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Alright, so as not to derail the other FLGS thread...I have a problem. A friend has made me an offer for a large and extremely reasonably priced retail space, with two separate rooms that would be perfect for the store/gaming area layout we all know and love. Games Workshop are happy to supply me and I have a second supplier lined up for card games, Hordes and Warmachines, a couple of other systems, roleplay books, comics...all the geekery GW won't provide. My friend, who will have another section of the store, will be dealing Japanese manga and anime, action figures and the like.

In addition I have another friend who lives with me, with retail and management experience, whose gonna help me for a pittance and the the finances to start are pretty much sorted. So what's the problem?

The location. It's not the best place ever for two reasons. One, it's at the edge of the city centre, in a sort of short tunnel area with a few other shops which I've noticed do tend to change a lot. On the other hand, my freinds current shop isn't exactly in the best place and he makes out OK.

The second flaw? It's right around the corner from the local Games Workshop. That has me worried. Although I will be selling my stuff cheaper I'm not gonna have room to have every item on the shelves...although in fairness, neither do they. And I suspect, at least at first, Games Workshop stuff is gonna be my biggest money maker (although the loss of the local Forbidden Planet might mean more buisness in the RP and comic sections...) and I'm not sure that going directly against one of there stores like this is a good plan for a start up business.

Opinions?

Stay diverse. Offer GW product at discounted prices, but make sure you're actively retailing anything else that's popular in your area. That said, find out what's popular in your area. Stock what sells, not what you like. If Naruto is the big hit in your region, stock a lot of Naruto. If nobody's playing Magic, only waste a little time with it.

If you're worried about shelf space, offer big discounts to people who order and pay in advance, because it's guaranteed cash.

And as always, advertise. Get the word out however you have to. Hire a kid to go play at Games Workshop and talk to the other players about this "Sweet new store that opened up down the street." Put up posters in colleges and high schools.

Well, I do have some idea of what sells. The Forbidden Planet employees and my stockist were more than helpful in this regard. Initially, though, I admit I will be doing some trial and error. Fortunately I have some spare cash for trial and error.

The pre-order idea is a good one. Thanks.

I'm speaking out of knowing a few owners that run local gaming stores personally. It's already been said... Be diverse. Offer up more then what GW does. Open yourself to CCGs as well as it's a large market for sales revenue. Being around the corner from a GW isn't at all helpful if that's your goal and be ready to take flak - not only from the people that frequent there or it's employees, but from GW themselves. If GW were to get word of it I would not be surprised if your stocking slowed down a bit. Being on the outskirts doesn't help you one bit. One of my main gaming stores is in the heart of Ann Arbor and they are busy during the school days, but as soon as classes let out... It's dead.

That and expect losses 'cause no one has ever heard of you; yet.

-J.

EDIT: Also; it's a fair market, but help yourself out and open an eBay store or a online market for your products. It'll bring in cash while you are waiting for customers and wouldn't hurt.

That sounds par the course. As I mentioned, my second supplier can get me all the other good stuff such as Privateer Press goodies and card games, role play books and, well, everything else almost.

The website is in the works (again, a professional web designer owes me a favour...it's good to lend money to people with talent now and then) and I'll probably add an E-bay shop as well.

Oddly enough, when I mentioned this to Games Workshop (yes, I wanted to spot any roadblocks before I got to them) the guy was all for it. I sorta started wondering if the local GW is doing so well...

I was also considering buying, stripping and selling second hand models at an obviously reduced price. Do you folks think they would sell well?

where will it be in the uk

Derby, in the Midlands.

My biggest tip is to find out what that gamesworkshop does and doesn't do and ask people in your area what they would like to see and try to provide it. For instance, I would love if my local Hobbyland had a place to paint models or had bigger tables to play games on. Discounts make people go a long way in this hobby from what I have seen, I would always forgoe the Games Workshop for a store that offered even 5% less.

Stuff like Game Nights (of course) and maybe having like "Into into 40k" night were people can come and paint some models (maybe for a fee even) and learn about the hobby or other hobbies and maybe a little game demo.

Good Luck!

Jon Garrett wrote:That sounds par the course. As I mentioned, my second supplier can get me all the other good stuff such as Privateer Press goodies and card games, role play books and, well, everything else almost.

The website is in the works (again, a professional web designer owes me a favour...it's good to lend money to people with talent now and then) and I'll probably add an E-bay shop as well.

Oddly enough, when I mentioned this to Games Workshop (yes, I wanted to spot any roadblocks before I got to them) the guy was all for it. I sorta started wondering if the local GW is doing so well...

I hope you have a backup plan for when you're secondary supplier fails you. It WILL happen; trust me. It's just the name of the game.

Jon Garrett wrote:I was also considering buying, stripping and selling second hand models at an obviously reduced price. Do you folks think they would sell well?

No. Too time consuming. Maybe sell bitz, but that's it.