Editor’s Note: Today’s commentary continues the ongoing discussion over Phonak’s recent decision to begin distributing its hearing aids through Costco Hearing Aid Centers nationwide. As I promised yesterday, today’s Hearing View exclusive comes directly from the Phonak president, Jeff Newnham, addressing the company’s new partnership with Costco.
We would like to thank Mr. Newnham and Phonak for their willingness to respond to our requests to address some of the rumors and help clarify the company’s position on its decision to partner with Costco.
By Jeff Newnham
Jeff Newnham, Phonak President
The decision to offer Phonak branded hearing aids to Costco was based on several reasons:
- We want to help all hearing-impaired people, including those consumers motivated by price who prefer a value practice model for their hearing care.
- We believe that Phonak provides the most innovative technology available today and we want to make these products available to as many people as possible so that they may live their lives without limitation.
Phonak Brio is marketed for Costco to provide a level of brand name protection to our independent hearing healthcare providers by not allowing consumers easy price comparisons across different retail or independent practices.
Phonak technology provides positive impact to millions of lives in the United States, and we couldn’t do this without our current customer base of independent providers, who are the backbone of the US hearing industry.
Our Phonak commercial sales team, clinical trainers and internal customer support teams are dedicated to the independent hearing healthcare providers and their respective businesses. We have no intention of changing our high level of commitment to the hearing healthcare community, and will continue to partner with them to help grow their business by offering innovative solutions for those in need of hearing healthcare.
Jeff Newnham is president of Phonak LLC. Headquartered in Warrenville, Illinois, Phonak LLC was founded in the United States in 1989. Phonak LLC is a Group Company of Sonova Holding AG.
