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Hello,

We've been told this today, that all GW's in the UK are to close their battle bunkers, and to reduce gaming events/games that are done "just for the sake of gaming".

Does anyone know if this is happening just in the UK, or is this part of GW's plan to make it more 'kid friendly' - reducing the amount of adults instore.

Sounds like bs all the way through. Told by who, exactly?

Local store. Was announced today.

Possibility that it is a company-wide policy then, rather than just something that looked like it might have been happening in Canada (see this thread: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/475631.page )

Is this by regular staff? Probably lies. Even the managers are quite susceptible to rumours. I doubt it highly, and if that's true...

WHY MUST YOU FAIL AT LOGIC GW?

Seems completely contradictory to me. If you are not to play at the stores, people will just order everything online and play at their home / buy at FLGS and thus buy less aka nothing from GW directly. What's the point?

A member of staff that i know and trust, announced to a mixed group, not just between friends.

Said it was to do with the company trying to cut costs, as majority of these nights are Vet's nights, so alot of the players wont necessarily be spending alot in there.

Then overhead him discussing it with manager, who said it was to co-incide with others stores dropping from 7-5 days a week. Said the
timeframe for both things are within the next 2-4 weeks.

If we want to just play, we can create clubs, as alot of the games instore wont necessarily result in sales.

Erm, what Battle Bunkers in the UK? The only thing even close to a US BB is Warhammer World or the Sheffield tiger store which closed years ago IIRC. Unless you mean their standard stores...

I mean the dedicated gaming rooms in their stores. Local one holds 20 tables.

This IS consistent with some other rumors around here.

GW Chester, still a partial 'Bunker' for special events in the upstairs gaming room announced at the weekend its relocating to a smaller store in more central Chester, so thats one Bunker gone from the UK.

Most had been closed/moved before now though. I know Newport had relocated some point in the last two years, couple others as well.

K3 wrote:
I mean the dedicated gaming rooms in their stores. Local one holds 20 tables.

Where is that?

Dose anyone know if this applies to the US stores as well?

 rodgers37 wrote:

K3 wrote:
I mean the dedicated gaming rooms in their stores. Local one holds 20 tables.

Where is that?

Theres one in Poole, Dorset.

Hermanesq wrote:
GW Chester, still a partial 'Bunker' for special events in the upstairs gaming room announced at the weekend its relocating to a smaller store in more central Chester, so thats one Bunker gone from the UK.

Most had been closed/moved before now though. I know Newport had relocated some point in the last two years, couple others as well.

This being the case this is just a continuation of an existing policy on rationalising their building stock.

A little short sighted but they will be thinking why lease 600sq feet when our shop is only the lower 300sq feet.

I've been playing 40k for 25 years on and off and never played in a store (Warhammer World being the exception), I don't see this as any great disaster. Bad news for you boys that do.

 notprop wrote:

Hermanesq wrote:
GW Chester, still a partial 'Bunker' for special events in the upstairs gaming room announced at the weekend its relocating to a smaller store in more central Chester, so thats one Bunker gone from the UK.

Most had been closed/moved before now though. I know Newport had relocated some point in the last two years, couple others as well.

This being the case this is just a continuation of an existing policy on rationalising their building stock.

A little short sighted but they will be thinking why lease 600sq feet when our shop is only the lower 300sq feet.

I've been playing 40k for 25 years on and off and never played in a store (Warhammer World being the exception), I don't see this as any great disaster. Bad news for you boys that do.

Oh yeah definitely, but if the lease was up, the shift towards smaller stores always mean they were going to move. Especially since they've found a 'better' location more centrally to the city centre = more footfall = more pennies in the till you'd hope.

It was inevitable really.

Just a pity there is no GW in north wales, 100 mile round trip to Chester is a PITA

 Happygrunt wrote:
Dose anyone know if this applies to the US stores as well?

Not according to the manager at the Seattle Battle Bunker. None of the people in the one/two person shops have heard anything about this either. It may just be a regional thing.

 Breotan wrote:

 Happygrunt wrote:
Dose anyone know if this applies to the US stores as well?

Not according to the manager at the Seattle Battle Bunker. None of the people in the one/two person shops have heard anything about this either. It my just be a regional thing.

