Alba gets in tune with Ministry

ALBA, the Essex-based consumer electronics group, has signed a licensing agreement with the Ministry of Sound to develop a range of hi-fi equipment that will appeal to a generation of affluent clubbers.

Finance director Andrew Rose said: 'We are very strong at the lower and mid end of the market and we wanted a quality brand that would mean something to the people who buy these products.'

As well as clubs, Ministry of Sound, has its own record label, internet radio stations and touring club systems. It expects to play to more than two million people this year and will take 10,000 clubbers to Ibiza.

The products will be branded Ministry of Sound and will make use of technology developed on the club's sound system. The first hi-fis and mini-systems will be available in the autumn. Alba hopes to score a gadgetry first with the launch of a portable radio with built-in recordable MP3 technology. Alba's last foray into what it hoped would be cutting edge technology backfired when it was forced to pull out of an internet-enabled television venture after losing nearly £18m.