GN Audio, owner of the Jabra brand, has announced the decision to gradually wind down its Elite and Talk product lines to increase its focus and resources on other parts of the business including hearing, enterprise and gaming divisions.
In a statement shared with investors, GN said: “The re-focusing of the Elite product line towards the premium segment, which was initiated in 2023, has resulted in a stronger profitability level than before. However, the investment required for future innovation and growth in this very competitive space is deemed unjustified in the long-term given associated risks.
“The Talk product line follows a similar logic and is positioned in the declining mono Bluetooth market. Consequently, following a thorough business review the decision has been taken to gradually wind down both the Elite and Talk product lines.”
GN Store Nord CEO, Peter Karlstromer said, “The decision to gradually wind down the Elite and Talk product lines is part of our commitment to focus on attractive markets where we can deliver profitable growth and strong returns.
“I am grateful to our retail partners, who have supported us on the Elite and Talk product lines, as well as to the consumers who made us a part of their lives. We remain committed to working closely together to make this a successful wind down, including continuing with the launch of our final Elite products – the second generation of the highly acclaimed Elite 8 Active and Elite 10 – which are the best earbuds we ever made.”
Commenting on the decision from a local perspective, a Jabra spokesperson told Appliance Retailer, “The decision to gradually wind down the sale of Jabra consumer products is part of a strategic vision to focus on our core strengths in audio for the enterprise space, where we have established a strong reputation for quality, innovation and customer satisfaction.
“We are deeply grateful to our customers and partners for their support of the Elite and Talk product lines over the years. We remain committed to working closely with retail partners during the wind down, including the upcoming launch of our final Elite products, the second generation of the highly acclaimed Elite 8 Active and Elite 10.
“We will continue to work with our partners in ANZ to ensure existing Elite and Talk products are available in the usual online and retail channels, as well as jabra.com.”
GN will reduce the inventory of the affected products, most of which will be completed by the end of 2024. GN will continue to service and support customers for several years.