Good to know the Seattle Bunker will still be around. Thanks for the info!

Makes some sense, given that the UK WH/40k culture is from all accounts much more club-based, whereas the US has a great deal of in-store play.

Can confirm the same for Germany, at least the parts where I play - we don't have stuff like battle bunkers, but play at stores only. (+at home ofc.)

It wouldn't surprise me, Ipswich used to have a gaming room upstairs when I first moved up here 8yrs ago, they've since moved to a cheaper part of the high street with no gaming area.

For store moves and new stores, fine.
But as mentioned, why board up half a store? They've still got to pay rent for it.
They're unlikely to fill it with stock.

Ironically I had a staff member bad mouthing my club to my face the other day, and yet however restricting who can play on their tables (and hell even watch the games). Yeah, logic. =P

Sorry, can we just clarify here; is this a case of the HUEG stores with a dedicated gaming area outwith the normal shop floor downsizing, or is it what was implied in the Canadian rumour that all stores are going to be cutting back to pretty much just demo games for newbies?

If it's the former, that sucks for some people, but it doesn't worry me since GW Edinburgh is a pokey wee shack with three tables as it is; if it's the latter then they've just ended any reason I had to visit and spend money in a GW store(and they managed to kill any reason I had to spend money on the GW website with their shambolic new release shipping policy).

Mattman154 wrote:
This IS consistent with some other rumors around here.

You mean the completely fallacious rumor about "GW stores are getting rid of their gaming tables!"?

Yeah...

 Yodhrin wrote:
Sorry, can we just clarify here; is this a case of the HUEG stores with a dedicated gaming area outwith the normal shop floor downsizing, or is it what was implied in the Canadian rumour that all stores are going to be cutting back to pretty much just demo games for newbies?

If it's the former, that sucks for some people, but it doesn't worry me since GW Edinburgh is a pokey wee shack with three tables as it is; if it's the latter then they've just ended any reason I had to visit and spend money in a GW store(and they managed to kill any reason I had to spend money on the GW website with their shambolic new release shipping policy).

It's just the big stores with extra gaming space- it's been happening store by store for a couple of years now (Newport, Exeter & Maidenhead spring to mind).

You mean the new release shipping policy that's been in place for over a year now?

My understanding from another long conversation with the staff today:

New customers are to get a priority, and all gaming tables are to be used only for lessons, whether that be new players, or players that want to learn the proper way that a rule works, or a different gaming system (as long as its one of the main 3).

This will make battle bunkers obsolete, as all stores will be able to cope on 3 tables, primarily using the start sets/beginners pieces.

K3 wrote:
My understanding from another long conversation with the staff today:

New customers are to get a priority, and all gaming tables are to be used only for lessons, whether that be new players, or players that want to learn the proper way that a rule works, or a different gaming system (as long as its one of the main 3).

This will make battle bunkers obsolete, as all stores will be able to cope on 3 tables, primarily using the start sets/beginners pieces.

'tis a shame, I really enjoyed Sundays when I used to go before the Summer Hols at Poole. Now all I've got is nought.

They will still hold events. This happened to Bath a while back, moved to smaller store, but some days the store stays open late for gaming club. Works well enough.

Hermanesq wrote:

 notprop wrote:

Hermanesq wrote:
GW Chester, still a partial 'Bunker' for special events in the upstairs gaming room announced at the weekend its relocating to a smaller store in more central Chester, so thats one Bunker gone from the UK.

Most had been closed/moved before now though. I know Newport had relocated some point in the last two years, couple others as well.

This being the case this is just a continuation of an existing policy on rationalising their building stock.

A little short sighted but they will be thinking why lease 600sq feet when our shop is only the lower 300sq feet.

I've been playing 40k for 25 years on and off and never played in a store (Warhammer World being the exception), I don't see this as any great disaster. Bad news for you boys that do.

Oh yeah definitely, but if the lease was up, the shift towards smaller stores always mean they were going to move. Especially since they've found a 'better' location more centrally to the city centre = more footfall = more pennies in the till you'd hope.

It was inevitable really.

Just a pity there is no GW in north wales, 100 mile round trip to Chester is a PITA

north wales needs a store of some sort agreed