dazdot Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 ok having been to .mz thurrock recently 2 things. the bargains there were good however the stuff that wasn't on sale bordered on the extortionate. this also led me to believe they may be in trouble as they get you In with bargains then you see that kit you really want and think I've got this at a bargain so why not? secondly, the staff in there had no idea I went in for vallejo model air a while back and none was available so I asked when I was accosted by some asking if I wanted to buy anything if they had a model colour and model air colour chart so I could cross reference. and no we don't have those. I left empty handed rang Hannants when I got home and exactly the paint I was after was sent the same day and arrived the next. personally I will NOT buy kits outside my price range so to date I have bought 1 hasegawa kit and that was on special at hannants I can only hope hase don't disappear from the UK but whatever happens is any one surprised? after all we've been moaning about the price of these kits for as long as I got back into the hobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depressed lemur Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I hope MZ pull through if only for those who work there and those who have no LMS. Having said that, I recently visited the Manchester branch to find that all the kits were now in the basement like they are an embarrassment. The main floor is now 100% die cast! If they want modellers in, maybe they should start stocking decent stuff, and employ people who know slightly more about the subject than a Nepalese goat herder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fostersdave Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I hope MZ pull through if only for those who work there and those who have no LMS. Having said that, I recently visited the Manchester branch to find that all the kits were now in the basement like they are an embarrassment. The main floor is now 100% die cast! If they want modellers in, maybe they should start stocking decent stuff, and employ people who know slightly more about the subject than a Nepalese goat herder. same trouble at bluewater,not one member of staff interested in models but quite happy to stock big r/c stuff that you can fall over and break your leg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtarget Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I have used eBay to buy cheaper model kits in the past... one such seller 'was' called tradeclearancecollectables . I purchased from them as recently as last week a 1/24th Hasegawa MINI Countryman kit for £25 instead of the usual £46... This seller sells plastic kits as well as diecast and RC and when the kit arrived it was in a MZ box filled with MZ marked bubble wrap and the kit even had a £46 MZ price sticker on it... It seems to me that tradeclearancecollectables were actually Modelzone selling off discontinued stock on via eBay. If further proof were needed... last week this seller had 2000+ items on sale... today it has no items for sale. QED I actually spoke to the seller yesterday prior to the stock going off line she said business as usual and that they are selling kits they have rather than having to order. I was a bit dubious and held off putting in an order. Today she is out of office and no items for sale. I do wonder if i would have received my goods if i had checked out yesterday when she said it was fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 As a 1/72 AFV modeller, were the supply of Hasegawa kits to dry up, I wouldn't be shedding too many tears TBH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Let's face it, there are modelzone shops and modelzone shops.... In my opinion the quality of each store very much depended on its history. Manchester was an excellent LMS for many years before take over and still had a good selection of kits upstairs until very recently. I'm not sure about the provenance of the Newcastle city centre store, but they have traditionally had a pretty good selection of kits etc and is staffed by knowledgeable and helpful people. On the other hand, I found the Liverpool, Trafford Centre, and Metro Centre stores to be at best mediocre and at worst a joke. If there has to be a cull, lets hope it's the toy shops that go and not the stores that have retained some measure of integrity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Jones Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 (edited) Let's face it, there are modelzone shops and modelzone shops.... If there has to be a cull, lets hope it's the toy shops that go and not the stores that have retained some measure of integrity. You'll probably find that if some shops are saved ,[ and lets hope that they are , if not all ], then they will be the shops that showed the best sales figures, irrespective of whether the sales were plastic kit RC or diecasts. Andrew Edited June 27, 2013 by Andrew Jones 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazdot Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 nobody wants to see jobs lost and I do feel for those who may. but I can't help feeling that if prices had been reasonable in the first instance then maybe just maybevthis wouldn't have happened I have an lms just down the road and a fantastic one just after that in chelmsford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregg136 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 ...and Metro Centre stores to be at best mediocre and at worst a joke. If i'm at the Metro Centre I'll pop in but it has to be a waste of a shop, very little selection compared to Newcastle. The nearest one to me is Sunderland, if that goes I'm stuffed. It's handy when it's the weekend and I can get out and pop over for some paint and usually pick up a little kit to add to the stash. I can't see me doing as much if I'm having to jump on the Metro to Newcastle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulj Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 had an interesting chat with one of the local modelzone staff Today. The original owner sold modelzone a couple of years ago and bitterly regrets the sale. He wants to buy it back so looking to raise the money to do so. Despite the ties between modelzone and amerang, modelzone is a totally seperate entity, so should not have an effect on amerang if a buyer could not be found. Not sure how accurate these details are, but thought I would mention them. