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Hey folks,

I had yesterday a special discussion with my local GW Store Manager. He said GW and FW are planning a test Run for selling certain FW-Articles in GW Stores.

The test Run will start soon to a undefined Time and will have a limitied number of populary Articles in certain larger Stores in Europe and the UK. He was talking about FW Books, Space Marine Shoulder Pads and upgraded Kits.

what do you think about this, it is a good Idea? You know, that issues with FW Resin...

Note: This is NOT an April Fools' Day Joke...

Would be cool to see better integration of the FW line both in sales and support. Let's see if any more news comes out on the days after April 1st.

It keeps being mentioned, and it never makes any sense. FW kits sell in low volume and you don't want kids and clueless parents (the target market of GW's retail stores) going anywhere near them. There just isn't much plausible gain in making a large enough extra production run to give every store a set of something that might sit on the shelf indefinitely because nobody at that particular store wants that chapter's shoulder pads.

(And of course you're still talking about a GW store, a place you never want to be. Even if it's true it isn't really helping anyone.)

They Can barely keep up with supply of some of the more popular items as it is, nevermind if they have to send it to stores as well.

Don't see this happening. IIRC the Warhammer Citadel made mention of selling certain Forge World products when they open, but on a larger scale? FW would need to massively improve their own production facilities and procedures first before that can happen. They may now (finally) have a good customer services in place, but that won't help if they still can't give us an assured, consistent quality.

5 big orders, only time Needed help from them was due to own screw up( i would say that's consistent quality

There's also the fact that if FW are sold from GW brick and mortar shops, they'd need to allow 3rd parties to sell them as well

This has already been tried before, they sold certain books and best selling items in store. The problem was they didn't change what they sold, so ended up with stock that wasn't moving giving a false impression of the market.

Well, if they made it so that you could pick up your FW mail order at the GW shop, that would have been neat.

As someone living in Norway, I have to pay steep import charges for my FW orders, whereas I can order anything from the GW online store and pick it up in Oslo the following week, free of any such charges.

I just remembered what day it is.

 Crazyterran wrote:
I just remembered what day it is.

I mean, it’s written in bright yellow in the first post.

 ImAGeek wrote:

 Crazyterran wrote:
I just remembered what day it is.

I mean, it’s written in bright yellow in the first post.

Of course it isnt an April Fools joke. Completely trust some guys store manager, they are right everytime, after all!

 Crazyterran wrote:
I just remembered what day it is.

On the other hand, this would be the kind of boring "joke" that you should be embarrassed to make in public, so that's a point in the OP's favor. I can't imagine them thinking such a weak joke would be funny enough to post, so at least someone is probably taking the idea seriously.

I assume somewhere the rumour that forge world will be available in the warhammer cafe in America has been mixed up. Chinese whispers kinda thing.

 zedmeister wrote:
There's also the fact that if FW are sold from GW brick and mortar shops, they'd need to allow 3rd parties to sell them as well

This ^ - if they sell it in their stores there's a load of monopoly/competition laws that come into play.

beast_gts wrote:

 zedmeister wrote:
There's also the fact that if FW are sold from GW brick and mortar shops, they'd need to allow 3rd parties to sell them as well

This ^ - if they sell it in their stores there's a load of monopoly/competition laws that come into play.

Actually they maybe problems on the horizon for them depending on how quick/if we brexit as the EU are looking again at the laws GW use to penalize online retailers. They also look to be bringing in amendments that would effect FW being online only while GW restricts against online only GW retailers. A sort of pick a position your either for or against online only.



In fact tjere are a number of potential changes that could mean GW have to adapt.

 zedmeister wrote:
There's also the fact that if FW are sold from GW brick and mortar shops, they'd need to allow 3rd parties to sell them as well

Why?

Honestly I could see GW investing more into FW to help boost sales of things like upgrade packs. The main argument against FW in local stores is production and supply, so the core is GW choosing to invest more money into FW production or potentially moving some resin products over to plastic. Shoulder guards and weapon kits could easily* be produced in plastic instead of resin if they were intended for the mass global retail market.
It honestly has always surprised me that at least things like alternate marine doors and shoulderpads are not already sold mass market in GW stores. If any line from FW would have mass market appeal it would be them.


* In terms of making those products out of plastic instead of resin

I just want direct store orders of FE with a store catalog. So I can cut out my shipping cost and have a reason to buy from gw stores

gungo wrote:
I just want direct store orders of FE with a store catalog. So I can cut out my shipping cost and have a reason to buy from gw stores

Sounds good to me.

gungo wrote:
and have a reason to buy from gw stores

Why would you ever want this?

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

 zedmeister wrote:
There's also the fact that if FW are sold from GW brick and mortar shops, they'd need to allow 3rd parties to sell them as well

Why?

UK competition law basicly if you are The manufacture, distributor and retailer of the product. You have to treat the stores as 3rd parties and equal to other retailers so you pit FW in the stores then any other retailers can request the same items.

If you sell direct through the internet you can have exclusives provided they are not supplied through the stores, hence multiple items GW stores no longer carry and why occasionally popular items go direct only.

The 1 day store exclusive FW did look to me like the were pushing boundaries to see if anyone pushed back, however that was unlikely as most retailers will not want to commit commercial suicide. Also the new regulator is tiny and pretty toothless so they may try pushing there luck.

The other exclusives with the hoops to jump through to get them are classed as promotional material so are exempt or at the very least a grey area.

I would link you direct to the relevant stuff but since they closed the oft it is a ball ache to find and so dry your brain goes numb after a couple of paragraphs.

As I said previously there are some possible changes to EU law that are going to require a major shift in GW's ethos if they are followed through.

Books seem like a super good idea.

Buy the book. Read the book. Want the models. Order from forgeworld.
Ordering instore - Likewise excellent.

Having a Warhound titan on the shelf, or 42 boxes of Red Scorpians shoulderpads?
Eh, not so much.

SeanDrake wrote:
UK competition law basicly if you are The manufacture, distributor and retailer of the product. You have to treat the stores as 3rd parties and equal to other retailers so you pit FW in the stores then any other retailers can request the same items.

GW already have 'Direct Only' items, so what would change here?

Stores can buy direct only items, just at a lower discount for them. But they cant buy FW at any kind of discount to sell it.

 Galas wrote:
Stores can buy direct only items, just at a lower discount for them. But they cant buy FW at any kind of discount to sell it.

You've also got a larger minimum order value for direct only stuff - one of my FLGSs has white boxes of stuff like Karl Franz & Commander Shadowsun on the shelves because they had to add something to make the minimum.

I could see them carrying unit specific upgrades i.e. shoulders, torsos, vehicle door and maybe weapons (razorback).

They probably won't carry big stuff (knights, large MC). also prob wouldn't deal w casting issues.

We have a local shop that makes the things they sell from the shop and has a website .they don't have to supply any of their product to anyother shops why would games workshop have to do the same ?

beast_gts wrote:

 zedmeister wrote:
There's also the fact that if FW are sold from GW brick and mortar shops, they'd need to allow 3rd parties to sell them as well

This ^ - if they sell it in their stores there's a load of monopoly/competition laws that come into play.

Malarchy! First FW is a fully-owned subsidiary of GW. It's a minor, but important point since they are technically two separate companies. Second, can third parties order the online one models from GW? How will Privateer Press get around the same "laws". Simple, there are none regarding "monopolies". If Apple only wants to sell Beats headphones on it's own online store or retail outlets that's it's business.

Privateer Press doesn't own and operate its own stores, so that an irrelevant question.