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Exactly what I predicted has transpired, many knee jerk reactions and an empty shelf. Thanks GeeDub for assisting me in selling many flyer models, (next time perhaps send the stores a copy for events as there are rules I many need to know).

I wonder, how many hot headed store owners will be on the phone Monday with GW ordering flyers?

I could explain why GW sells some things direct only but if you’re smart enough you already know. If you don’t already know explaining it to you will only serve to confuse you more.

Wow. Could you be more condescending?

I could.

Redirecting this to be less confrontational, does anyone know who controls what percentage of the company via shares? I know some of the insiders and former suits have lots of stock, but who exactly has the lion's share?

 WarOne wrote:
Redirecting this to be less confrontational, does anyone know who controls what percentage of the company via shares? I know some of the insiders and former suits have lots of stock, but who exactly has the lion's share?

http://investor.games-workshop.com/shareholder-statistics/

Here's an article from a couple of years ago that goes into some details regarding the major shareholders:

http://theback40k.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/who-owns-games-workshop.html

I agree completely though with the general sentiment both of this thread and others like it - practically every complaint levelled at GW has been in response to plans formulated after the company became a PLC.

I'm not sure if it was in this thread, or again another one like, but someone was asking whether Privateer Press will go the same way as GW. In a sense perhaps they are already (and you could make an argument that such is the fate of all companies once they reach a certain size), but I think while that company is still privately owned, and doesn't have to concentrate solely on shareholder dividends, then there will still ultimately be a gulf between those companies in terms of company policy and therefore customer perception.

niceguyteddy wrote:
Exactly what I predicted has transpired, many knee jerk reactions and an empty shelf. Thanks GeeDub for assisting me in selling many flyer models, (next time perhaps send the stores a copy for events as there are rules I many need to know).

I wonder, how many hot headed store owners will be on the phone Monday with GW ordering flyers?

I could explain why GW sells some things direct only but if you’re smart enough you already know. If you don’t already know explaining it to you will only serve to confuse you more.

You must have a lot of friends. Openly calling people stupid on the internet because they disagree with a policy is the first sign of a small mind.

I must protest sir. I did not call anyone stupid, I only mentioned the smart and confused. The stupid need not be pointed out, they reveal themselves.

 Lorizael wrote:

 WarOne wrote:
Redirecting this to be less confrontational, does anyone know who controls what percentage of the company via shares? I know some of the insiders and former suits have lots of stock, but who exactly has the lion's share?

http://investor.games-workshop.com/shareholder-statistics/

Hmm... So the guys in charge of GW are primarily funds that seek to squeeze GW for all its worth.

No surprise there.

If we can dial back the snarkiness and drop the digs and insults please.

Thank you.

niceguyteddy wrote:
Exactly what I predicted has transpired, many knee jerk reactions and an empty shelf. Thanks GeeDub for assisting me in selling many flyer models, (next time perhaps send the stores a copy for events as there are rules I many need to know).

I wonder, how many hot headed store owners will be on the phone Monday with GW ordering flyers?

I could explain why GW sells some things direct only but if you’re smart enough you already know. If you don’t already know explaining it to you will only serve to confuse you more.

And I had 50 players all weekend for a GT, and still have flyers on the shelf. Many of them are Interested in the new rules, but since not one of those 50 veteran players or my store has a copy, they are still fence sitting.

Just to put out an opposing opinion.

This may get lost in the huge amount of postings but looking at this as a long time gamer I think this is the issue:

In the past GW would have put out a FAQ or to make it more jazzy: a specific White Dwarf article as well to update the flyers and codexes. Then watch flyers "fly off the shelves".

To release the document GW order only and limitied (sold out!) quantities for about $40 Canadian is ummm er, no words for it other than "greedy" and "ill conceived".

I personally would be worried they may do this again. It is a nasty trend that I could not support. I am assuming this is a "mistake" which they manage to do on occassion. If this is planned method in the future, I am done playing by their rules and my gaming group will go with our house rules like we did in the past.

They really need a gaming "focus group" to clue them in a bit better on the bunch of us picky individuals who like our rules at least a little bit stable.

 Talizvar wrote:
This may get lost in the huge amount of postings but looking at this as a long time gamer I think this is the issue:

In the past GW would have put out a FAQ or to make it more jazzy: a specific White Dwarf article as well to update the flyers and codexes. Then watch flyers "fly off the shelves".

