A Northern Ireland Hi-Fi shop is hitting all the right notes as it celebrates 36 years in business. Having started from very humble beginnings in 1988, award-winning Kronos Audio Visual is now a global name in the Hi-Fi and stereo industry. Created by Dungannon music enthusiast David Campbell from his bedroom, Kronos AV was born out of frustration and a £1,000 loan from his uncle.
David explained: “I was a huge music fan and having searched several local stores for my hifi needs I couldn’t find a store that offered a diverse range of products that offered the customer the ability to build a music system to their exact needs and desires. So, out of frustration, I decided to start his own from my bedroom. “After attending shows in the UK, I spoke to numerous brands who were all keen to bring their brands to Northern Ireland so with a £1,000 loan from my uncle, I started Kronos AV.
” Over the past 36 years, Kronos AV has grown with the opening of its first store in Dungannon as well as expanding in Northern Ireland and into the UK mainland. Alongside this Kronos AV have solidified itself as a leading online retailer with customers from across the globe. The managing director explained: “We have grown over the years.
I started part time in my bedroom before opening our first store in Dungannon. We then moved to a larger store just down the road. "We then took on the huge challenge of opening a store in England.
We had quite a lot of customers from the UK mainland that liked the way we did things, and at shows and from feedback they said they wished there was a Kronos AV store on the UK mainland. We therefore took the plunge and opened a store in Uckfield, in West Sussex, before moving to larger premises in Staplefield, just outside Brighton. We have now taken on a second unit there and our business has grown massively in England with this shop.
"Last year we opened up a store in Lisburn as it gave many of our customers from Belfast, Bangor...
a more convenient shop. It has focused on higher end systems, and it has been going really well so far. In March 2024, we also opened our new flagship store in Dungannon, which offers one of the most immersive listening experiences.
” Kronos AV’s main business is providing customers with state of the art music systems for their homes and they specialise in everything from turntables to the latest in streaming technology. Specialised and one off creations, many unique systems have been installed in some of the finest homes in Northern Ireland, Ireland and the UK mainland, including several well known celebrities. David continued: “We have worked with some amazing people over the years, and most recently we have been working with Emmy Award Winner Foy Vance who we supplied a system to.
"We had a fantastic chat about music and he explained to us the time and challenges he faces, and the minute details he goes to in the studio, but then it can’t always be heard. He talked about the adjustments can be as little as 1Db, but you need a system allowing you to hear that. It was great to chat to him because you aren’t hearing that on a lot of Bluetooth speakers or basic systems.
"Foy was actually replacing a system and he could immediately hear the differences. It was great to hear it from the artist directly that what we are doing is really close to what the artist recorded. He even joked that this system was probably better than his studio system.
That was a fantastic compliment to have. “We have worked with several celebrities over the years, many we aren’t allowed to mention, but we work with people at all budgets and while we do supply some of the best homes in the UK and beyond and have that side of the business, we also work alongside true music lovers that just want to hear their music at its true best. I love that! That is true passion.
” David’s philosophy of developing the system around the customers needs, desires and budget have helped to establish Kronos AV as one of the world’s most highly renowned specialist audio retailers. This year alone the firm scooped two global awards having been awarded the prestigious Audio Equipment Supplier of the Year at the Corporate LiveWire Global Awards, alongside Global Awards: Finance Monthly – Outstanding Retailer in Consumer Credit Services. He continued: “The awards haven’t stop there, we’ve notched up numerous others this year including Best Nationwide Audio Visual Retailer UK winner, Best AV Retailer (South England Prestige Award Winner), winner of the Northern Irish Enterprise Award, Audio Equipment Supplier of the Year winner (Scotland Prestige Award) and Multi-Award Winner ( Hall of Fame Inductee).
"As you can imagine, all of this comes from a lot of hard work and time, and to be receiving the accolades has really made me happy not only because the business is getting global recognition, but our staff are getting rewarded for the hard work each and every one of them put in.” David’s son Richie, who operates the online side of the business, stated: “It was a real challenge when I started because we wanted to develop the online side of the business. I knew how my Dad was with customers and the personal experience he created for them.
Transitioning that to an online experience was the task that was set, but it is one I feel we have managed to achieve. The online side of our business has grown exponentially over the last few years, and we began to see more and more worldwide interest in our business. Creating the shopping experience was one aspect but then we also had to build the infrastructure surrounding this, in order to offer customers a premium delivery service.
This required new warehousing, specialised packaging materials and finding the right couriers for the job. We are constantly working on new ways to make our shopping experience better and creating a more personalised experience for customers regardless of whether it is in-store or online." While younger brother Matthew, highlighted: “While Richie did a great job gaining a wider audience, I was then tasked with balancing the retails stores and the online side of our business.
My job title became Operations manager and I am the “middle man” between all sectors of Kronos AV. While I work closely with Richie on the online side of the business, my duties also extend into the general running of our retail stores too. My job is very interesting because no two days are the same.
I really enjoy that aspect of the business, as I work with both the in store customers, while also working on the online side. Much of my job also relates to the logistics. With the luxury items we sell, each delivery is slightly different, so I work with a wide range of couriers to ensure safe transport.
My duties also extend into the warehousing, and working with our excellent warehousing team to make sure orders are dispatched on time. It's all go..
.” Looking to the future as well as the past, David reflected: “ Business has changed so much over the years, and we have had to adapt on numerous occasions, but it’s a passion for me and that helps because it makes the effort and time needed to make your business successful much more enjoyable. “I am lucky that my sons have also come into the business and they run the online side of it for me.
Looking after marketing, the website and shipping has been a huge help to us, and we have created, in my opinion, a fantastic blend of an “old school” face to face buying experience with customers as well as distance selling via the web. "While I personally like the face to face interaction, I could see the need to develop and grow online. The key for me however was that the service and relationship we have with our customers couldn’t change.
That challenge is what I set my sons when we discussed moving online, and I was aware I was asking a lot from them, but to their credit they developed a way to make buying online feel a lot more personal and you don’t feel like just a number on a page, there is more care and attention than that. "I feel treating customers with this attention and care has led to several of the awards. I am so proud that they are getting awards now for creating a really special buying experience, even from a distance.
” And with plans for more stores, David is also planning a special 40th anniversary celebration for the business and is hoping for He added: “It has been an absolute pleasure to have been doing something that I love for the last 36 years. Kronos AV is now a generational family business and to have my sons working alongside me is fantastic, and they are really helping in the growth of the business. "The future’s looking good for us, which in this day and age is music to my ears! I’m looking forward to marking our 40th birthday.
.I’m not sure what we’ll do but I’m sure music will play a big part in the celebrations.” David, managing director (left) with son Richie (right) alongside their Global Audio Supplier of the Year Award Photo: u A stunning chrome masterpiece from German manufacturer Acoustic Solid.
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. Photo: u Chario Constellation Lynx loudspeakers installed in a stunning London apartment Photo: u A demo suite in Kronos AV Lisburn, featuring products from Denmark, USA, Italy and Japan Photo: u.
