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Hughes & Kettner being bought by Thomann – Our Thoughts on the Purchase!
Introduction
You may have all seen that Thomann recently purchased and acquired the rights to Hughes & Kettner. We have seen many videos and articles covering this subject; however, there are some points that we think most people miss. So, we have put together this quick article to share our thoughts about this latest news! Because it is rather important and marks a huge turning point for both Thomann’s and Hughes & Kettner’s companies.
If you have not seen the news, then basically the online retailer Thomann has purchased the assets and rights to the Hughes & Kettner brand, allowing them to use their name, brand, logo, and any products they have made or currently make. We couldn’t find the figure that Thomann paid for Hughes & Kettner online; however, we are sure it will come out soon, and we will update it if it has.
Usually, when purchases and takeovers like this happen, they tend to mark the downfall of a company. Most companies will buy out their competitors and slowly shut them down or rebrand them into their own image. However, we don’t think this is the case here. We are going to talk about the positives to take from this news and also a few of the negatives!
Let’s Discuss the Positives
As we mentioned above, normally when an acquisition like this happens, it spells bad news or the decline of a brand. However, we don’t think this is the case in this situation. We believe Hughes & Kettner being bought out by Thomann will be a good thing overall. We are sure there will be some changes we won’t like and adjustments that might not sit well with fans. However, looking at the bigger picture, we believe this will be a big move for Hughes & Kettner!
One of the biggest benefits this will bring is the huge infrastructure that Thomann has! Their distribution and production capabilities are massive, and they will be able to integrate Hughes & Kettner products straight into it. This could mean faster build times, quicker shipping, and we imagine items will most likely be in stock most of the time. And if they aren’t, then you probably won’t have to wait long for them to arrive! This could have a knock-on effect on the price of products too—potentially leading to lower prices, as manufacturing and distribution costs may decrease.
More Good News!
One of the most exciting possibilities is that Thomann might bring back old products! Hughes & Kettner have released a lot of great gear, much of which is no longer in production. The one that pops into our mind first is the Rotosphere. We strongly believe that Thomann could re-release this unit with updates to make it more modern! Hughes & Kettner have always kept up with the times in terms of features (amp sims, DI outputs, and load boxes, for example), but they never really focused on reviving older products from their catalogue.
The last point we want to make is that we don’t know exactly what situation Hughes & Kettner were in. They could have been in financial trouble, so it might have been a case of going bust and losing the brand—or having Thomann take over. We know which one we’d rather have! So if that was the case, we’re just glad they’re still around!
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Is it all Good News?
It isn’t certain, but we don’t want Thomann to take over the brand and then slowly start making the products worse—cheaper to build, lower in quality, while keeping the prices high. Hughes & Kettner have always been known for their amazing quality and unique character within their class, and we hope this doesn’t disappear! This isn’t something we’ll be able to judge until they’ve released a few new products. Hopefully, nothing changes and we won’t even notice a difference!
Also, we hope Thomann haven’t bought them just to use their technology and designs—scrapping the brand and simply implementing all their tech into Thomann’s own products. This would be sad to see. Thomann buying Hughes & Kettnerpurely to absorb their ideas and use them for other product lines would feel like a huge loss. Again, none of this is confirmed and is purely hypothetical, but based on what we know about corporate acquisitions, this is always a possibility!
This next point isn’t really a negative, but it’s worth considering. From a business standpoint, this is a smart move for Thomann. Their in-house brand, Harley Benton, is only sold through Thomann directly. So they only make money from that brand when someone purchases it from Thomann’s website. On the other hand, Hughes & Kettner will continue to be sold through many other retailers. This means Thomann will earn revenue from Hughes & Kettner sales even when the sale doesn’t happen on their own site. A very clever move indeed!
Conclusion
So that is our thoughts on the subject—just a quick fly-through—and as more news and products come out, we will see what happens! Overall, we have a good feeling about this purchase and believe it will take Hughes & Kettner to another level! What’s nice is that the company has remained under German ownership. Thomann is a giant German company, and Hughes & Kettner were German too—nothing has changed! That’s a reassuring detail!
It wouldn’t surprise us if we see Thomann buy and acquire more brands in the coming months and years. As we said above, it’s a great way to increase revenue without relying solely on purchases made through their own website.
What are your thoughts on the news? Are you positive or skeptical? Only time will tell—however, there are definitely reasons to be both excited and a little nervous!
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