Page 1 of 5 1234 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 16 of 68

Thread: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

  1. #1
    HEXUS.admin
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Posts
    31,709
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    2,073 times in 719 posts

    Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    Electronics, gadgets and components shop employs 2,500 people in 200 stores nationwide.
    Read more.

  2. #2
    Oh Crumbs.... Biscuit's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    N. Yorkshire
    Posts
    11,193
    Thanks
    1,394
    Thanked
    1,091 times in 833 posts
    • Biscuit's system
      • Motherboard:
      • MSI B450M Mortar
      • CPU:
      • AMD 2700X (Be Quiet! Dark Rock 3)
      • Memory:
      • 16GB Patriot Viper 2 @ 3466MHz
      • Storage:
      • 500GB WD Black
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Sapphire R9 290X Vapor-X
      • PSU:
      • Seasonic Focus Gold 750W
      • Case:
      • Lian Li PC-V359
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 x64
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity 80/20

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    Another store front that couldn't keep up with the internet.

  3. #3
    Super Moderator Jonj1611's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    5,718
    Thanks
    1,753
    Thanked
    994 times in 761 posts

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    They took away a lot of their electronics parts business and bought in run of the mill boxed electrical goods, and at silly prices as well.
    Jon

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Posts
    285
    Thanks
    16
    Thanked
    23 times in 21 posts

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    'Same as regular electronics, except ours cost thrice as much'

  5. #5
    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Not here
    Posts
    32,039
    Thanks
    3,910
    Thanked
    5,224 times in 4,015 posts
    • CAT-THE-FIFTH's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Less E-PEEN
      • CPU:
      • Massive E-PEEN
      • Memory:
      • RGB E-PEEN
      • Storage:
      • Not in any order
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVEN BIGGER E-PEEN
      • PSU:
      • OVERSIZED
      • Case:
      • UNDERSIZED
      • Operating System:
      • DOS 6.22
      • Monitor(s):
      • NOT USUALLY ON....WHEN I POST
      • Internet:
      • FUNCTIONAL

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    Quote Originally Posted by Jonj1611 View Post
    They took away a lot of their electronics parts business and bought in run of the mill boxed electrical goods, and at silly prices as well.
    Yep,I remember Maplins more as a electrical parts business more like Tandy instead of a PC World competitor!

  6. #6
    Super Moderator Jonj1611's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    5,718
    Thanks
    1,753
    Thanked
    994 times in 761 posts

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    Yes it very much was, they had an extensive catalogue of parts which diminished over the years. My first PC was a Tandy 1000TX. Good old days, 8Mhz processor
    Jon

  7. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    2,385
    Thanks
    181
    Thanked
    304 times in 221 posts

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    Used to work at Maplin and still have friends that do in varying levels of management and it's become a complete clusterfornicate.

    Basically they've taken a "pre-built" stance and are just bringing in part code shifters rather than the granularity Maplin was known for.

    Additionally, and in my opinion the worst change, they took a "everything must be positive" stance in sales. What this meant was an employee was not allowed to talk negatively about the product. If there is an issue or a flaw that leads to the product not being suitable for the customer then it must be spun positively and directed elsewhere. If you are found either speaking negatively or highlighting flaws by secret shopper or management, you will have to undergo mandatory re-training to improve your attitude/outlook.

    Frankly, Maplin Upper Management have taken away what made Maplin unique and in essence, kept them afloat. And instead tried to cookie cutter the company to be like PC World and the public don't need another PC World, the public needs something like Maplin to fall back on.

    Coupled with the terrible product sourcing team who can't get good pricing so therefore the sales teams can't work with competitive pricing and leading to ridiculous over pricing. If any person goes into Maplin to buy a any PC Hardware without checking pricing online first deserves to get ripped off.

