Maplin to be sold (surprise surprise) - What would you change to make it survive?

Where I live if I want something 'pc' I either need to order online or basically pick one of three brick and mortar stores. One of those store is more focused on custom pc's and businesses, the other two are maplins and pcworld...
Every time I've gone into maplins specifically looking for something that's 'in stock' according to the website it's basically been out of stock or if they do have stock a quick check of pcworld usually found it cheaper and in some cases almost the same as places like amazon.
I did buy something from maplins a year ago, some corsair fans because they were actually the cheapest place (on offer), and I could get them straight away.

But then again every time I've been there the staff were rather 'laid back' but then that's to be expected when they had about 3 people in there and weren't really interested in 'giving alternatives' or really caring that they had no stock....mind you out my way it's very rare to find a store which has staff willing to help and give advice on anything...

So how would I fix maplins... lower prices to be 'just above' online prices rather than rrp so we actually think, ah I can just go grab it now. Change what they sell into niche areas such as home automation, digital photography, drones etc and offer 'knowledgable' and helpful service rather than just being a 'retail store' where they basically just pick from what's on the shelf.

Having said that, if it's cheaper online I'm still likely to just grab it online because most places I buy offer next day service for free or next to nothing.
 
High prices and stagnated niches. I bet if you open their website right now you'll still find analogue CCTV cameras sold at prosumer prices preying on disorganisation of unsuspecting directors of newly moved offices. They probably still flog TVs with built in DVDs and monitors that don't even do HD and general tech-con tat - gold plated HDMI cables for twenty quid or universal laptop chargers that go for more than the laptop they connect to is worth. Stuff that belongs on hit-and-run stand at a car boot bazar or weekend tech faire. I'm not saying they should be cheap, or compete with internet, but they need to be solid brand - this should be a shop you go to if you need electronic components right here, right now, if you need a PC component like mid range graphics card for tonight, and you just can't wait for overclockers. They need to have exclusive lines from mid range manufacturer - Maplin microphone by Sure, Maplin mixer by Behringer, Maplin headphones by Koss, Maplin GeForce by Leadtek, Maplin monitor by Hanns-G. Not some silver painted, rebranded Bush/Morphy Richards findware that would otherwise go by "Panascanic", "Simsung" or "Sunyo" at a flea market.
 
So were they the spiritual successor to Tandy, who had a monopoly in their day, and, with rose tinted glasses better quality products than Maplin (remember TRS80 envy)
what killed them, I suppose our host OverClockers ?
 
jpaul said:
So were they the spiritual successor to Tandy, who had a monopoly in their day, and, with rose tinted glasses better quality products than Maplin (remember TRS80 envy)
what killed them, I suppose our host OverClockers ?
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We had a great Tandy in my town - the back had like bays with 2 for electronics components and two for audio (separates, enthusiast components, etc.) and then the front was the displays of more consumer oriented stuff - was great as a kid browsing through the stuff at the back while saving up enough money to buy stuff.
 
I did alright out of them recently stripping away a lot of their products, picked up an ASUS RT-AC68U for £99.

Everything else is sooooo expensive there, crazy they are still around.
 
Maplins need to be folded into PCWorld/Currys - Have a small section selling 'Tandy Electronics' - No need for separate stores when they already exist were you can rent retail space
 
Hopper- said:
Maplins need to be folded into PCWorld/Currys - Have a small section selling 'Tandy Electronics' - No need for separate stores when they already exist were you can rent retail space
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Neither of them can really afford to AFAIK - it needs to be someone like Tesco or Sainsburys really (as a concession entity within their structure) in this day and age who can leverage the footfall to make additional sales, save on rent, etc. and has the buying power to provide an overall offering that can compete in the environment that now exists with the likes of Amazon.
 
If the company was going to simply go bankrupt Dixons Carphone has already done deals to pickup 'brands' previously
 
Hopper- said:
If the company was going to simply go bankrupt Dixons Carphone has already done deals to pickup 'brands' previously
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Problem is it is too similar to the companies under the Dixons Carphone umbrella - the brand just doesn't have enough pull or do enough differently to generate or benefit from additional footfall for those companies - they'd do better just acquiring it to kill it (adding some of the lines in it covered to their existing shops were appropriate) and keep customers coming their way.
 
Maplin are way behind the times and hugely over priced on most of their products, add to that staff that don’t know their field and the future isn’t bright.

They should do what Tandy Corporation did worldwide - close / sell off the retail side and just concentrate with online where they can be more competitive due to not having to fund a huge high st presence.

https://www.tandyonline.com/
 
RS Components and Farnell have been around for donkeys years still selling from out of their mega thick catalogues. I know RS have a trade counter and both sell online but maybe they could branch out into a few of these Maplin shops when they eventually collapse.
 
CPC Farnell are pretty good to be fair. Competitive prices for most electronics and really good delivery times. I use them as they got approved for business use. Amazon I can only order in small lower cost amounts.
 
Heh I worked for both Tandy and Maplin as a store manager. This is going back 15 or so years ago. Still remember Tandy being closed down and being told by my area manager that my store would be closing within a month.

I then went to Maplins where I was another store manager. Back in those days we were quite competitive price wise, remember the amd Athlon cpu’s lol. It was actually working in maplins that I was told about ocuk.

I only worked there for about 5 yrs before I jumped into IT. But had good memories there.

Bit surprised that they are in trouble but after looking at their prices I can see exactly why thy are in trouble.
 
Scania said:
They should do what Tandy Corporation did worldwide - close / sell off the retail side and just concentrate with online where they can be more competitive due to not having to fund a huge high st presence.

https://www.tandyonline.com/
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That's actually not THE Tandy, Tandy, just a company that bought rights to use Tandy brand in UK from Radio Shack - kind of like there is Woolworths online using woolies trademark that has nothing to do with the actual high street Woolworths.
 
v0n said:
That's actually not THE Tandy, Tandy, just a company that bought rights to use Tandy brand in UK from Radio Shack - kind of like there is Woolworths online using woolies trademark that has nothing to do with the actual high street Woolworths.
Click to expand...

Yes indeed, THE Tandy is long gone, but afaik, this one is effectively Tandy as they initially were albeit without the shops, namely electronic specialists and the good name lives on.

I can’t see anybody wanting to keep Maplin afloat or ,like these guys, keep the name alive because it still has a following as frankly I don’t think Maplin as an entity or brand is anything worth saving.
 
I'm surprised in a way there are a few retailers who could turn them around and make something of them long term albeit it would be a painful process for those currently working for them.
 
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