price rises

[admin_exported]

I will be wanting to purchase a 46-50 inch telly in april and was waiting for new models from Samsung.Is it likely we are going to see price rises due to the fall of the pound , in which case would I be better off buying a current led backlit lcd fom samsung or a pioneer 5090 now to get the best deal?

 

[Andrew Everard]

It all depends in which currencies the products are bought and sold between the factory and the shop. Theoretically the Samsung price should be relatively stable, as the South Korean Won, after some ups and downs against the Pound, is back to about where it was at the end of last Summer.

The Pioneer? Well, the Japanese yen was just above 210 to the Pound in August, and is now at about 130 or so - a straight conversion would suggest rises of up to 40%.

Of course, it's not quite that simple, and there are many other factors involved. The trading between country of manufacture and country of sale may be in US Dollars or Euros, which introduces another layer of currency exchanges, and of companies may - and often do - buy currency in advance and so on.

But yes, I think rises are almost inevitable, however counter-intuitive they may seem at a time of falling inflation, plummeting sales and retailers teetering on the brink.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Andrew so if I decide on Pioneer buy now if Samsung maybe wait for new models seems to be best bet.Are the new sets from Samsung likely to be a significant improvement and are you likely to have any for tests soon?

 

[Andrew Everard]

All we've seen are some technology demonstrations in Korea a couple of months ago, and the US models our 'Away Team' saw in Las Vegas at CES, so hard to judge.

Of course we've requested review samples of anything the company has in the UK just as soon as it has it.