Established in 1985, BG Franck Bichon is one the world’s leading producers of woodwind accessories, with agents selling its products in 80 countries worldwide. The company thrives with mom and pop store values and continues to grow, partnering with Yamaha and American Way Marketing. MMR spoke with Franck Bichon, founder of the Lyon, France based company, and discussed his thoughts on the MI industry, and BG’s future and philosophy.
“It’s about impulse buys. Some days, it seems like [accessories] are the only things that move.” Orange may be the “new black” and, for stylish ladies, it’s possible that nothing tops off a fancy ensemble like the perfect purse or a pair of earrings, but in the world of MI retail, “accessories” has nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with maintaining a steady profit flow, even in challenging economic times.
Many Suppliers Offering Many Options – But You Can’t Sell Them if You Don’t Carry Them…Frank Grund recently took his vintage amp out to play with friends, and recalls while “going out the door, I banged it into the door and nicked it.” Grund’s day job? President of Grundorf, an Iowa-based company that makes amplifiers and cases. So he knows all too well that “whether the musician is full time, part time, or just any time, if the instrument or amp isn’t properly protected, it can and likely will get damaged.”
Marc Harris of Harris Musical Products was creating buzz in disproportion to size of his modest summer NAMM booth, and it was due in no small part to his partnership with a bold new startup called Wheatware.
…dealers, suppliers explore effective accessory marketing “There’s been a paradigm shift over the last 10 years in regard to accessories,” says Ted Eschliman of Dietze Music, the four-store Nebraska dealership. “There was a time when you would sell a big-ticket item and then throw a bunch of things in — strings, straps, and so on. That was easier to do when we were making 40 points on an instrument. Now that we’re making 28 points or less, we don’t give accessories away.”