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetherudders Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I'd better head into MZ in Cardiff on Sat then, the kids got me a £20 voucher the other week for my birthday. Better use it soon if they still accept them that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derwentsider Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 The stock that the various shops carried was not decided by store managers in every case. Those decisions were taken at a higher level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 (edited) I'd better head into MZ in Cardiff on Sat then, the kids got me a £20 voucher the other week for my birthday. Better use it soon if they still accept them that is. My wife called our local ModelZone today to see what the situation was with the shop; they said that they turn up day to day and will remain open until they are told not to.. Gift vouchers are still being taken (at the moment) however, you have to spend the equivalent amount again in order to redeem them; so you'll have to spend another £20 to enable you to use your voucher to give you £40 of goods if you see what I mean. Karl Edited June 27, 2013 by Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadders Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 had an interesting chat with one of the local modelzone staff Today. The original owner sold modelzone a couple of years ago and bitterly regrets the sale. He wants to buy it back so looking to raise the money to do so. Despite the ties between modelzone and amerang, modelzone is a totally seperate entity, so should not have an effect on amerang if a buyer could not be found. Not sure how accurate these details are, but thought I would mention them. Paul Modelzone and Amerang are one in the same. If you go to the MZ website, the hold page lists them as all being part of the group in administration. Modelzone own(ed) Amerang ( The Amerang site has the same hold page). David Mordeci didn't actually "sell" the business as such but Lloyds did put a substantional amount into it and listed it in its portfolio. David left the board last year to work for Hawkins Bazzar ( which went into administration in December, and now is looking for backers to buy back the company Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetherudders Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 My wife called our local ModelZone today to see what the situation was with the shop; they said that they turn up day to day and will remain open until they are told not to.. Gift vouchers are still being taken (at the moment) however, you have to spend the equivalent amount again in order to redeem them; so you'll have to spend another £20 to enable you to use your voucher to give you £40 of goods if you see what I mean. Karl Cheers Karl, thanks for the info. Interesting that, I will need to check as I'm sure that can't be legal. It should be a simple case of either yes or no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Went into their Croydon store today to get some Vallejo Paints and they have stopped it, saying you should go to London or Maidstone! Where is the sense in that, means I will just have to order it off the internet and get it cheaper. Talk about trying to keep your LMS alive. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwh Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Went into their Croydon store today to get some Vallejo Paints and they have stopped it, saying you should go to London or Maidstone! Where is the sense in that, means I will just have to order it off the internet and get it cheaper. Talk about trying to keep your LMS alive. Robert I can remember when that particular store was originally in St Georges walk and was called Model Time, that was a fantastic shop. I used to go there every week and buy my models and supplies It sadly went down hill when MZ bought it out. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Strange where kits turn up in none model shops,those of us in the north will probably know Boyes stores,my local store stocks Humbrol Vallajio, squadron etc and now Revell ,Airfix Hobbyboss and a few others,I was in Aldi and Asda recently and the Works all selling a few Airfix kits at less than RRP,no doubt approaches have probably been made but supermarket retailers would be good for airfix remember Woolworths used to shift huge stocks of AirfixI know this won,t satisfy the serious modellers but there would be a lot of kids pestering parents! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaVenom Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Damn shame and thought this would happen sooner or later. I've been making an effort to buy kits, paints etc from Modelzone and Hobbycraft recently (I think everyone should too) even if I have to pay slightly more as too much business is going online to places like Ebay and Amazon. As much as I like Ebay all these High street shops closing is bad news. I walked into MZ the other week and bought 4 kits. When I got to the counter the guy said 2 of those are reduced so you could get a bargain in there sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaVenom Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Even though I said High street MZ would probably have done more business in out of town shopping malls as they're much easier to get to and park. I know that's one thing that put me off going there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manipled Mutineer Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 I've always found the Cardiff branch quite good and the staff helpful, although perhaps I am biased as one of my friends works there! Will have to pop in and see what's going on. I would be sad to see it go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bri48 Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Deloitte said that ModelZone, which has 400 staff including its wholesale arm Amerang, had expanded too quickly. Richard Hawes, joint administrator, said: "ModelZone has historically been profitable, however in recent years the company entered into leases for new stores that proved to be loss making. "This, coupled with the growth in online competition, has resulted in ModelZone generating losses over the last couple of years, which the board of directors has now concluded is unsustainable and sought the appointment of administrators. “We are working closely with customers and employees to ensure the business has the best possible platform to secure a sale, preserve jobs and generate as much value as possible for all creditors. "Amerang is a profitable business, but the directors were forced to seek the appointment of administrators to protect the value of the business following the administration of ModelZone, its sister company. "Amerang remains profitable and we will continue to trade as normal while we seek a buyer for all or parts of the business as a going concern.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10146498/Hornby-hit-by-collapse-of-key-customer-ModelZone.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 (edited) Ignore! Edited June 28, 2013 by Chris Jephcott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 (edited) Cheers Karl, thanks for the info. Interesting that, I will need to check as I'm sure that can't be legal. It should be a simple case of either yes or no. No problem Yes a bit cheeky really, however I'm not sure where the legal standpoint is at all. I remember another retailer (was it Comet?) who went bust and even though the shops were still open they were initially refusing to take gift vouchers at all. I do stand to be corrected, but I'm sure that was the case. Karl Edited June 28, 2013 by Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bri48 Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Gift Vouchers & cards.......Parliament view... http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN06540 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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