    A lot of people complain about the electrical component pricing and I worked regularly in that department and my response would always be, "You've come into Maplin because you need that component right away, if you had time to wait, you would have ordered online. So £1.35 for this Capacitor is pretty reasonable for you to walk out the door with it right this second, card machine is ready for you". As you can tell, I got fed up with that attitude PDQ.

    I will be sad to see Maplin go if it does, but then again the Maplin I worked at ~5 years ago is not the Maplin I see today.

  8. #8
    Grumpy and VERY old :( g8ina's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Northampton
    Posts
    6,776
    Thanks
    2,613
    Thanked
    1,704 times in 1,108 posts
    • g8ina's system
      • Motherboard:
      • ASRock Z75 Pro3
      • CPU:
      • Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz
      • Memory:
      • 16GB Corsair 1600MHz DDR3.
      • Storage:
      • 250GB SSD system, 250GB SSD Data + 2TB data, + 8TB NAS
      • Graphics card(s):
      • XFX Radeon HD 6870
      • Case:
      • Coolermaster Elite 430
      • Operating System:
      • Win10
      • Monitor(s):
      • Iiyama 22"
      • Internet:
      • Virgin 100MB unlimited

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    dh-4600synth-s by David W. Harris, on Flickr

    I built this entirely from Maplin parts, late 70s. I miss those old analogue days.
    Cheers, David



  9. #9
    Seething Cauldron of Hatred TheAnimus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    17,168
    Thanks
    803
    Thanked
    2,152 times in 1,408 posts

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    Quote Originally Posted by Tabbykatze View Post
    Frankly, Maplin Upper Management have taken away what made Maplin unique and in essence, kept them afloat. And instead tried to cookie cutter the company to be like PC World and the public don't need another PC World, the public needs something like Maplin to fall back on.
    This is a good point, even if they had stayed as the kind of specialist part supplier they would not have been able to survive.

    They made decisions which obviously resulted in a business that wouldn't be long for the world, but it was probably longer than if they'd tried to stay like Tandy.
    throw new ArgumentException (String, String, Exception)

  10. #10
    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Not here
    Posts
    32,039
    Thanks
    3,910
    Thanked
    5,224 times in 4,015 posts
    • CAT-THE-FIFTH's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Less E-PEEN
      • CPU:
      • Massive E-PEEN
      • Memory:
      • RGB E-PEEN
      • Storage:
      • Not in any order
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVEN BIGGER E-PEEN
      • PSU:
      • OVERSIZED
      • Case:
      • UNDERSIZED
      • Operating System:
      • DOS 6.22
      • Monitor(s):
      • NOT USUALLY ON....WHEN I POST
      • Internet:
      • FUNCTIONAL

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    Quote Originally Posted by TheAnimus View Post
    This is a good point, even if they had stayed as the kind of specialist part supplier they would not have been able to survive.

    They made decisions which obviously resulted in a business that wouldn't be long for the world, but it was probably longer than if they'd tried to stay like Tandy.
    RS Components seems to be perfectly fine though.

  11. #11
    The late but legendary peterb - Onward and Upward peterb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Looking down & checking on swearing
    Posts
    19,378
    Thanks
    2,892
    Thanked
    3,403 times in 2,693 posts
    Sad to see them go - I rember when they started up as a mail order electronics components retailer, competing with the likes of Henrys Radio and Electrovalue and a whole myriad of small component resellers that advertised in Practical Electronics, Practical Wireless, Wireless World and similar magazines.

    Quote Originally Posted by Tabbykatze View Post
    "You've come into Maplin because you need that component right away, if you had time to wait, you would have ordered online.
    Very true. I was in Maplin a couple of weeks ago looking for an HDMI-DVI converter. They had it at an inflated price, but I needed it then. And while the price might have been high, they have staff, rent and large overheads to pay for (my purchase was in Central London (Holborn) - not an area noted for cheap rent!). Even if they are bailed out, the business will have to adapt, so I can see shops closing.