To release the document GW order only and limitied (sold out!) quantities for about $40 Canadian is ummm er, no words for it other than "greedy" and "ill conceived".

I personally would be worried they may do this again. It is a nasty trend that I could not support. I am assuming this is a "mistake" which they manage to do on occassion. If this is planned method in the future, I am done playing by their rules and my gaming group will go with our house rules like we did in the past.

They really need a gaming "focus group" to clue them in a bit better on the bunch of us picky individuals who like our rules at least a little bit stable.

Unfortunately, the trend is just the opposite. All the people I knew at GW for the last 20 years are gone. I have no contact with the the accountants and HR people who run the company. In the few conversations I've had, the tone has been very condescending, and anything I said was dismissed as wrong, and they knew better.

Most of the benefits of being a GW 'Parnership" store are just gone.
Any money spent on promotions is gone. They see no need for tournaments or 'ardboyz, and pretty much sneer at the ideas. They claim over and over that they don't want to sell a 'tournament' game. Somehow needing usuable rules is blamed on tournament players.
They quit putting packing slips in my orders, to save money. No other supplier does this. It's insane.

Lots of little changes, all atrributed easliy to someone in charge, with no gaming background at all, making little cuts to save pennies, and shift business away from FLGS.

Talking its useless. All anyone at GW does is try to explain why what is happening works, or to convince you that their is no problem, and we should be happy.

"Dropping GW sales? Really Mike? Wow, we are doing great, so is everyone else. tsk tsk".

Somehow less support, zero information, and less GW product to sell aren't factors they think affect sales. Worst, this last move cost them the last of my trust. What it boils down to is that as a store, I still need to maximize my sales of their products. To do this I need run events, and support the hobby. To do that, I have to have some enthusiasm for the games, company, and models. This sort of breaks down when they treat retailers like crap. I still have a job to do. It's now a lot harder to do, and I get angry about that.

 mikhaila wrote:

Unfortunately, the trend is just the opposite. All the people I knew at GW for the last 20 years are gone. I have no contact with the the accountants and HR people who run the company. In the few conversations I've had, the tone has been very condescending, and anything I said was dismissed as wrong, and they knew better.

Most of the benefits of being a GW 'Parnership" store are just gone.
Any money spent on promotions is gone. They see no need for tournaments or 'ardboyz, and pretty much sneer at the ideas. They claim over and over that they don't want to sell a 'tournament' game. Somehow needing usuable rules is blamed on tournament players.
They quit putting packing slips in my orders, to save money. No other supplier does this. It's insane.

Lots of little changes, all atrributed easliy to someone in charge, with no gaming background at all, making little cuts to save pennies, and shift business away from FLGS.

Talking its useless. All anyone at GW does is try to explain why what is happening works, or to convince you that their is no problem, and we should be happy.

"Dropping GW sales? Really Mike? Wow, we are doing great, so is everyone else. tsk tsk".

Somehow less support, zero information, and less GW product to sell aren't factors they think affect sales. Worst, this last move cost them the last of my trust. What it boils down to is that as a store, I still need to maximize my sales of their products. To do this I need run events, and support the hobby. To do that, I have to have some enthusiasm for the games, company, and models. This sort of breaks down when they treat retailers like crap. I still have a job to do. It's now a lot harder to do, and I get angry about that.

I would say that this is surprising to hear, but it really is not that surprising. It is hard to believe that GW would want to behave like this, but I have found that GW can behave inscrutably irrational.

Your experience does seem to further indicate that there is something seriously wrong with the health of Games Workshop. That someone at GW felt that the company needed to save the cost of including packing slips suggests to me that GW has become paranoid about costs to the point of irrationality. The company slashed costs aggressively under Wells, but if GW is down to saving the cost of packing slips it must not have been enough to keep profits steady for much longer.

Although on the flip side, GW does have a rather significant expense coming up in...48 days now. That expense is apparently still looming, and would probably be more than the sale of 800 Death from the Skies books could cover.

