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Not sure if this has already been posted, but I walked into W.H.Smiths today and what did I see but lots of copies of the latest copy of white Dwarf.
I don't know if this means smith offered a better deal or GW are gearing up for a bigger year ahead.

Hmm I didn't know that, thanks for the tip off. I always bought mine in there and actually dislike going into the GW store to be hounded by store staff into buying other things when I'm just after the White Dwarf.

I'm guessing by the strong sales of White Dwarf due to there being new rules due to popular new units WHSmith probably gave into their demand and agreed to only release on the WD release date and they probably had to renegotiate margins too.

ceorron wrote:I'm guessing by the strong sales of White Dwarf due to their being new rules due to popular new units WHSmith probably gave into their demand and agreed to only release on the WD release date and they probably had to renegotiate margins too.

Really? WHSmiths gave in to GW? My gut says not. WHSmiths are the biggest newsagent retailer and wholesaler supplying a lot of independent shops. They hold all the cards. If it's true that GW took the magazines out the shops (my suspicion is that WHSmiths dropped them rather than the other way around) because they didn't like how Smiths were handling them, they probably haven't won a better deal for it after a year or so.

There were a large number of reasons but I think top of the list was that WHSmiths was releasing the magazine earlier than GW wanted. See the original thread: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/338162.page.

You might be right I can't say I know for sure, just that that was highlighted.

Nice one, I can go read it without buying the fething thing again.

I mean, its 70% adverts right? I can read all the important stuff inside ten minutes.

mattyrm wrote:Nice one, I can go read it without buying the fething thing again.

I mean, its 70% adverts right? I can read all the important stuff inside ten minutes.

If the next issue is anything like this month's then you won't even need 10 minutes...

mattyrm wrote:Nice one, I can go read it without buying the fething thing again.

I mean, its 70% adverts right? I can read all the important stuff inside ten minutes.

I'm sure that I detected a correlation between the frequency with which they started putting WD in a sealed bag, and the decline of the magazine.

mattyrm wrote:
I mean, its 70% adverts right?

More like 100% it is GW blowing their own horn. About as independent as Chinese Bureau of State Reliance.

Remember even their rules are in some way adverts for their units.

W.H.Smiths struggles, they have been on the brink of collapse for ages.

WD is selling stronger then it has in a long time, The SOB issues sold out, the new Flyers rules etc has possible made WD a more appealing prospect to generate sales.

I'll check on my lunch today be interesting to see them back on Smiths shelves.

I will also comment that this months WD is a bit better then usual, New rules, Big bit of fluff preparing you for a battle report next month (6th Edition possibly) This months issue defiantly has a different feel to it.

deejaybainbridge wrote:

I will also comment that this months WD is a bit better then usual, New rules, Big bit of fluff preparing you for a battle report next month (6th Edition possibly) This months issue defiantly has a different feel to it.

Really? I thought this month's WD was quite possibly the worst I have ever read. It was so laughably light on content that I had to double check that I hadn't missed something when I first read it; it literally took me 5 mins to read the magazine it was that short of content.

And now I have no reason to purchase ANYTHING direct from GW ever again.

Victory.

filbert wrote:

deejaybainbridge wrote:

I will also comment that this months WD is a bit better then usual, New rules, Big bit of fluff preparing you for a battle report next month (6th Edition possibly) This months issue defiantly has a different feel to it.

Really? I thought this month's WD was quite possibly the worst I have ever read. It was so laughably light on content that I had to double check that I hadn't missed something when I first read it; it literally took me 5 mins to read the magazine it was that short of content.

Well, The rules and the fluff were a nice change. The ad's for the 40K boxed game felt a bit stupid (aside from the fact it does have a fare few ad's in it) I always gloss over the LOTR stuff and the current painting guides are getting boring. But overall it's defiantly a change to the norm. If you call that good or not is up to personal view. ha-ha.

deejaybainbridge wrote:W.H.Smiths struggles, they have been on the brink of collapse for ages.

WD is selling stronger then it has in a long time, The SOB issues sold out, the new Flyers rules etc has possible made WD a more appealing prospect to generate sales.

I'll check on my lunch today be interesting to see them back on Smiths shelves.

I will also comment that this months WD is a bit better then usual, New rules, Big bit of fluff preparing you for a battle report next month (6th Edition possibly) This months issue defiantly has a different feel to it.

I agree even though i have only purchased 3 copys so far i did feel it was markedly better.

DarkStarSabre wrote:And now I have no reason to purchase ANYTHING direct from GW ever again.

Victory.

It's funny that you thought WD was the best thing to come out of GW.

notprop wrote:

DarkStarSabre wrote:And now I have no reason to purchase ANYTHING direct from GW ever again.

Victory.

It's funny that you thought WD was the best thing to come out of GW.

Someone hasn't been paying attention elsewhere. WD was effectively the only thing I would have to purchase from GW if they actually produced a quality issue.

Paints? Can get cheaper elsewhere. Miniatures? The same. Books? Amazon.

WD now back in Smiths? Hey! Bonus. I don't have to step foot in that store ever again.

Let's not be mistaken. WD has gone downhill fast in the past 4 months, with the current one having an insane amount of adverts compared to previous. But sometimes there are gems. Just sometimes.

deejaybainbridge wrote:
WD is selling stronger then it has in a long time, The SOB issues sold out, the new Flyers rules etc has possible made WD a more appealing prospect to generate sales.

Nope, WD is a steaming pile of poo. Fact. The only reasons those issues sold well is due to the fact that they contained somewhat vital rules updates for 40k. GW could have filled the rest of the issue with pictures of them rolling around in piles of cash flipping the bird at their customers and they still would have sold well. The normal tosh issues will still sit of the shelf.

deejaybainbridge wrote:W.H.Smiths struggles, they have been on the brink of collapse for ages.

You do realize that the Smiths Group also owns a book wholesalers that supplies Amazon and a few number of libraries don't you?

Speaking of WD, last one I ever brought was no.326 back in Feb 2007.

stormwell wrote:

deejaybainbridge wrote:W.H.Smiths struggles, they have been on the brink of collapse for ages.

You do realize that the Smiths Group also owns a book wholesalers that supplies Amazon and a few number of libraries don't you?

I think that sums it up.

Checked in the WHS at Monks Cross (York) at lunchtime, and sure enough, there it was.

There wasn't a huge number, so maybe they've sold a few, but none the less - it was there.