    Quote Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH View Post
    RS Components seems to be perfectly fine though.
    RS is primarily a B2B operation though - not retail focussed. CPC (the retail division of Farnell) is probably the place to go for components if you don't have an RS account.
    (\__/)
    (='.'=)
    (")_(")

    Been helped or just 'Like' a post? Use the Thanks button!
    My broadband speed - 750 Meganibbles/minute

  12. #12
    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Not here
    Posts
    32,039
    Thanks
    3,910
    Thanked
    5,224 times in 4,015 posts
    • CAT-THE-FIFTH's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Less E-PEEN
      • CPU:
      • Massive E-PEEN
      • Memory:
      • RGB E-PEEN
      • Storage:
      • Not in any order
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVEN BIGGER E-PEEN
      • PSU:
      • OVERSIZED
      • Case:
      • UNDERSIZED
      • Operating System:
      • DOS 6.22
      • Monitor(s):
      • NOT USUALLY ON....WHEN I POST
      • Internet:
      • FUNCTIONAL

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    Quote Originally Posted by peterb View Post
    RS is primarily a B2B operation though - not retail focussed. CPC (the retail division of Farnell) is probably the place to go for components if you don't have an RS account.
    Thats the point - if Maplin has stuck to their roots and moved more towards expanding their business that way,they probably would have been fine. Also,RS have been selling parts to consumers for yonks,especially as a family member used to be quite into building amps and speakers,and I can still remember all the RS branded parts lying around their workshop when I was a kid.

    Instead they moved the other way and tried to do the same thing as Currys,PC World,Dixons,etc which was already too crowded and only one of the three remained.

    Its the same with camera stores - some companies like Jessops,Jacobs and Tecno went south,but there are some chains which have survived perfectly fine. The camera chains which survived,had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve,and embraced things like customer service and having well trained staff,etc and made sure they didn't over invest in huge stores in expensive locations hence maximising profitablity.
    Last edited by CAT-THE-FIFTH; 26-02-2018 at 05:53 PM.

  13. #13
    The late but legendary peterb - Onward and Upward peterb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Looking down & checking on swearing
    Posts
    19,378
    Thanks
    2,892
    Thanked
    3,403 times in 2,693 posts

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    Quote Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH View Post
    Thats the point - if Maplin has stuck to their roots and moved more towards expanding their business that way,they probably would have been fine. Also,RS have been selling parts to consumers for yonks.

    Instead they moved the other way and tried to do the same thing as Currys,PC World,Dixons,etc which was already too crowded and only one of the three remained.

    Its the same with camera stores - some companies like Jessops,Jacobs and Tecno went south,but there are some chains which have survived perfectly fine.
    Maplin would have been hard pushed to compete with RS. RS is a multinational business with a huge range of specialist products and I doubt that Maplin could have seen a worthwhile investment on the capital needed to compete at that level.

    IIRC RS only sell to consumers via mail order - you need an account to use the trade counters. Their trade counters do have a large stock range though!
    (\__/)
    (='.'=)
    (")_(")

    Been helped or just 'Like' a post? Use the Thanks button!
    My broadband speed - 750 Meganibbles/minute

  14. #14
    HEXUS.Squirrel Output's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    2,220
    Thanks
    986
    Thanked
    437 times in 309 posts
    • Output's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Gigabyte AORUS Master X570
      • CPU:
      • AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
      • Memory:
      • 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 Kingston Fury Renegade @ 3600MHz CL16
      • Storage:
      • Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Sapphire Nitro+ RX 7800 XT
      • PSU:
      • EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G3
      • Case:
      • bequiet Dark Base Pro 900 Rev.2
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro x64

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    It's sad to hear, but with their pricing I'm surprised that it has even lasted this long.