I would like to say how much we as the gamers appreciate what you retailers do for us despite GW. Don't give up

niceguyteddy wrote:
Thanks GeeDub for assisting me in selling many flyer models

It's nice that you were able to make some money on these flier sales, niceguyteddy. You didn't have any players ask you to buy the book, though? Wouldn't it have been nice to be able to sell them the book, as well as the kits? You were able to capitalize on the situation, it seems, but was the unavailability of the book a boon or a hindrance to you?

Well, disposing with a more hopeful attitiude I will put on my "evil hat".

With a more negative viewpoint if I was a greedy grasping company man I would do the following:

1) Create a culture of "find the money" and remove any overhead that I possibly can (packing slips not being sent? really??). Modify internal social culture to a cult, investigate indoctrination methods.

2) Centralized WD in one handy magazine, do lots of photos: editors and writers cost more. Press rules/codex writers into service where possible. It must be the showcase for advertising.

3) Write rules to make high profit margin models more desireable (or at the very least drive up demand "artificially").

4) Remove middle men where possible to maximize profits. (Still sell at retail cost to get full two tier profits). Independent retailers are a necessary evil until more direct to customer methods can be finalized.

5) Use the model of "postal outlets" for the GW bricks and mortar shops.

6) Set each department up in a separate "silo" if they compete against each other, watch and see which becomes stronger and investigate why, then apply winning strategy accross the board.

7) Keep good natured "figureheads" out front and do not let them see the overall "business strategy".

8) Find cheaper raw material sources.

9) Sell multiple model kits in one package at same cost as models bought individually (our customers cannot add).

10) Anything that requires any overhead to produce find a means to sell it, do not give it away: it costs the company.

11) Unfailingly defend the market brand. Find way to make legal department a means of revenue stream.

12) Copy marketing strategy as Apple: keep completely quiet on any up and coming product and admit no mistakes when it is released.

This is meant to be a bit funny but some reality I think as well. I really hope this is wrong but some of the evidence seems to suggest otherwise.

weeble1000 wrote:

 mikhaila wrote:

Unfortunately, the trend is just the opposite. All the people I knew at GW for the last 20 years are gone. I have no contact with the the accountants and HR people who run the company. In the few conversations I've had, the tone has been very condescending, and anything I said was dismissed as wrong, and they knew better.

Most of the benefits of being a GW 'Parnership" store are just gone.
Any money spent on promotions is gone. They see no need for tournaments or 'ardboyz, and pretty much sneer at the ideas. They claim over and over that they don't want to sell a 'tournament' game. Somehow needing usuable rules is blamed on tournament players.
They quit putting packing slips in my orders, to save money. No other supplier does this. It's insane.

Lots of little changes, all atrributed easliy to someone in charge, with no gaming background at all, making little cuts to save pennies, and shift business away from FLGS.

Talking its useless. All anyone at GW does is try to explain why what is happening works, or to convince you that their is no problem, and we should be happy.

"Dropping GW sales? Really Mike? Wow, we are doing great, so is everyone else. tsk tsk".

Somehow less support, zero information, and less GW product to sell aren't factors they think affect sales. Worst, this last move cost them the last of my trust. What it boils down to is that as a store, I still need to maximize my sales of their products. To do this I need run events, and support the hobby. To do that, I have to have some enthusiasm for the games, company, and models. This sort of breaks down when they treat retailers like crap. I still have a job to do. It's now a lot harder to do, and I get angry about that.

I would say that this is surprising to hear, but it really is not that surprising. It is hard to believe that GW would want to behave like this, but I have found that GW can behave inscrutably irrational.

Your experience does seem to further indicate that there is something seriously wrong with the health of Games Workshop. That someone at GW felt that the company needed to save the cost of including packing slips suggests to me that GW has become paranoid about costs to the point of irrationality. The company slashed costs aggressively under Wells, but if GW is down to saving the cost of packing slips it must not have been enough to keep profits steady for much longer.

Although on the flip side, GW does have a rather significant expense coming up in...48 days now. That expense is apparently still looming, and would probably be more than the sale of 800 Death from the Skies books could cover.

What expense would that be?

Mike, I don't know if you remember the conversation we had, that first Dakkacon a couple of years back, where I held fairly staunch negative views about GW and you sat me down and talked through just why you loved GW as a retailer, when you talked to me about the years of support, the great relationship you had with the management and the great customer service you received as a business. You really did open my eyes and change my perception of how things were for you and for the North American business.

