Nat Lofthouse suite in the near future. Hunt added: "The club is always looking to improve the facilities for its customers/supporters and following the success of this initial stage will be looking to increase the amount of plasma screens as part of an ongoing commitment over the coming months."

There’s also been plenty of action with the players themselves with top names such as Jaaskelainen, N'Gotty, Jaidi, Nolan, Hunt, Heirro, Gardner and Big Sam himself being just some of the stars to have installed super-sized screens in their homes.

Brown cites many reasons for the TV revolution both in the consumer and commercial sectors. "Technology has changed," he explained, "the product has evolved and prices are becoming more realistic with regards to what the mainstream market can afford. Expectations in what people want from a TV and how much they are prepared to spend have also changed. There’s a much greater percentage of the general public that don’t just want a television in the corner of the room, or hidden away in a cabinet, they want their TV to deliver that wow factor with the clearest sound and the best possible picture. The awareness in the product has changed so much in recent years."

But it's not just within the home that the little screen has been getting bigger and flatter with many types of businesses jumping aboard the plasmatic bandwagon. TV and Video Direct has also supplied to licensed betting offices, call centres, pubs, clubs and nursing homes but the revolution won’t stop there. TV and Video Direct’s Commercial Manager, Steve Hargreaves explained: "There isn’t one sector of the leisure industry which isn’t looking at installing LCDs or plasma televisions. We’re now targeting many other sectors such as casinos, bingo parlours, gyms and leisure centres which, just like the bookies, are targeting new markets and revamping their premises to appeal to a more mainstream audience. The plasmas match that appeal. They’re sexy and sleek and look great in living rooms, almost like a piece of art. But the picture quality is also so much better, which is really appreciable in public spaces where, because of the crowds, the viewing angle might not be ideal."

Unveiled at the recent home victory against Liverpool FC, the plasmas at the Reebok have proved an instant fan’s favourite although admittedly highlights of that match and the subsequent game against Manchester United would have looked great to Wanderers’ fans on any size, shape or quality of TV.