Rockford Fosgate said today it will no longer ship to Best Buy as of May this year, confirming a rumor circulated widely at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Bill Jackson, Rockford’s president, commented: “The decision to part ways marks a strategic shift in direction for the Rockford Fosgate brand and allows us to focus even more directly on building our lead in the premium mobile audio category. Our strategy for 2010 and beyond is to focus on growing our brands in specialty channels and regional A/V retailers. We will continue to invest in technology, developing high-end OEM solutions and expanding our reach with new product categories.”
Rockford said it launched 40 new products at an off-site hotel suite during CES.
There’s been much speculation that Kicker and Polk will enter Best Buy this year and we’ve heard that a second major car supplier will get the boot. Kicker, however, would not confirm an entry into Best Buy. Senior marketing coordination manager Ron Burnett said last week, “We spoke to many retailers during the show, but no deals or contracts with any of them (that I know of) have been finalized at present time.” Also, a source close to Polk could not confirm the brand’s entry into Best Buy.