I was not long landed off the plane from the UK. I'd seen the GW method of operation over there, seen their aggressive attitude to indy stores, seen them withhold stock and switch orders without notification, watched as they used indy stores to build up business in an area and then move in next door, or in one case, persuade a bloke to move out of the town center to bigger premises and then open a GW in his old shop, killing his business...

I believe what you are experiencing now is the fallout from Kirby's tour of the US, I think you enjoyed many years of the GW US model, which evolved with a certain degree of autonomy and, from what you told me, was a great experience and mutually beneficial to the businesses concerned, but I think he's come to America, beheaded a huge swathe of the management here and forced the UK model into effect over here. Whether it will work or not for GW remains to be seen, but if I'm right, it will be a bad time for the American independent stores and their relationship with GW will move to an almost openly hostile one.

It worries me for the store owners in North America, I know you're a formidable businessman and you carry a number of other ranges and your comic business as well, if GW piss you off for long enough, you'll just up the anti on selling PP and other ranges and increase the events for them in the area, but for some businesses, the GW sales may signify a tipping point for their livelihoods.

I have some questions.
Has GW ever done this in the past? I mean completely cut the middle man out. If this works and they get away with it, whats to stop them from doing this again and again?
The flyer rule book is an absolute necessity right? So when they release a new rulebook for 40k or fantasy why would GW release those to venders?
Does the community have any way of effectively organizing a boycott or petition? And should we?
My personal op is this is grounds for boycott/petition.

GW has sold stuff direct only but my FLGS owner just put up with it. He won't do so regarding direct only with rules.

I don't know about MA but in Northern VA loosing GW in the local stores doesn't look like it will kill them like it would've about 10-15 years ago. Lower to zero GW sales might hurt but looking at the shelf space some LGS have for GW vs. others the GW sections have shrunk in each than I think they ever have been. There is a store down in Fredericksburg I haven't been too so they could be an outlier in this and rely on GW product more than others.

In other words, GW can go ahead and make stuff direct only and cut out the independent. It's GWs loss now more than the LGS. And it's a loss to those who still buy GW stuff. I am still one of those but rarely now that I'm almost done with completing my Eldar collection. Best thing Finecrap did was motivate me to finish my Eldar collection before the metals got rare. But that's another topic...

Note that from my observation american's typically do not buy from manufacturers directly at full cost. Most will simply go buy something else than do that. If GW thinks they can grow by going direct only that's dumber than opening their own stores to compete with LGSs.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:

I was not long landed off the plane from the UK. I'd seen the GW method of operation over there, seen their aggressive attitude to indy stores, seen them withhold stock and switch orders without notification, watched as they used indy stores to build up business in an area and then move in next door, or in one case, persuade a bloke to move out of the town center to bigger premises and then open a GW in his old shop, killing his business...

I believe what you are experiencing now is the fallout from Kirby's tour of the US, I think you enjoyed many years of the GW US model, which evolved with a certain degree of autonomy and, from what you told me, was a great experience and mutually beneficial to the businesses concerned, but I think he's come to America, beheaded a huge swathe of the management here and forced the UK model into effect over here. Whether it will work or not for GW remains to be seen, but if I'm right, it will be a bad time for the American independent stores and their relationship with GW will move to an almost openly hostile one.

I don't think these actions are the result of Kirby's US stint. I first heard of those tactics back when I got into the hobby in the late 80's and Bryan Ansell was still in charge at that point. GW screwing over independent stores has always been GW's modus operandi. What I think we are seeing are the Wells, ex-CEO's cost cutting measuring coming to full fruition. All of what Mikhaila has described sounds like typical penny wise, pound foolish cost cutting I read about at companies and institutions. I'll bet you though, there is a bloated administrative/finance staff where firing the assistant to the assistant to the secretary of Kirby would save more money and eliminate a useless position.

Or just get rid of Jervis Johnson. After reading his latest article in WD, I serious believe he is the barrier to 40k/WHFB ever having a truly balanced rule set. His motto of "roll it off" is the biggest excuse for not trying to clean up and clarify rules at the company.

 redstripe wrote:

niceguyteddy wrote:
Thanks GeeDub for assisting me in selling many flyer models

It's nice that you were able to make some money on these flier sales, niceguyteddy. You didn't have any players ask you to buy the book, though? Wouldn't it have been nice to be able to sell them the book, as well as the kits? You were able to capitalize on the situation, it seems, but was the unavailability of the book a boon or a hindrance to you?

