On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

HTC sees a disappointing Q3 2012, with net profit falling by -79% Y-o-Y to reach $133.2 million, a massive decline from the $636.5m net profits in Q3 2011.

Revenues for the quarter total $2.4 billion-- a decline from Q3 2011 revenues of $4.64bn.

HTC fortunes took a turn for the worse on H2 2011, following the company's building of a strong global Android smartphone brand. However recent offerings such as the One X and One failed to make much noise over huge Apple and Samsung launches.

The company still has new products in store, such as the Windows Phone 8-powered 8X and 8S handsets and updated Android flagship One X+.

Go HTC Unaudited Q3 2012 Results

Customer demand for ultra-HD 4K TVs for the 2012-2017 period will remain "negligible" according to IHS iSuppli, despite tradeshow hype and a number of high-profile product launches.

According to the analyst global 4K TV shipments during the next 5 years will never account for more than 1% of the total LCD TV market-- shipments will grow from 4000 units in 2012 to 2.1 million by 2017 (or 0.8% of global LCD shipments for the year).

A number of vendors already have sets featuring 3840 x 2160 (or "4K") resolutions, including 84-inch models from Sony and LG, and a 55-inch number from Toshiba.

As iSuppli bluntly puts it, "neither consumers nor television brands will have the interest required to make the 4K LCD-TV market successful." Available content in 4K resolution is limited, while the market for 60 inch and over TVs (the ideal size for 4K) remains fairly small at only 1.5% of total 2012 TV shipments.

Hefty price tags and a general "1080p resolution is good enough" consumer attitude also don't help the 4K cause too much.

iSuppli believes 4K TVs are something of a "transitional" product-- filling high-end TV product lines until manufacturers iron out the difficulties in AMOLED panel mass production.

Go 4K TVs to See Marginal Share of LCD TV Market Through 2017 (IHS iSuppli)

According to De Tijd Belgium-based Krëfel plans to purchase "significant part" of the ailing Photo Hall electronics stores from the Spector Photo Group.

Spector is under pressure from banks to sell its retail division-- consisting of the Belgian Photo Hall stores and the Hifi International outlets in Luxembourg. Photo Hall currently barely limps along, with sales for the January-August 2012 period dropping by -80% Y-o-Y.

However Krëfel is not the only company showing an interest in Photo Hall. De Tijd says Spector received 7 bids for the Belgian bids (covering either property or property and staff), with courts demanding a 2nd round of bidding due to too low acquisition offers.

Amongst the initial bidders is French retailer Fnac.

Spector has 90 Photo Hall and Hifi stores (with 70 Photo Hall outlets in Belgium) employing 350 people. Meanwhile Krëfel sells appliances, TVs and telecom products from 75 outlets in Belgium.

Go Krëfel Offers for Part of Photo Hall (De Tijd)

Metro AG cuts its earnings outlook for 2012-- blaming rising Eurozone unemployment and the sovereign debt crisis, the retailer predicts underlying earnings will fall by over -15% Y-o-Y during 2012.

Metro expects 2012 earnings before interests and taxes (EBIT) and before special items to reach around €2 billion, down from €2.37bn in 2011.

Metro owns cash-and-carry stores as well as the Real hypermarket group and even the UK’s Tesco earlier this month reported its first fall in profits in 20 years.

But the owner of Media Markt and Saturn electronics chain, Europe's most prominent CE chain, also warned that consumer spending has particularly slowed for electronics. Metro Group also said it would scale back its investment plans for next year and that will mean less new Media Markt and Saturn electronics outlets.