Things were different for Arcam in the late 1990s. The business wanted to push exports, then running at around 30% of sales, but its Alpha range of hi-fi separates, while selling well in the UK, ran into resistance abroad.
In an effort to cut costs, the company had used fascias made of injection moulded plastic. But the move backfired when buyers in critical markets like Japan and Korea identified the products (like the Alpha 10 tuner, pictured) with low cost electricals.
Charlie Brennan says: ‘I would demonstrate a product and they would say, “it’s fantastic but I can’t sell it”. The performance of the engineering was more than capable of competing but the enclosure let it down. The audiophile market wanted something solid and metallic and our product needed more precision and rigidity.’
The business began an urgent search for a designer to help change direction. Brennan, who at that time was sales director, was drawn to Stokes’s background in both volume and bespoke manufacturing and his interest in materials working with clients such as furniture manufacturer Gordon Russell and luggage manufacturer Carlton. ‘The quality of his work plus his appreciation of engineering helped us decide he would be the best to work with,’ says Brennan.
The first move was to launch what was essentially a newly styled version of the existing products. The FMJ range, which Arcam still produces, brought in aluminium fascias and controls. ‘It communicated refinement and quality in a non-stylised way. This approach, together with the quality of the manufacturing, meant the visual appearance and feel of the product complemented its superb musical performance, and ten years on it still sits quietly and beautifully,’ says Stokes. The additional lower-cost Diva range completed the new line-up.
Brennan adds: ‘The design language we created ten years ago is still in place and still looks good. It’s not flashy but it works well in traditional or modern homes and it’s got a quiet, restrained and elegant quality to it because we’re trying to persuade someone to invest in something they’re going to enjoy for ten or 15 years.’
Once-resistant export markets opened up: ‘We started to get distributors on board and retailers were starting to say they could sell the products,’ says Brennan. The impact on the sales curve was dramatic, with exports rising to 55% of turnover.