Closures of LMS

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splash
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Closures of LMS

Post by splash »

On another thread we discussed the problems of shops like the Works dumping cheap Airfix kits on the market at a time when LMS's need all the sales they can get.

Well it's just effected us here in Yeovil Somerset, up untill Yesterday we had Beals Department Store that always had a good selection of Airfix, hornby & scalextric in their toy department, I popped in yesterday and discovered the whole of model department empty, when I asked the polite young girl who was filling the now empty shelves with toys, said they were no longer dealing with Hornby and had been told to remove all the products from their store.

It's a big shame as they were the only supplier in the area, that sold up to date Airfix kits, it now only leaves us with Model Hobby who's small range never seams to change.

Looking on the bright side, it will stop me increasing my stash :-D
My work bench is starting to look like Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.
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fredk
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by fredk »

My main LMS will still be keeping Airfix & Humbrol but he's stopped getting direct from Hornby.
He says; he can buy cheaper from Hannants, get it quicker, and the order to Hannants can be any size but at least £350 from Airfix
Also Airfix set the prices; if he doesn't sell at their prices they say they'll not supply him. Buying from Hannants he can sell at whatever price he wants.
An example he gave was the new Victor; as of just before Chistmas he was still waiting for his order of 4 from Airfix placed last spring. In the meantime, to satisfy a couple of customers he ordered 4 from Hannants; he had them in 3 days after his telephoned order - and cheaper than the price from Airfix.

If Airfix won't deal with the LMS properly they'll just not sell Airfix products.
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iggie
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by iggie »

I'm not trying to be an excuse merchant for Airfix but the nub of this might be in contained in the phrase "his order of four"......
I suspect what Airfix are trying to do is to get the likes of Hannants and JAdlamracing to act as their wholesalers and distribution agents; Airfix then can streamline their dispatch department for bulk orders but less frequent dispatches. Hannants etc. are rewarded with bigger discounts for handling the more frequent but smaller value distribution to LMSs and the public too. I expect that there will come a time when we as individuals will no longer be able to order direct from Airfix.
Personally this does not bother me, as long as the business model holds up and Airfix stays profitable and able to produce quality new tools at reasonable intervals and prices
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fredk
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by fredk »

His 'order for four' Victors was part of a much larger order, of which he received about 1/3rd and had to go to Hannants to get most of the rest. A non-model hobby shop had the new releases in before he did and selling at a highly discounted price.
He's still waiting on the BE2c, Eindecker, Swift and few others from that order.
He's not a small trader either, about 1350 sq ft [about 45 x 30 ft] on ground floor and half again up one; wall to wall, floor to ceiling in models and diecasts.
He can buy Hornby train items in ones or twos, but when he wanted to keep a selection of the lego type Quickbuilds he was told he had to order 10 of each and keep the whole range and sell at no less than £9.99. Another local non-modelling shop was selling them at £6.99. Thus there are none in his shop.
I hear all his gripes when I go in - I don't mind listening, I think it helps him to talk it out.
Al speling misteaks aer all mi own werk..
Its not just how good your painting is, its how good the touch-ups are too.
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by shangos70 »

splash wrote:On another thread we discussed the problems of shops like the Works dumping cheap Airfix kits on the market at a time when LMS's need all the sales they can get.

Well it's just effected us here in Yeovil Somerset, up untill Yesterday we had Beals Department Store that always had a good selection of Airfix, hornby & scalextric in their toy department, I popped in yesterday and discovered the whole of model department empty, when I asked the polite young girl who was filling the now empty shelves with toys, said they were no longer dealing with Hornby and had been told to remove all the products from their store.

It's a big shame as they were the only supplier in the area, that sold up to date Airfix kits, it now only leaves us with Model Hobby who's small range never seams to change.

Looking on the bright side, it will stop me increasing my stash :-D
This may not be a "dumping " issue. I read earlier this week that Hornby were pulling all their concessions from lots of stores. This also affects the likes of WHS Modelzone who carried mainly Hornby products with a smattering of Revell and Die Cast. I suspect this could lead to the closure of some of the Modelzone areas in the larger WHS.
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MarkyM607
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by MarkyM607 »

Our local Beales had a 'concession' Airfix display but that's gone now. Maybe it's this that's the reason why.

P.S. Barrets of St Neots was the only place to get any models otherwise, granted only Revell but it was something. But they're closing down so nowhere does models in the local area. An office supply store does do some Humbrol paints though. Goldings in Bedford is now my only bet (All Airfix!).
Hoping to return to modelling sometime this year!! :lol:
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by Dazzled »

I think it's a shame that Airfix are going in this direction with vendors and, speaking as someone with a DHE in business design, I think it's a very short sighted business policy. In effect, Airfix are cutting off an outlet for their products; an outlet I suspect that they may come to rely on as a back up in the future. It's akin to removing a wheel from a car to save money on tyres!

On a personal note, I'm saddened to see such a large, well known and well respected model manufacturer treating the small model shops this way. As a few of you have stated, there aren't many model shops outside of large cities and some areas are completely bereft of a shop where we can pop into and purchase our supplies. Modelzone did a hatchet job on a lot of the smaller shops a few years ago and those that survived now seem to be under threat from the UKs premier kit producer and this can't be a good thing for any of us :frown:

And local model shops are much more than just trade outlets. I called into Antics in Cardiff today for a few jars of paint and some filler and ended up spending a good 45 minutes having a chat with the staff and a fellow modeller I normally only see at shows. You don't get that at Tescos :roll:

I for one hope that Airfix come to their senses and start giving model shops the support they need and deserve.
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by shangos70 »

I don't think it's the independents they are pulling out of, it seems to be the chains. I assume they have to pay to rent premium space for their product and stands / signage etc. from what I read the products will now be carried as regular stock rather than them renting space. The independents will still deal with them the way have done before. I was at Aeroventure in Doncaster earlier in the week and it was mentioned. It won't effect them.
If you go on the Hornby site it lists all stockists and if they are concession or not.

The one Splash mentioned is listed as a concession.
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splash
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by splash »

You are right Beals was a concession store, I recall a member of staff once saying the kits were not part of the shops sale due to the concession owners setting their own prices.

This would also explain the sudden removal of all the stock instead of just running it down.
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by mylo66 »

Went into my local Hobbycraft store (1km from hornby visitors centre) to find a vastly depleted modelling section.
Is this being repeated in other hobbycraft stores?
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by Kitaholic »

Telford Hobbycraft is looking pretty sparse too
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by mylo66 »

Hmm not a good sign, its nice to do a little restocking and come out with a little paper bag with
a few tinlets the odd brush or 2.
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splash
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by splash »

I have just come back from the Yeovil HobbyCraft store, the Tamiya and Revell shelves were full but the Airfix shelves had lots of gaps, let's hope it's just post sales awaiting restocking.
My work bench is starting to look like Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by jamesaw »

Our LMS in Newmarket has been having problems getting stock. None of the releases from August on were available for Christmas
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Re: Closures of LMS

Post by Dazzled »

splash wrote:I have just come back from the Yeovil HobbyCraft store, the Tamiya and Revell shelves were full but the Airfix shelves had lots of gaps, let's hope it's just post sales awaiting restocking.

This, and something that Fred said about an "order of four", brought to mind a conversation I had with a trader at the Belgian nationals in October. Airfix are still producing a lot of their kits in India where they've invested in production facilities. However, they don't seem to have invested as much in the logistics side and, as a result, specific orders don't always (actually very rarely) end up in the place where there's most demand. They simply fill containers with whatever's to hand and despatch them to wherever so, perhaps, the root of these issues is different to Airfix's policy towards LHS's.
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