I thought this was sarcasm... I read it to say he didn't make any money selling flyers to the 50 people in his store since no one had the rules/book on hand.

 WarOne wrote:
Redirecting this to be less confrontational, does anyone know who controls what percentage of the company via shares? I know some of the insiders and former suits have lots of stock, but who exactly has the lion's share?

I bought about a hundred or so shares for ~$100 back in early 2000's. My shares have gone up more than GW's annual price hike/inflation/adjustments as I've more than doubled my money... I'm now at about ~ $250-ish. Otherwise, what you are looking can be found here: http://investor.games-workshop.com/shareholder-statistics/

I apologize for the horrendous formatting as I don't know how to drop a chart in here so it may look wonky in the post - check out the link if you want to see it all in a pretty format. If it works anything like it does in the US with a public company and their auditors, GW wouldn't be allowed to put out any information that can't be substantiated by their auditor on record and PWC is neck and neck with being the top audit firm in the world with D&T. P-Dub would drop G-Dub if it tarnished their image in any way.

Gamesworkshop, PLC
The shareholders who hold over 3% of the total ordinary share capital of Games Workshop Group PLC.
A: 02/21/2013

Shareholder Number of shares Percentage
The Nomad Investment Partnership LP 5,154,141 16.2
Investec Asset Management Limited 3,087,765 9.7
Ruffer LLP 2,248,000 7.1
Tom Kirby 2,131,394 6.7
Phoenix Asset Management Partners Limited 1,865,218 5.9
FIL Limited 1,753,900 5.5

The sad part is, GW probably considers the release of this new book to be a resounding success: after all, they're sold out!

I won't be surprised if future releases will also screw over the retailers. All GW has to do is have a new release in limited numbers so that a store only gets one or two of it at most, and then after that initial "wide release", it then becomes direct only.

boyd wrote:

 WarOne wrote:
Redirecting this to be less confrontational, does anyone know who controls what percentage of the company via shares? I know some of the insiders and former suits have lots of stock, but who exactly has the lion's share?

I bought about a hundred or so shares for ~$100 back in early 2000's. My shares have gone up more than GW's annual price hike/inflation/adjustments as I've more than doubled my money... I'm now at about ~ $250-ish. Otherwise, what you are looking can be found here: http://investor.games-workshop.com/shareholder-statistics/

If you bought in early 2000s you bought at a low. It doesn't really indicate all that much, because the price has been pretty cyclical, high in late 90s, low in early 00s, high in mid 00s, low in late 00s, crawling back up again since 2010.

Share price is a few steps removed from actually relating product price to success.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
GW chart for the past 20 years:

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=GAW.L+Interactive#symbol=gaw.l;range=my;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

boyd wrote:

 WarOne wrote:
Redirecting this to be less confrontational, does anyone know who controls what percentage of the company via shares? I know some of the insiders and former suits have lots of stock, but who exactly has the lion's share?

I bought about a hundred or so shares for ~$100 back in early 2000's. My shares have gone up more than GW's annual price hike/inflation/adjustments as I've more than doubled my money... I'm now at about ~ $250-ish. Otherwise, what you are looking can be found here: http://investor.games-workshop.com/shareholder-statistics/

If you bought in early 2000s you bought at a low. It doesn't really indicate all that much, because the price has been pretty cyclical, high in late 90s, low in early 00s, high in mid 00s, low in late 00s, crawling back up again since 2010.

Share price is a few steps removed from actually relating product price to success.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
GW chart for the past 20 years:

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=GAW.L+Interactive#symbol=gaw.l;range=my;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

I recently dumped my shares because I believe that GW is heading for a major correction. Wells leaving and the Hobbit disappointment are going to leave a mark. That and GW seems to peak every 5 years. Still, 35% return in 18 months wasn't a bad run

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
Mike, I don't know if you remember the conversation we had, that first Dakkacon a couple of years back, where I held fairly staunch negative views about GW and you sat me down and talked through just why you loved GW as a retailer, when you talked to me about the years of support, the great relationship you had with the management and the great customer service you received as a business. You really did open my eyes and change my perception of how things were for you and for the North American business.

