Statement by Aqipa GmbH on the insolvency of Onkyo Home Entertainment

For years, Aqipa GmbH has been regarded as a distribution company in the field of consumer electronics that sees itself as a specialist in logistics, sales and channel marketing and represents a number of brands in German-speaking countries, and in some cases throughout Europe. This also includes the solutions of the Pioneer, Onkyo and Integra brands, because in all the turmoil surrounding the two brands Pioneer and Onkyo in recent years, the company from Kundl in Tyrol, which was founded in 1990, secured an exclusive distribution contract for these two brands, as well as for the Integra brand.

Aqipa GmbH clarifies that it will continue to market products from Onkyo, Pioneer and Integra

On the occasion of the insolvency of Onkyo Home Entertainment in Japan, which has now become known, the Tyrolean company Aqipa GmbH feels compelled to make a statement. In this statement, it is once again made clear that the audio division of Onkyo Home Entertainment was already sold last year to the US company VOXX International Company and Sharp Corporation.

Distribution contract until at least the end of 2023

Furthermore, it is expressly emphasised that the Pioneer, Onkyo and Integra brands will nevertheless continue to be marketed by Aqipa GmbH; the company will thus continue to focus on fulfilling the existing distribution contract as well as supplying the products to Europe at least until the end of 2023.

“We deeply regret the insolvency of Onkyo. It did not come as a surprise to us, due to the sale last year, and will have no immediate impact on our business relationship with VOXX, which is our current contractual partner for the master distribution agreement of the Pioneer, Onkyo and Integra brands.”

Klaus Trapl, Vice President of Global Sales Aqipa GmbH

Only limited availability

However, Aqipa GmbH admits that only a limited number of Onkyo and Pioneer products are currently available in Europe, which are distributed via selected partners and the official EU online store of Pioneer and Onkyo.

Getting to the point

There is a lot of confusion about the Onkyo and Pioneer brands, and the news about the insolvency of Onkyo Home Entertainment in Japan was just another piece of the puzzle that unfortunately fits perfectly into the overall picture that has gradually emerged over the last few years. And that, it has to be said, is an extremely disastrous picture, which is not made any better by the reports currently circulating, such as the current one from Aqipa GmbH. It remains to be seen how and whether the trust of customers can be rebuilt in the long term. Any ambiguities as to who is responsible for the distribution of products that do not really exist in the end are actually irrelevant and only a side issue…