Shure is changing to direct distribution in Austria in the New Year, opening a new office in Schwaz, near Innsbruck.
It will be responsible for all sales within the Systems and Consumer divisions in Austria, with the aim of bringing Shure closer to its Austrian customers and providing direct points of contact for all technical support and distribution-related matters in the country.
While Systems- and Consumer-related activities will be the responsibility of the new Tirol-based office with the start of 2018, Shure Distribution’s pro audio business in Austria will remain with the Company’s existing Austrian distribution partner, Kain Audio, based in Salzburg and Vienna.
“We would like to thank Kain Audio, our long-standing partner in Austria, for the excellent work it has done to promote all aspects of Shure’s business for more than 20 years, and we’re delighted that they are continuing as our business partners in the Austrian pro audio market,” commented Marco Weissert, managing director of Shure Distribution. “Christian Kain and his team have an unblemished reputation for excellence in the Austrian pro audio market, and knowing that they will continue to apply their considerable acumen to supporting our live sound business in Austria makes it possible for us to concentrate on further developing the Systems and Consumer markets.”
The new Shure Austria office will be led by Gerd Kostial, who has run Shure’s market development office in the country since 2015.
“We took the decision to move to a direct distribution model in order to cultivate more direct, more personal relationships with our Austrian customers in the future,” explained Kostial. “By offering our Systems and Consumer products locally, we can serve our customers and their projects more quickly, comprehensively, and flexibly. We can also recognize and respond to their needs faster, feeding their practical requirements into our product development cycles more rapidly.”
Shure applications engineer Christian Thöni, already well-known throughout the Austrian Events and Installation market for his extensive experience, will continue to provide customers with support through Shure Austria. Gerd Kostial and his staff at the new office will also be supported by the 30-strong Shure Distribution team in southern Germany.
“We became Shure’s distributor in 1995 and have enthusiastically promoted and developed the brand in Austria since that time,” added Christian Kain, managing director of Kain Audio-Technik. “We learned of Shure’s decision with heavy hearts, but change is always healthy in a business, and nothing stays the same forever. We are also delighted to continue as Shure’s representative for the pro audio market in this country. Our slogan at Kain is ‘Your Partner In Sound,’ and that is exactly what we continue to be for Shure’s live sound, rental, and professional customers in Austria, as well as the many small dealers throughout the country.”