I was not long landed off the plane from the UK. I'd seen the GW method of operation over there, seen their aggressive attitude to indy stores, seen them withhold stock and switch orders without notification, watched as they used indy stores to build up business in an area and then move in next door, or in one case, persuade a bloke to move out of the town center to bigger premises and then open a GW in his old shop, killing his business...

I believe what you are experiencing now is the fallout from Kirby's tour of the US, I think you enjoyed many years of the GW US model, which evolved with a certain degree of autonomy and, from what you told me, was a great experience and mutually beneficial to the businesses concerned, but I think he's come to America, beheaded a huge swathe of the management here and forced the UK model into effect over here. Whether it will work or not for GW remains to be seen, but if I'm right, it will be a bad time for the American independent stores and their relationship with GW will move to an almost openly hostile one.

It worries me for the store owners in North America, I know you're a formidable businessman and you carry a number of other ranges and your comic business as well, if GW piss you off for long enough, you'll just up the anti on selling PP and other ranges and increase the events for them in the area, but for some businesses, the GW sales may signify a tipping point for their livelihoods.

I have to agree with Mean Green Stompa with his assessment. I'll say this once again. Wells was only taking orders from Kirby. He should not be the scapegoat for the current business model of the revenue streaming process that has been going on since 2010. Kirby is the man calling the shots. Independent retailers are eventually going to be less and less be out of the equation for GW's future ways of receiving their revenue.

 Adam LongWalker wrote:

I have to agree with Mean Green Stompa with his assessment. I'll say this once again. Wells was only taking orders from Kirby. He should not be the scapegoat for the current business model of the revenue streaming process that has been going on since 2010. Kirby is the man calling the shots. Independent retailers are eventually going to be less and less be out of the equation for GW's future ways of receiving their revenue.

If Kirby is the only one calling the shots and dictating this mentality, Mikhaila would have never started to praise GW back in the day because GW would have never offered those benefits. Kirby has been in charge of GW since 1991. The change in GW's approach to stores in this country and cost cutting reflects the time Wells was CEO. He clearly had an influence on the running of GW and was not some rubber stamp that people think. He left his mark on the company and changed the mentality of company. Will Kirby change things back though? I don't think so.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
Mike, I don't know if you remember the conversation we had, that first Dakkacon a couple of years back, where I held fairly staunch negative views about GW and you sat me down and talked through just why you loved GW as a retailer, when you talked to me about the years of support, the great relationship you had with the management and the great customer service you received as a business. You really did open my eyes and change my perception of how things were for you and for the North American business.

I was not long landed off the plane from the UK. I'd seen the GW method of operation over there, seen their aggressive attitude to indy stores, seen them withhold stock and switch orders without notification, watched as they used indy stores to build up business in an area and then move in next door, or in one case, persuade a bloke to move out of the town center to bigger premises and then open a GW in his old shop, killing his business...

I believe what you are experiencing now is the fallout from Kirby's tour of the US, I think you enjoyed many years of the GW US model, which evolved with a certain degree of autonomy and, from what you told me, was a great experience and mutually beneficial to the businesses concerned, but I think he's come to America, beheaded a huge swathe of the management here and forced the UK model into effect over here. Whether it will work or not for GW remains to be seen, but if I'm right, it will be a bad time for the American independent stores and their relationship with GW will move to an almost openly hostile one.

It worries me for the store owners in North America, I know you're a formidable businessman and you carry a number of other ranges and your comic business as well, if GW piss you off for long enough, you'll just up the anti on selling PP and other ranges and increase the events for them in the area, but for some businesses, the GW sales may signify a tipping point for their livelihoods.

GW has this "big fish" mindset from being in the UK, but there's so much more area to cover and so many products that it'll be impossible for them to force out the independents in the US.

I think if GW continues to push the issue, the better stores (The ones that don't feel like bars for hardcore drunks.) will probably just drop their orders to a bare minimum and switch to a more successful non-wargaming product.

The simple fact of the matter is that there's always a new fad for preteens. If GW enacts policies to try and force the little guy out of business, it just means the little guy starts carrying more of Magic:The Gathering; or Yugioh; or Cardfight:Vanguard; or whatever becomes the next Heroclix.