discussion W.H. Smith = Modelzone

[spanner570]

There is a very strong rumour going around that W.H.Smith have bought the Modelzone name and are about to sell kits amongst the books in their stores.....

Anyone heard anything?.......

 

[Guest]

News to me Ron i'll keep my ears open.

John

 

[Guest]

This is true

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10368590/WH-Smith-profits-rise-again-despite-falling-high-street-sales.html

In the annual results, WH Smith revealed that is has bought the Modelzone brand out of administration

The model retailer collapsed into administration earlier this year. WH Smith plans to use the brand to sell gifts within its stores. The company also owns the Past Times and Gadgetshop brands.

The final paragraph says about it

 

[Alan 45]

I'm always in WHsmiths so if I see anything I'll let you know be great if they do

 

[Guest]

The Manchester Arndale Centre store has been selling kits etc. for a couple of months now - Airfix, Revell and Tamiya from what I remember.

 

[rickoshea52]

Great. As if WHS isn't cluttered up enough. It'll be interesting to see how they fit in the MZ stock lines as they are more than just plastic models.

 

[Guest]

WHSmith stock Airfix and the occasional Revel kits in up here.

 

[Guest]

nothing in Scouseland, although Rapid Hardware have started selling kits of variouse makes/ sizes... ground floor next to Tesco Williamson Square

 

[Alan 45]

I poped into the Newton Abbott shop today and there is not a single kit to be seen anywhere mind you it is a small outlet so that's probably why

 

[Guest]

nothing in Scouseland, although Rapid Hardware have started selling kits of variouse makes/ sizes... ground floor next to Tesco Williamson Square

turns out they bought a lot of the closing stock.. didn't turn out to be much , as they haven't upped the quota any...

 

[john i am]

WHS in B'ham have a MZ section with quite a comprehensive selection but I don't hold out much hope for its success as I work in B'ham and have yet to see anyone show any interest

 

[Guest]

Tho its not modelzone branded, whs smiths in Ipswich have been doing not only a fairly good range of kits from airfix, revel, Tamiya,but also a fair range of Hornby as well, for over 8 months now.

Cheers, Andrew

 

[Dave W]

Looked in Southend WH Smiths and they only have a couple of the Airfix starter sets.Probably wouldn't be worth their while stocking a load of kits as Southends only model/ art shop (Lawrence Mathews) is close by.I noticed WHS hade the spitfire starter set priced at £7.99 and the same kit in a 'Haynes' manual labelled box for £12.99!.The only difference is you get an extra one of those horrible little Airfix paint pots in the Haynes boxing.

 

[Guest]

I will be looking out for this in the Birkenhead store.

Scott

 

[stona]

WHS in B'ham have a MZ section with quite a comprehensive selection but I don't hold out much hope for its success as I work in B'ham and have yet to see anyone show any interest

I'm afraid I have to agree with you. The fundamental problem, and why MZ went bust in the first place, hasn't gone away. I live in Birmingham and am guilty of never having gone in to MZ, and I very much doubt I'll be going in to WH Smiths in the city either.

Like many I tend to avoid the city centre. I do most of my model shopping online and most other shopping we do anywhere but the city centre!

There used to be a model shop at the bottom end of Shirley, now long gone, which I did pop into from time to time. Bob's Models in Solihull only went last year. Both were close to me, but the writing is definitely on the wall for bricks and mortar shops, and not just model shops.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Guest]

dont think it will happen in birkenhead scott, its cramped enough in there as it is

 

[Gern]

Both were close to me, but the writing is definitely on the wall for bricks and mortar shops, and not just model shops.Cheers

Steve

Trouble is Steve, 'bricks and mortar' shops on the High St cost so much more than the warehouses used by online suppliers so they have to charge more.

Another problem is that 'they can't get the staff nowadays'. I know it sounds silly, but most retail staff today are only there to sell the box/packet/container. They don't have the product knowledge or practical expertise that many model shop owners used to have. The old fashioned model shops were usually run by modellers, so a visit not only enabled you to buy the kit/paint/glue, but also to chat with someone who could offer useful advice and knew something about what he/she was selling.

The mind boggles at the thought of asking some freckle faced teenager in Smiths, who's never seen a model, what's the best type of paint/glue/weathering product to use? And, to be fair, we shouldn't expect them to know that sort of detailed information about the entire product range in the shop!

The internet allows us to buy cheaply and this forum, and all the others like it, now provide the expertise that we used to get from the shop owners. I suppose you could argue that we should bear some of the blame for the demise of the LMS.

Gern

 

[Guest]

Hi andy yeah i know what you mean and i know it is not likely to either but it would be nice to have another shop open in birkenhead.

scott

 

[Guest]

Sadly dave i agree with you however there is just somthing about going into a model shop and be able to touch the boxes and see the products close up that sparks the enthusiasm .... at least for me, kinda like going into an old library and you get the sensory images of the old books that you can't get from a kindle.

scott

 

[stona]

Yes, Dave has hit the nail on the head. If you look at the figures over last Xmas for the amount of shopping done online you will see that the trend is reflected in other retail areas too. A quick stroll down an average High Street or even some in town shopping centres will confirm the worst.

Oddly I don't really miss 'fondling' models before buying, most model shops understandably didn't allow you to open the box anyway. I do like books and still buy real books regularly. The inevitable problem is storing them. I have cupboards full which would fit on a digital reader with space to spare ):

Having said that a quick look at what some of the books I have sell for these days makes them a decent investment! Some which I bought for 20 or 30 quid go for over 100 now. Someone will get a nice little windfall when I'm gone

Cheers

Steve