Bang & Olufsen Plunges as Consumers Spurn $15,000 TVs

  • Company abandons three-year targets, halts buyback program
  • CEO says company overestimated speed of turnaround efforts
A Bang & Olufsen Beovision Eclipse television.Source: Bang & Olufsen

Bang & Olufsen A/S shares lost a quarter of their value after the ailing Danish luxury audio-equipment maker warned that television sales are falling, endangering Chief Executive Officer Henrik Clausen’s turnaround efforts.

The company cut Bloomberg Terminalits outlook after third-quarter operating profit fell 39 percent, damping confidence in Clausen’s prediction two months ago that the company should rebound in the next two years. Bang & Olufsen is struggling to sell its high-end $15,000 BeoVision Eclipse TV sets as tech reviewers point out that consumers can find cheaper systems of similar quality.