Products

The principal products sold by the Group are categorised as white, brown and grey electrical goods and related accessories.

White Goods comprise large and small sized domestic appliances, such as refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves, coffee machines and irons. Whilst the large sized domestic appliances benefit from improved innovation, design and environmental efficiencies, they are established markets with high household penetration rate where volume is driven by a need or desire to replace the product.

Brown Goods includes all vision and audio products such as flat-screen televisions, DVD players, MP3 players and camcorders.

Grey Goods includes telecommunications and multimedia products such as mobile telephones, personal computers, laptops, digital cameras, printers, scanners, games and electronics. Both Brown and Grey Goods are rapidly changing markets driven by the switch from analogue to digital technologies, coupled with price deflation. There is also increasing communication between these products aided by the development of high-speed broadband and wireless networking.

Services

Our specialist business model means that we are ideally placed to offer associated services such as home delivery and installation, credit and extended warranties. In addition, the development of digital convergence has provided us with the opportunity to offer a range of “paid for” services.

Darty’s new services offer includes four installation services, five training services and Darty Box, its own triple play proposition.

Comet has trialled a multi-media support service for home and small business users under the brand “IT Therapy”. This will be rolled out in 2007 and rebranded as “Comet on Call”.