OT: Maplin sold to Pizza Hut owner for £85 million

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Disco lights and slice of pepperoni?

Reply to
The Other Mike
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Not forgetting the oven ready turkeys.

"Turnaround specialist Rutland Partners, which already owns Pizza Hut UK and Bernard Matthews, said it saw "unlocked potential" in the business."

michael adams

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Reply to
michael adams

'Bootiful pizzas and light bulbs'.

Reply to
Davey

I knew which branch of Maplins was in the photo as soon as I opened the link!

Reply to
ARW

Its just money, at the end of the day I suppose. Its a great pity we lost Tandy. Not cheap, butthey always seemed to be able to find something from somewher that would sort you out. Not Like Maplin who sold a non techy lady next door a tape to mp3 convertor for a computer as a potable tape player last week.

She has not even got a computer. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

Bit worrying that, It sounds like they just want the name and might be going to ditch the hobbyist element completely. Could go the way Laskys did, and we all know how that ended. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

Wonder if they own all their shops? If so, quite a value there.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

En el artículo , Dave Plowman (News) escribió:

That was my thought too. They'll probably asset-strip the business, sell off the shops and lease them back, then flog it off sharpish to some mug.

Reply to
Mike Tomlinson

If it's the same one as I bought there a couple of months ago, it also works as a standalone tape player, with room for a pair of AA cells and a headphone socket. It's the ION USB2GO unit that I bought. Catalogue number N69JW. There's no loudspeaker, it's only got a 3.5mm output socket.

From the web page:-

? Audio output enables you to listen on your stereo, headphones, or other speaker systems ? Requires 2 x AA batteries when not connected via USB

The only problem may be that it doesn't have Dolby B built in, which I can fix in software after I've transferred a cassette's worth of material.

Reply to
John Williamson

Whilst I am happy to admit that the skill level of the staff in the shops is not what it once was (there was a time the bods in the original branch in Westcliff would not only sell you the bits you needed, but design the circuit for you there and then if required), I also get to hear about the other side of the discussion from a mate who works in a branch part time. He says it can be hard to imagine some of the powerfully dumb stuff that people walk in and demand...

"I need a lead for my computer" "What kind of lead are you after? Power lead, video lead, network?" "How am I supposed to know! Your supposed to be the expert!"

Reply to
John Rumm

Quote:

... said it saw "unlocked potential" in the business.

I'd say so. Maplin lost it's way between the demise of popular hobby electronics and the new age of gadgets.

I think they do have the potential to be a gadget store for the better informed - ie stuff that works, has development potential or is general "interesting".

Not shitty tat like Tandys used to flog.

Eg - that WIFI LED lamp that came up here the other month: Maplin at the Strand (London) had one.

I went in and asked to try it and stuck the app on my phone.

Well, long story short - they had a demo stand without bothering to test it. I told the bloke what was needed was a WIFI access point to act as a "home" station. As far as I know, it would not even need an internet connection. Just a cheap AP.

Seemed lost on the bloke.

That is exactly the sort of bollocks someone should be kicking someone in the nads over. Despite the ridiculous price, they might actually sell a few if they could let people play.

But who's going to pay £85 for a white LED lamp?

They need to look at what Conrad sells to get a better idea of what is good.

Reply to
Tim Watts

Laskys?

Name rings a bell - please remind me - I feel I should know.

Reply to
Tim Watts

Stand isn't it?

Reply to
Tim Watts

No, they have gone too far that way now.

Conrad needs to buy them...

Or CPC/Farnell...

Reply to
Adrian C

Radio, electronics and kits retailer, similar to Henry's I think. Bought by Comet in 1989

Owain

Reply to
spuorgelgoog

Their shops tend to be smaller and in less prominent locations, so they sho uld have lower overheads than PC World; independent phone/computer repair s hops seem to do okay in many locations. With decent logistics to back up ca reful store stock, like screwfix etc has, they could do well.

Perhaps they should try selling decent stuff at fair prices; at the moment their pricing model seems to be generic tat at well-above chinese ebay pric es. That didn't work for Woolworths.

My local Maplin shop (a recent opening) is totally uninspiring and it isn't even pleasant to browse in before going home to buy on ebay.

Owain

Reply to
spuorgelgoog

there was a time the bods in the original branch in Westcliff would not only sell you the bits you needed, but design the circuit for you there and then if required

Absolutely true! They were brilliant!

Reply to
Mr Fuxit

If it is as successful as Pizza Hut, then next week, the last customer ever, will be closing the shop. The other chain being(been) destroyed, is of course Little Chef, also owned by VCs.

Reply to
Capitol

Pretty sure they're all rented. Landlords should be getting worried.

Reply to
Capitol

Little Chef (or more accurately, Overweight Grill Cook) should have been rendered into his own sausages decades ago.

Rebranding it as a Casey Jones Burger outlet would have been trying to take it implausibly upmarket.

Owain

Reply to
spuorgelgoog

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