Part of our task as a retailer is to curate each manufacturer’s line — essentially, make a determination based upon experience, intuition and, dare we say, a little bit of guesswork as to which lines to bring in and which gets passed over. This process includes assessing the line’s depth and breath, cost, availability, and, of course, comparing it to what we currently carry in inventory. Recently, we decided to pass on a few lines including Atlas Edition’s budget-minded aircraft range as well as Panzerkampf’s military vehicle assortment. In the former’s case, we felt that many of the Atlas Edition’s 1:72 scale aircraft were too similar to those offered by Oxford Diecast so a duplication of effort would only end up taking up valuable space, dollars and marketing, that, at the end of the day, wouldn’t prove all that beneficial to both us as well as our clientele. In the case of Panzerkampf, the line was first introduced way back in 2016, an eternity in the diecast business, so many of the vehicles were either way too similar to products offered by other manufacturers or, truth be told, weren’t all that appealing to us and likely would have ended up as shelf warmers.
That said, we are always willing to listen to marketing pitches by our suppliers, not to mention our valued customers, who could very well have a different viewpoint and be better judges of a range based upon what they have seen and heard. So, don’t be bashful when it comes to inquiring about a new range that we may not stock. It could prove to be beneficial to everyone concerned and may earn you a special place in our Hall of Fame.
While we are on the subject of draw downs, we have begun thinning the herd so-to-speak, reducing the number of active SKU’s in our product portfolio from 6,000 products to 5,000 in an effort to phase out older, under-performing lines and prepare for the onslaught of new items expected throughout the latter portion of the year. Several lines will no longer be carried for various reasons including Fabbri diecast military vehicles, DeAgostini military vehicles and aircraft, Arsenal Models, Aviation 72 military aircraft, Leo Models military aircraft, and Amercom’s helicopters and military vehicles ranges. As we move forward, expect an ever-growing array of products from Altaya, Hobby Master, Eaglemoss, and Modelcollect, along with several ancillary lines that include — but are not limited to — Precision Model Art, Calibre Wings, Luft-X, Wings of the Great War and Corgi. Obviously, the reintegration of Waltersons massive Forces of Valor range — which includes several sub brands such as Extreme Metal and Bravo Team — will have a dramatic effect on the size of our offerings and storage capacity, although they seem to be slow out of the gate.