  15. #15
    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Not here
    Posts
    32,039
    Thanks
    3,910
    Thanked
    5,224 times in 4,015 posts
    • CAT-THE-FIFTH's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Less E-PEEN
      • CPU:
      • Massive E-PEEN
      • Memory:
      • RGB E-PEEN
      • Storage:
      • Not in any order
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVEN BIGGER E-PEEN
      • PSU:
      • OVERSIZED
      • Case:
      • UNDERSIZED
      • Operating System:
      • DOS 6.22
      • Monitor(s):
      • NOT USUALLY ON....WHEN I POST
      • Internet:
      • FUNCTIONAL

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    Quote Originally Posted by peterb View Post
    Maplin would have been hard pushed to compete with RS. RS is a multinational business with a huge range of specialist products and I doubt that Maplin could have seen a worthwhile investment on the capital needed to compete at that level.

    RS only sell to consumers via mail order - you need an account to use the trade counters. Their trade counters do have a large stock range though!
    They could have years ago,but in the end they went the wrong way and over expanded trying to compete with PC World,Currys,Comet,Dixons,etc.

    Maplins didn't use to have nearly as many locations and most of the shops were small,and they did a lot of business via mail order too. If they stayed small and doubled down on the business and found chances to grow,then smaller businesses can actually have flexibilities that larger ones do lack. Plenty of countries have multiple retailers who do the stuff RS do.

    People seem to forget plenty of bricks and mortar and mail order companies have succeeded due to good leadership and a unified vision. A prime example is Richer Sounds which started at one location in London Bridge in the late 70s which is still there today. So one tiny shop,against massive established competitors.

    They concentrated on small shops,and maximising profitability per m2,and being competitively priced. Its actually what the founder did from the very beginning and some of their stores had the highest sales per square foot in the world of any retail outlet. Lots of well known companies were competing with them yet ultimately they out performed all their direct competitors.

    They then invested in dropping the costs even more by their founder purchasing a controlling share in Audio Partnership(think of the company who owns Cambridge Audio,etc) so they could cut out the middleman,and they invested early in home automation products like Opus. So they basically followed the market closely and reacted at the right times.

    Basically they went from a bargain basement shop in one location,to owning multiple international well known brands and getting into home automation earlier. So that means they not only sell hifi stuff,but market and essentially design and make a lot of the products they sell,and many of those brands they own are sold worldwide. Remember,hifi is actually a relatively poor market in the UK compared to the US,and yet look at how well the company has done:

    https://www.theguardian.com/business...st-rated-shops

    The hi-fi and TV specialist was founded by influential business guru Julian Richer, who has promised to hand his business to his employees through a trust model similar to that of John Lewis when he dies. It has 53 stores and made an operating profit of £9m on sales of £186m last year. It donates 15% of its profits to charity while shopfloor staff enjoy John Lewis-style perks such as subsidised holiday homes in the UK and European cities Paris and Venice.
    Remember,plenty of competitors selling similar products too and its far worse now!
    Last edited by CAT-THE-FIFTH; 26-02-2018 at 06:38 PM.

  16. #16
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Where you are not
    Posts
    1,330
    Thanks
    606
    Thanked
    103 times in 90 posts
    • Iota's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Maximus Hero XI
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i9 9900KF
      • Memory:
      • CMD32GX4M2C3200C16
      • Storage:
      • 1 x 1TB / 3 x 2TB Samsung 970 Evo Plus NVMe
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Nvidia RTX 3090 Founders Edition
      • PSU:
      • Corsair HX1200i
      • Case:
      • Corsair Obsidian 500D
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • Samsung Odyssey G9
      • Internet:
      • 500Mbps BT FTTH

    Re: Maplin has just 48 hours left to avoid administration

    Quote Originally Posted by peterb View Post
    Even if they are bailed out, the business will have to adapt, so I can see shops closing.
    They'll probably need to do a major overhaul of their website then, it was pretty awful the last time I used it to see if something was in stock locally that I needed. They've got quite a few issues, alongside having to maintain "bricks and mortar" shops, pricing, availability among other things spring to mind. Generally the more successful high street retailers have a stronger presence online, Maplin lets itself down on that front quite badly imo.

Page 1 of 5 1234 ... LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •