Thank you GamesWorkshop!!!
In his 2006 "why we are sucking wind in terms of profitablility, but don't really have a clear explaination of why" preamble, the Chairman of GW lays it out as to why the FLGS is suffering:
"On the 'investor relations' section of our corporate web site (which has all our annual reports since 2001, and the institutional presentations we make) there is a place where people can post questions for me to answer. Mostly they are about what new models we are planning (read White Dwarf), or why we haven't got a store in Omaha, Nebraska (yet), or why we put our prices up all the time (we don't) but every now and then I get one that touches on something that needs to be explained. Blair Svendson from Missouri asked '[why am I] seeing my favorite independent hobby stores going out of business?'. He was referring to the United States, and so is my response. This is a question that concerns all of us at Games Workshop - staff, managers, customers and owners. I'm not certain I know THE answer, but I have an explanation that fits the facts. Most of these small owner-manager hobby stores have thrived over the last 20 years or so on role play games, collectible card games (CCGs) and niche merchandise from fantasy movie imagery. Role play games and movie merchandise are in decline; CCGs can now be bought in mass market outlets which hurts hobby store sales. Many of these stores carry our products very successfully, but they are not enough to support the whole store. Additionally many of these stores are run as lifestyle enterprises rather than as for profit businesses; when times get hard they sometimes respond slowly and weakly which can be, and has been in many cases, disastrous."
If you wanna read all of the awesome that is this post, go here:
Teh Hawesome
Man, if it weren't for GW products, we would have all been flat out in the cold years ago. Whew.
(Sorry, I am in a snarky mood this AM.)
posted by Chris Hanrahan @ 9:09 AM
6 Comments:
I agree. Games Workshop has done nothing but to help me support my FLGS... by buying other games when their prices hit the "man, even I'm not this dedicated/stupid" levels. So, thank you GW... I'm sure that Privateer Press, Magnificent Egos and WizKids will be sending you thank you cards on my behalf shortly.
Cold, but totally fair.
Hooray Arrogance!
I think they're in serious trouble. There's a ton of talk about troubles in the US that are (conveniently enough!) completely beyond their control, yet nothing about the dip shown in UK sales.
Weird stuff.
BTW, your comments on BattleTech in the last podcast pretty much echo my own feelings. BT needs modernized and updated rules. I think mainstream tabletop gaming is the only industry that lacks a real sense of progress in rules design, knowledge, and implementation. The core rules are over 20 years old. Streamline, simplify, and update them already!
"...there is a place where people can post questions for me to answer. Mostly they are about what new models we are planning (read White Dwarf)"
Did he just say that if you give him $7, he'll answer your questions?
Awww, he did just say that. Damn, i totally missed it ;)
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