Axminster?

[Froggy]

Hi All, I have done a search because I would've thought that someone else would've brought this up, but can't find anything. So, what's going on with Axminster? Almost everything is out of stock. I understand suppliers have had trouble getting stock because of Covid but it seems extreme at Axminster. Are they going under?

 

[Blister]

I sent a email 5 days ago re some parts I required of a milling machine , to date NO REPLY , How good is that

 

[billw]

I was in one of their stores not long ago and they didn't seem to have a shortage of anything in there, but I had noticed that the website was saying out of stock for a lot of stuff.

 

[Blackswanwood]

I don’t think it’s unique to Axminster. Classic Hand Tools also seem to have a lot of items awaiting stock and there was a post on here recently about Felder/Hammer having long delays presumably due to disruption of the supply chain with Covid.

 

[PAC1]

I have had two deliveries from Axminster and one from Classic Hand Tools this week

 

[Froggy]

May be an announcement from Axminster (Ian) would help allay our fears?

 

[Droogs]

If it is a supply chain problem, in that they are waiting to receive tools/machines from the far east, then it really does thrust home how much Axminster have changed over the years from being a UK manufacturer to just another far east re-badge importer.

 

[Doug B]

Well it certainly hasn’t diminished the amount of emails I receive from them

 

[Daniel2]

It's not only the East.
I keep a rolling wish list on their site, and treat myself now and again.
Of the 12 LN tools I have marked, not one is in stock. It has been like
this for a few months now.
I am also wondering what's going on.
ATB,
Daniel

 

[AJB Temple]

They made £490k profit on £43.5m sales in the 2019 accounts. Balance sheet looked OK. Operating costs are high so if they have supply chain problems then turnover will have taken a knock this year.

It looks like ownership may have changed. All of the Styles family directors resigned or were terminated mid 2019.

It's a private company so I doubt we can glean much until they file accounts in December for the year to 30/4/20 and even then it won't tell us much as they will have had most of a trading year without Covid effects.

I would expect any import business relying largely on imports from China is going to struggle for a while.

 

[RogerS]

....

It looks like ownership may have changed. All of the Styles family directors resigned or were terminated mid 2019.

....

I can understand why they might have done this but it is a pity as Ian 'was' Axminster.

 

[billw]

Axminster is still owned by Styles and Brown Limited, where the Styles family are all still directors. They've resigned from Axminster but there is some mention of retirement in the accounts, so maybe they're just stepping back from day to day activity.

 

[Steliz]

Their customer service has always been exemplary in the past but I've recently had an order from them (I'm not in UK) and had no end of difficulty with their customer service. I wanted to order 4 bandsaw blades but their stock levels never showed more than 2 available and I when I asked about it I was told to wait 10 days for stock to arrive. I waited for 2 months and it didn't change. After many unsatisfactory email exchanges I gave up and settled for 2 but I had to then order other stuff to make up the minimum order value to get 'free' delivery (it's not free, their system recognises where my IP address is and adds on a premium to the advertised prices). I then had to return one of the items as it was faulty and again had problems getting any sense out of their CS people.

 

[pcb1962]

(it's not free, their system recognises where my IP address is and adds on a premium to the advertised prices).

That sounds like a very dodgy way of doing business.

 

[Alpha-Dave]

That sounds like a very dodgy way of doing business.

Note Steliz is buying from Hungary, not within UK. There could be many additional costs for international business, I find it often when buying from the US.

 

[robgul]

Their customer service has always been exemplary in the past but I've recently had an order from them (I'm not in UK) and had no end of difficulty with their customer service. I wanted to order 4 bandsaw blades but their stock levels never showed more than 2 available and I when I asked about it I was told to wait 10 days for stock to arrive. I waited for 2 months and it didn't change. After many unsatisfactory email exchanges I gave up and settled for 2 but I had to then order other stuff to make up the minimum order value to get 'free' delivery (it's not free, their system recognises where my IP address is and adds on a premium to the advertised prices). I then had to return one of the items as it was faulty and again had problems getting any sense out of their CS people.

It says quite clearly that "free delivery over £30" is UK mainland only . . . . so being charged more for overseas isn't unreasonable given the additonal, often high, costs and possibly export paperwork.

All the details are at Delivery | Axminster Tools - totally transparent (and quite generous in terms of UK Highlands and Islands which many online sellers charge a massive premium for delivery)

 

[Alpha-Dave]

I went to the North Shields (Newcastle) store today, both variants of the two things I was looking for were in stock, so I was able to see in-person where the ‘big’ or ‘small’ ones were right. The staff were great as always. I’ve never been to the other stores.

 

[Steliz]

Axminster offer 'Free shipping over €149 up to 100 kg in the EU' which you may not see on their homepage as you are in the UK. Their system is a little slow to recognise my location and I have a second or two to see the prices change as it loads.

 

[pcb1962]

Axminster offer 'Free shipping over €149 up to 100 kg in the EU' which you may not see on their homepage as you are in the UK. Their system is a little slow to recognise my location and I have a second or two to see the prices change as it loads.

Interesting, I shall remote into a PC in Zurich on Monday and try that.

 

[Jeremy Nako]

Ive been on the Trend website regularly looking for a router and table.. pretty much everything has been out of stock for weeks.. if not months. I don't think that stock issues are exclusively an Axminster issue.