JAM US Music Group subsidiary Davitt & Hanser has announced that it has been appointed to serve as the exclusive United States distributor of Ashdown Engineering.
According to Davitt & Hanser General Manager Jay Ensminger, the appointment also marks a shift in strategy for the distribution company, which will now focus entirely on representing its growing line-up of exclusive brands while sister company KMC Music continues to provide a full complement of combo instruments, B&O, Pro Audio and the industry’s largest selection of MI accessories.
“The addition of Ashdown Engineering to our portfolio of exclusive brands enables us to focus all of our time and resources on expanding the market for the 10 brands we now represent — Aerodrums, Ashdown Engineering, Cort Guitars, G7th, Jay Turser Guitars, Kustom Amps, Mahalo Ukuleles, Powerwerks Audio Solutions, Valencia Guitars and UFIP Cymbals,” Ensminger said today. All 10 lines will be sold through the company’s current network of independent sales representatives.
According to JAM US Music Group CEO Mark Terry, the new Davitt & Hanser strategy better rationalizes JAM’s distribution strategy. “Ever since we acquired two competing distribution companies we have been looking for a way for each company to deliver unique value to their dealers,” Terry said. “This new strategy enables us to eliminate overlap while providing dealers with a more focused range of resources and a logical reason to work with both Davitt & Hanser and KMC Music.”
According to Terry, the transition will be transparent to Davitt & Hanser dealers, as all of the products the company formerly carried, as well as their account histories, credit lines and some account managers will be immediately available at KMC Music.
Terry said that the JAM US Music Group has invested the last two years analyzing customer demographics and market trends. “As a group of forward looking companies we have taken the steps required to achieve our long term growth objectives,” he emphasized. “Together, KMC Music, KMC Pro Audio, U.S. Music Corp., Marshall USA, and Davitt & Hanser have added dozens of new in-demand lines, introduced new product categories to our mix, developed a yearlong series of seasonal sales promotion programs and created strategic new business opportunities for our partner retailers. We are solidly positioned to help our dealers improve their profitability and grow their businesses in 2018 and beyond.”
