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rjwood_uk · 14-09-2006

this is a message i am passing on from Squiffythewombat.

"opening a model shop in this day and age will require some serious thinking. Taking a look at the surounding areas and do you market research, make sure that there is the level of modellers to support you. A shop with a small customer base wont last long.

Trade references will be very important before companies allow you to stock their products. If you dont have any then you will find getting credit and distributors hard.

Look to the web for ideas and try to focus on a specific area of the hobby. Modelling has a vast aray of types these days from RC to trains to kits to steam! If your planing to stock both, RC, trains and plastic kits i would have a long hard think;- do you have the capital, where is your market? do you know lots about kits as well as trains? Theres no good selling something to a customer if you cant explain how it works or mend it when things go tits up!

Remmber that to be able to stock Hornby you must have trade ref's, a retail premisies and a minimum of £3000 for your first order (which will be pro-forma). Smaller cottage industries are more likelly to work with you but these are no good on their own. Personally i started by ringing the distributors and finding out their reguirements, i then went away and did some more market research and ended up where i am now. Ive been doing this about 8months now and there is still 100 things to learn everyday and i only focus on plastics, not rc or trains.

If im utterly honest, by the tone of your post i think you in the "hmmm what if" stage... the "i would love to run a model shop" stage, but you have to remmber that its VERY VERY VERY STRESSFUL, you will have to work every hour of the day, not see any friends and basically be a hermit."

he says he realised he could waffle on for ten pages so if you want to speak to him about anything and for advice you can either speak to him on msn by adding squiffydawombat@hotmail.com or using the contact form on his website:

http://semodels.com/contact_us.php?o...e819930971d0e8

14-09-2006	#3 (permalink)
rjwood_uk Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hertfordshire Real Name: Richard My Models: Special Designs and Patches to match Visit rjwood_uk's Gallery Posts: 2,230 Images: 95	this is a message i am passing on from Squiffythewombat. "opening a model shop in this day and age will require some serious thinking. Taking a look at the surounding areas and do you market research, make sure that there is the level of modellers to support you. A shop with a small customer base wont last long. Trade references will be very important before companies allow you to stock their products. If you dont have any then you will find getting credit and distributors hard. Look to the web for ideas and try to focus on a specific area of the hobby. Modelling has a vast aray of types these days from RC to trains to kits to steam! If your planing to stock both, RC, trains and plastic kits i would have a long hard think;- do you have the capital, where is your market? do you know lots about kits as well as trains? Theres no good selling something to a customer if you cant explain how it works or mend it when things go tits up! Remmber that to be able to stock Hornby you must have trade ref's, a retail premisies and a minimum of £3000 for your first order (which will be pro-forma). Smaller cottage industries are more likelly to work with you but these are no good on their own. Personally i started by ringing the distributors and finding out their reguirements, i then went away and did some more market research and ended up where i am now. Ive been doing this about 8months now and there is still 100 things to learn everyday and i only focus on plastics, not rc or trains. If im utterly honest, by the tone of your post i think you in the "hmmm what if" stage... the "i would love to run a model shop" stage, but you have to remmber that its VERY VERY VERY STRESSFUL, you will have to work every hour of the day, not see any friends and basically be a hermit." he says he realised he could waffle on for ten pages so if you want to speak to him about anything and for advice you can either speak to him on msn by adding squiffydawombat@hotmail.com or using the contact form on his website: http://semodels.com/contact_us.php?o...e819930971d0e8