10800 Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 http://www.scalefour.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=1658&p=12658&sid=03b20bcc84ccd552d133a96ccfb56098#p12658 It seems they went into administration last Friday and will cease trading at the end of December. A sad loss, especially for the 23 losing their jobs just before Christmas. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Indeed so Rod. Sympathies for all concerned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 A big shock that one. The new catalogue only arrived a few weeks ago too and so it looks like we will have to go shopping around instead of getting it all from one outlet. Very sad indeed. On the same day as Comet too. Looks like the buyer got a lot of stock for £2.00... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold John B Posted November 9, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 9, 2011 A very sad loss. The best reason to visit Bognor, too - the shop was even more of a gold mine than the exhibition stand. A salutory reminder of the recession and how it affects the "smaller" traders. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 40-something Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Thats very sad news indeed, also looked forward to seeing their stand at exhibitions and were always a joy to order from over the phone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RedgateModels Posted November 9, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 9, 2011 On the same day as Comet too Comet? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted November 9, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 9, 2011 Very sad. Often visit the shop in Bognor Regis. Will be a big loss as will now have to now do mail order for plastic strips switches glues etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Comet? Yup; sold for £2.00 plus a three-year warranty at £59.95. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfwit Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 As others have said, a sad loss for the hobby and for the people that will lose their jobs. Their service is always very good indeed and their product range extensive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfwit Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Comet? High street electrical not etchy brass railway kits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RedgateModels Posted November 9, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 9, 2011 Phew! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted November 9, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 9, 2011 Yup; sold for £2.00 plus a three-year warranty at £59.95. ..and don't forget the 90 quid HDMI cable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted November 9, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 9, 2011 It was always a pleasure to visit the Bognor version of the Aladdins Cave and usually a couple of sniffters afterwards to celebrate escaping with some money left in the bank. A sad loss indeed. SS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.A.C Martin Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 I've never used them but it's sad whenever any of the hard working people in our hobby lose their jobs, or their company goes under. My sympathies to all at Squires, hopefully they will all be able to find something sooner, rather than later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 They couldn't supply what was in their catalogue when i'd tried to order so I gave up on them, I guess the inability to get a web shop sorted will have ensured they lost out to competition. Its a shame for the employees but the company itself couldn't keep up with modern selling methods. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Sorry Redgate for upsetting your mid-afternoon Cornflakes... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Endacott Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 I have just called the shop to ask for clarification and all that I was told is that the business is closing at the end of December. It doesn't look like being a very good Christmas for Roger and his staff. Geoff Endacott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisf Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Craig, I don't know what you were trying to order but I always got what I wanted and very quickly. It is difficult to imagine anywhere else with such a range of products under one roof/catalogue and I agree with others that Squires will be sadly missed. What "competition" did you have in mind? We need to know so we can shop there after the end of December! Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Line Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 If this means the end of squires? its a real shame for Roger and His staff and a major retrograde step for our hobby. Being pedantic however.... I have been noticing of late that unless Squires attends a show you can find it a struggle to purchase many modelling materials and tools outside of the most basic OO ranges. If this news means no Squires stands on the circuit any more? I hope that those traders who should be supplying similar ranges... seize the nettle and get some stock for us to buy! By that I mean complete stands of plastic/paint/metal etc not one or two dusty items in a half empty rack! But by the same respect and as has been touched upon already on this thread... if we don't support them via buying something then they will disappear too! Squires has given us as hobbyists; an as close as we can ever expect to see... one stop shop.. why has it failed? such is not really for us to assume here... but might I suggest that we did not spend enough with them? Tragic for all concerned. Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 This is a big hit for me. I regularly place an order with Squires for consumables and receive very good service. Such a shame when it appeared that they had their service just right. One wonders what went wrong. Stock levels perhaps? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozzer models Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Comet? that got me as well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted November 9, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 9, 2011 Half if not more of the shop is arts needlecraft etc and often thats the busier side when I have visited. The modelling side still as good as ever though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
10800 Posted November 9, 2011 Author Share Posted November 9, 2011 I've never visited their shop, but always got good service from them if ordering by fax or phone, often by return. Occasionally some items weren't available ex-stock but back-order waiting time was never inconveniently long. I often wondered why they never went to a proper web-based shopping model, maybe they thought their arts/crafts customer demographic had too many non-internet users? But the telephone directory catalogues supplied free to anyone who asked can't have been cheap to produce and distribute, and in hindsight an apparent increase in out-of-stock items could have been them trying to minimise dead stock levels and boost cash when they were struggling. Still a sad loss. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenser Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Very sad loss, and one that I suspect will hit me and others harder than we expect. With the effective demise of Mainly Trains afew years ago they had become a substitute source for a lot of basic stuff . Where do I buy things like rail colour enamel paints, embossed styrene , basic scenic materials etc etc now? No local model shop, no Mainly Trains, no Squires... When you run out during a project it's going to be rather difficult to source. That's without even considering the tools Bleak Christmas for all the staff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R A Watson Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 This is a geat shame, Rodger was a stalwart supporter of the Plymouth show for many years when I used to run it. If ever a man worked hard to build his business he did, wiith regard to e commerce he did try it early on but being a self confessed technophobe relied on a relative to develop this side of the business, unfortunately the gent let him down big time and the project floundered due to the expansion of the other parts of the empire taking all of Rodgers available time. Arguably the only reason to go to Bognor has now disapeared. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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