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It would be the likes of reading and Basingstoke stores then both new in the last few years both in large shopping centres and both usually empty especially the reading shop which is the bigger of the two staff always outnumbered the customers when I went in. They were good for the sale stuff some models could be 75% off but I would never buy anything full price in there. I think they suffered from being a model shop trying to be a toy shop , 17 year old girls might have good customer service skills but do they know the difference between a panzer ivf and a panzer ivg? Or should I walk a bit further to my local model shop?

There aren't many model shops left, though.

There is the one opposite the main police station in Reading, unless it has gone. I haven't been past there for a year.

Another one of those stores that I loved going in and looking around but never purchased anything.

Shame to see it flop.

 deejaybainbridge wrote:
Another one of those stores that I loved going in and looking around but never purchased anything.

Shame to see it flop.

That might be why it went down.
Having stock, but not being able to shift it, is not a good way to run a shop.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
There aren't many model shops left, though.

There is the one opposite the main police station in Reading, unless it has gone. I haven't been past there for a year.

I haven't been past that one in 3 years but reading has lost it's best when the one in Harris arcade went, killed off by modelzone most likely. but there is electic games if you can find it every time I go back its moved. At least Basingstoke has still got a good local model shop bet he's feeling happy he managed to outlast modelzone

My local one was Guildford, while always stocked up, and often doing lovely sales, the damned place made most GW Stores look gigantic in space regards.

Made browsing etc a nightmare if even 1 other person was in the area you wanted to look in.

The staff while friendly, always seemed more concerned with playing and waffling on with RC only customers.

Man that sucks, my local (traditional) hobby store closed while I was in Afghanistan. They carried a lot of supplies you cant get at Michaels or Hobby Lobby, the two stores that killed him off.

To me the problem seems to be the ridiculously high price that retail store rents are being set at. It is becoming incredibly difficult for High Street stores in the UK to earn sufficient margin to make their rent. How on earth, in a recession, high street retail rents are increasing at double-digit rates of inflation beats me. As someone who is experienced in domestic property rental which appears to be much more responsive to market forces, I just fail to see how a market that hikes prices so high that 30% of its properties are lying empty and unused is in any way functional.

If their rents had been lower, then they could have taken the risk of operating at lower gross margins and had more of a chance of competing with online. Now though, it looks like there is yet another large high street retailer going out of business and likely yet more empty stores on the high street. Which doesn't serve anyone, least of all the landlord!

Weird business model that retail landlords work to!

It's not just the Landlords, In Scotland, at least, The local council imposes business rates, which are high.
It's a significant cost for shop owners.

Its not about competing with online/offline. Some of their stores are profitable, some are not. Bad choices with regards to locations and expanded too quickly to ramp up costs and overheads without the cash to back it up. Can't blame online for their poor decision making.

I just fail to see how a market that hikes prices so high that 30% of its properties are lying empty and unused is in any way functional.

Regarding USA commercial rental property it's due to something called "collusion." Back in the 90's the major commercial property owners and property management companies setup an unwritten agreement for a "never again" scenario where they would no longer compete against each other during a "down" market. Those companies are prepared to go as low as 40-50% empty and then they'll try to get financing to "renovate" before lowering their rental rates. It's not 100% that every owner/manager does it but enough of the big ones agreed I think that's what you're seeing. Leaving strip malls mostly to the food service and body service (karate, nails, hair) stores. Things which people cannot order online.

Things are not looking promising

The local one now has a sale on everything (except scalextric & Hornby)

All paint, glue, painting tools etc 50% off so grab stuff while it's around as these are a good deal(paints stocked at mine Vallejo, Tamiya, Revell, Humbrol)

20% of most the rest of the stock (so no major savings from online)

 OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:
Things are not looking promising

The local one now has a sale on everything (except scalextric & Hornby)

All paint, glue, painting tools etc 50% off so grab stuff while it's around as these are a good deal(paints stocked at mine Vallejo, Tamiya, Revell, Humbrol)

20% of most the rest of the stock (so no major savings from online)

Same up here in Newcastle

Shame I don't have one near me. I could do with some cheap Vallejo paints.

Yep, Liverpool store is the same. I picked up some cheap milliput and tools.

I went to the Lakeside one last night to have a nose about.

The tools are almost gone as we're the Zveda models but they had most of their other ranges there.

It appears they can get credit on restocking some lines which is why they are listed as 20% and not 50%. They hope to be going for another two weeks.

Me I loaded up on liquid Gold, Vallejo thinners, mold silicone, brass/ali rods and Plastrut @ 50%. It's a shame but I've spent more in one visit than I had in the previous 5 years there.

I never thought of mould silicone or putty. Doh!

I did grab a load of Vallejo paints though, too tempting to pass up. It's not somewhere I've been to much because it's at the other end of town from where I normally shop.

Yeah a pound a bottle really helps to make it a worth while trip. the chap after me had about 15 bottles!

I feel like a vulture feeding, picking on the bones of discount clouded by darkness due to the reason for it.

Got some vallejo the other day myself. However limited funds meant not all I wanted. Come the weekend, with money now in the bank, I can get into town 1st thing Saturday morning and see what they got left.

The moulds interested me, so with any luck maybe a few left.

Indeed it is a bittersweet experience. It is truly a walk of shame to walkout with a bulging Modelzone bag, the chaps that work there seem genuinely upset about the whole situation.

I figure I'll get another trip or two but get the niggling feeling that I'm just buying to get cheap stuff rather than what I need. Still those humbrol spray cans look tempting.

 notprop wrote:
Yeah a pound a bottle really helps to make it a worth while trip. the chap after me had about 15 bottles!

I ended up with 16 bottles and some plastic glue, £18. I did feel slightly guilty about it but got decent banter from the cashier who agree'd £1.10 a bottle is hard to say no too, and that he'll be stocking up too.

One way of justifying it is that if they can raise the cash they need from clearance sales maybe they'll be able to continue in some form, rather than it being sold on in job lots for much less than 50% retail.

I'm not surprised the staff are upset. What with the still stagnant economy and the continuing decline of the high street, it isn't a good time to lose a job in retailing if that is all your experience and training.

However to salve your conscience, you won't help anyone by not buying the cheap stuff. They would probably just have to put it in a skip in the end.

The london new oxford st shop closes for good next wed 21st August. Model kits have been reduced to 30% off but that is the final discount apparently as stock will then be moved to an as yet still open branch and/or sold off wholesale.

The only wargames bargain I could see was a stack of these Revell Clone Wars AAT's

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Revell-Star-Wars-Clone-Easykit/dp/B003E47HMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376590031&sr=8-1&keywords=revell+aat

for £4.89 each, the scale is 1:50 so great for anyone looking for cheap futuristic floaty tanks -tau? (or playing clone wars obv).

Still a few Vallejo paints left at £1.10 each, but pretty esoteric colours at this stage

 wildphilldude wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
There aren't many model shops left, though.

There is the one opposite the main police station in Reading, unless it has gone. I haven't been past there for a year.

I haven't been past that one in 3 years but reading has lost it's best when the one in Harris arcade went, killed off by modelzone most likely. but there is electic games if you can find it every time I go back its moved. At least Basingstoke has still got a good local model shop bet he's feeling happy he managed to outlast modelzone

I used to the Reading one to buy their paints. They were buy two get one free. Electic games was a decent store and their board game nights were fun. I dont' live up there anymore though.

The lakeside one was looking pretty sparse a week or so ago. Still some of the very good humbrol sprays and a fair few Vallejo paints left - including the liquid good range.

The humbrol spray was massively over priced at £5 for a small can buy at £2.50 it's really good stuff.