Seriously! What is up with partworks this year? Last year was lean with a limited number of releases. This year, over the last couple of months actually, we have been flooded. And I mean flooded. There is tremendous competition on retail space – at a time when we have little space to give thanks to Easter, Mother’s Day and school holidays.
Who is deciding when to release all this product into the channel? Who decides to release it late into the month to suit distributor and or publisher cash flow? Who sets supply quantities?
Come on Gotch and network, you are supposed to be specialists. I am seeing little evidence of specialist consideration in your supply decisions this year.
Take The Official Ferrari Model Collection which launched earlier this week. Yes, Easter Monday, Anzac Day. Not a smart move there. But the folks at Gotch probably wanted to make sure it hit our accounts before the end of month cut off. this title should have been out around Grand Prix time or closer to Father’s Day.
Someone needs to admits that they stuffed this up and that newsagents are carrying the cost as a result.
Distributors will blame importers or publishers. Importers and or publishers will blame distributors. Newsagents are left carrying the cost.
The latest orgy of supply of partworks leaves me, once again, doubting the viability of this mix of products. In my view, 2011 is proving to be the year of the partworks stuff up. Poor decisions are killing what should be a golden goose for newsagents, publishers and distributors. instead, newsagents are being ripped off.
I am on the record at this blog of being a fan of partworks. Not sure how much longer.
We will be maximising returns of unsold magazines from the first week or so of the month to accomodate the part series which are important to us but have to be stocked at the expense of slower publications in the mean time.
The Official Ferrari Model Collection has been early officially early returned . did not even give it a chance ,sorry guys but do not bring out NEW tittles on the last week of the month
Was this Ferrari collection not sent out last year and then withdrawn after the 1st six issues leaving a number of collectors asking why. As i recall there were to be about 24 models produced. parhaps it was a trial in WA only. We have just had a trial of “Super cars” in WA which now appears to have been discontinued. How can you start a partworks and then can it.
Come on guys lets stop rounding up the ants why the elephants are getting away. We moan about partworks and yet debate about sellouts on slow items. Partworks are a good thing for the magazine dept, when done correctly. They are advertised, exclusive and bring customers through the door. I sold 13 of my 50 Ferrari’s on the first day. Whats more the cost was only 1/3 of the “junk bundle” GG sent me on the same day. Thats where your early returns need to be focused based on prior sales history, not emotion or frustration.
Bill, I am on the record here as loving partworks. however, this year, they have been stuffed up. Not sure by whom, but the supply has been wrong – too many bunched up. Ridiculous supply in some vases. Lazy distribution decisions abusing newsagent goodwill is what it looks like to me.
If they get partworks right I am all for them.
Mark, my comments were not directed at you, but the others who stated they returned them without givning them a chance.
Hi, can anyone tell me where I can get a couple of the cars from, I had 2 damaged in my move and have tried different newsagents with no luck. Any help would be great.