Home Cinema Choice. December
2005. Deleted Scenes Column
I was in a home cinema shop the other day.
Or at least, I think I was in a home cinema shop. There was certainly
some home cinema kit in the showroom upstairs and no less than
three separate systems in the demo room downstairs, though you
really had to look hard to find them. If I sound less than sure
of myself, the reason is that this was a home cinema shop unlike
any I had been any before. One that was doing its damndest to
look like anything other than a home cinema and hi-fi store, and
doing a pretty good job of it.
The shop is in Ealing, and the co-owner, Saj Afzal, is an old
hand at selling and installing AV and hi-fi. Saj, and his business
partner Nimish Shah, have an established store in Maidenhead,
which has been trading successfully for several years. But for
the Ealing store, they have redefined what a home cinema retail
outlet should look like.
If you're searching for a one-word description of the store, the
word 'minimalist' is the one which springs most readily to mind.
You won't find shelves and shelves full of black boxes, just a
few discrete systems, using plasma screens and an integrated amplifier
for amplification and surround sound processing, together with
classy, great-looking furniture and décor, from the rugs
to the table lamps. It looks more like a set from a style shoot
than a home cinema shop, and the theme continues in the showroom
downstairs, where the beautiful room setting belies the fact that
the room is actually a demo facility for three virtually invisible
home cinema systems.
'It's a big change from what people are used to' admits Saj. 'We
get people walking in asking what we do, admiring the décor.
But when they come in, they get it. We are getting a lot of women
coming in, having a good look round. That's really unusual for
a home cinema or hi-fi store.'
The other point Saj is keen to get over is that everything works.
DVDs run on a loop so that at any point, Saj can whack up the
volume and give the customer an idea of what this great-looking
kit can do.
'I've been in shops where I have asked for a demo and there's
been a 10-minute wait while they hook everything up and find a
DVD to play' says Saj. 'It's criminal. If someone likes the look
of something, they should be able to try it there and then.'
Beautiful though the store is, Saj and Nimish can't (and don't
try to) take all the credit for it. The driving force behind the
design, in fact, is Danish speaker company Artcoustic. The company's
wall-mounted speakers (including subs!) are almost unique in combining
gorgeous, room-friendly design with outstanding performance. The
grilles on the front of the speakers can be customised with a
massive selection of graphics or paintings, including family photographs,
if that's what you want. But the speakers are fantastic performers
in their own right.
The company is fiercely protective of the way its products are
displayed and sold, and is working with Audio Venue and other
retailers who share its vision to roll out these high-end concept
stores across the UK. Other venues being given the Artcoustic
treatment include Musical Images (Covent Garden and Beckenham),
Dawsons in Bournemouth, Stratford Hi-Fi, ideas in Cardiff and
Definitions in Leeds. (There's a full list at www.artcoustic.com)
'We're trying to bring the concept of desirability back into home
cinema and hi-fi' says Artcoustic's Paul Cummin. 'Trying to create
a showroom presence that stops people in their tracks and makes
the things we are selling really desirable. Jewellers do it, car
showrooms do it, but it doesn't really happen in our industry,
and that's what we are trying to change. If you're asking people
to spend £10,000 or more on a system, you've got to make
it a special experience."
Of course, designing a store to this template means there is much
less kit for customers to choose from, but Cummin is unapologetic.
'It's all about focus' he says. 'What's the first thing Gordon
Ramsay does on his programme when he tries to turn round these
failing restaurants? The first thing he does is to ask them why
there are four chicken dishes on the menu. Most people don't want
too much choice. They are looking for guidance in what they buy.'
It's certainly a brave concept, and one that probably won't appeal
to the sort of home cinema nut who likes everything on display,
the bigger the better, for all his friends to see. But for the
growing number of people who want a home cinema that's more 'home'
than 'cinema', the idea could just catch on.