Heads up on Axminster pricing

[shed9]

Was due to go to Axminster Cardiff tomorrow to get some extra kit and noticed some of their prices have risen today on their web page.

Maybe worth checking with them if you have any large items on your respective shopping lists.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Our English suppliers often update their prices in April, Brimarc will now be revising prices every three months rather than just in January.

Cheers Peter

 

[shed9]

I don't object (too much) to price rises as I know it's business and price increases (and decreases) are part of the sustainability of it all. I do find other retailers review prices in April in line with year end so wasn't complete surprise.

I've seen typical increases of 7%, which I think is a tad on the high side for what is essentially a box shifter. I know they offer a little value add and they have several key shops to maintain, but if they keep up quarterly revision I suspect this will not go down well with customers.

I'm just a bit miffed is all because I was due to drop in later today to get a fairly hefty order and I've just seen that sum go up over night.

 

[Doug B]

Does make me smile, the usual excuses for price rises are raw material costs, fuel cost & labour costs, the first two are falling & labour costs appear to be practically flatlining but still the prices go up way above inflation, but no doubt there'll find new excuses :lol: :lol:

 

[shed9]

Does make me smile, the usual excuses for price rises are raw material costs, fuel cost & labour costs, the first two are falling & labour costs appear to be practically flatlining but still the prices go up way above inflation, but no doubt there'll find new excuses :lol: :lol:

I know what you mean but to be fair most kit is sourced outside the UK these days and the above factors are not always so easy to evaluate.

It's when price rises are solely based on simple P&L and balance sheets with no understanding of the customer that things go west IMO. Often why you get better service from the smaller retailers, they have an eye on both.

 

[MatthewRedStars]

Having recently bought the Makita Drill/Driver set after mine went walkies, a quick price check showed Axminster was £100 more expensive than the competition. This pattern has remained true for other items I've got recently.

Yeah, they have shops to maintain - but I think they are just trying to find the limit of the market, their prices are getting silly and there is less and less variety in the brands they stock.

At some point they'll find the breaking point where brand recognition and loyalty no longer outweighs price for a customer, until then.... upwards!

 

[ColeyS1]

I thought the idea of dropping the catalogue was so they could adjust and be more competitive ! I do miss having the catalogue to see what new stuff has been brought out.

Coley

 

[Inoffthered]

At some point they'll find the breaking point where brand recognition and loyalty no longer outweighs price for a customer, until then.... upwards!

I think they are way past that point.

 

[PAC1]

In fairness Axminster/Brimarc have seriously reduced the pricing of Veritas. Some items are actually now cheaper than in Canada :shock: so well done for listening to our complaints.

 

[Nick.]

Does make me smile, the usual excuses for price rises are raw material costs, fuel cost & labour costs, the first two are falling & labour costs appear to be practically flatlining but still the prices go up way above inflation, but no doubt there'll find new excuses :lol: :lol:

Currency exchange is currently the biggest factor.

£1 STG was worth about $1.55 USD last year - now it's at the $1.4 level - that's about a 10% drop in buying power, same with purchasing in Euros and some other currencies.

Good news for export, not so good for import.

 

[Wizard9999]

Does make me smile, the usual excuses for price rises are raw material costs, fuel cost & labour costs, the first two are falling & labour costs appear to be practically flatlining but still the prices go up way above inflation, but no doubt there'll find new excuses :lol: :lol:

Currency exchange is currently the biggest factor.

£1 STG was worth about $1.55 USD last year - now it's at the $1.4 level - that's about a 10% drop in buying power, same with purchasing in Euros and some other currencies.

Good news for export, not so good for import.

That's a fair point, the pound has been weak for a while and any forward hedging they had in place may well have run out, but the fairness of this will only be proven if prices fall again if the pound recovers.

Terry.

 

[yetloh]

I miss the catalogue too. Can't help thinking it will cause some loss of sales. Can't say I've noticed the price increases but I bought the mid size Festool workshhop vac a few months back and it was way cheaper than I could find elsewhere including Europe. Last week I went to the Basingstoke shop and bough a basic Makita non-sliding chop saw and the £185 I paid seems to be pretty competitive.

What did impress me was the range on offer, the knowledge and heplfulness of the staff and how pleasaant it was as a shopping environment. All things I had previously noticed at the Axminster store. All of this costs money of course and I would rather pay a little extra for these things, not to mention their no quibble attitude when there are a problems.

Jim

 

[shed9]

Don't get me wrong in my whinge up there ^, I'd rather pay less for my tools and don't like the hikes as much as anyone. But I'm thankful for Axi being there in the first place, full stop.