BIG NEWS! Please read!

Started by Leon, 25 March 2012, 04:05:05 AM

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Leon

25 March 2012, 04:05:05 AM Last Edit: 25 March 2012, 04:08:36 AM by Leon
Pendraken are moving!  

After 20 years of carefully growing the business, we have finally managed to get to the point where we have outgrown the garage/extension/utility room/spare bedroom (!), and we need a proper space of our own.  We've been looking at industrial units since the start of the year, and have had a few viewings, but last week we found one which looked promising.  So, after a bit of haggling and a bit of paperwork, we will officially be making the big jump on April 2nd!

It's been a long road to get here, and we're all pretty excited at Pendraken HQ.  The past few years have seen a huge amount of growth for us, and for 10mm in general, and we'd like to thank everyone who has supported us thus far.  Hopefully the move to our own premises will allow us to improve things in several areas, so even more shiny goodies and quicker order despatch for our customers, and more space and a more efficient workplace for us.

The new unit will also mean that we can welcome visitors a lot easier than we can at Pendraken HQ, so we'd also like to extend an invitation to everyone to come and visit if you're ever in the area.  Just give us a ring to let us know when you're thinking of popping in, and we'll get the kettle on!  We could even cast up something for you while you wait!

I grabbed some pics of the unit when we were viewing it, and it's a big old space!


There's also room for a mezzanine floor if we need more space in the future.


And my new office!



As a consequence of the move though, there may be some delay to things while we get everything sorted in our new space.  The unit is only a couple of miles down the road, so it's not too far away fortunately, and we should be able to get everything done in around a week.  The plan at the moment is that we're getting the keys on Mon 2nd April, so the Monday and Tuesday will be spent fitting the workbenches and partitions, and then Wed/Thurs will be moving all the machines/moulds/etc down there.  Friday is my runover day in case anything gets delayed, or something comes up which we haven't anticipated.  I'd also expect it to take us a couple of weeks to get used to our new workspace, but we'll be working 7 days a week to make sure everything is done as smoothly as possible.

The website will remain open for business as usual, but if you are planning on placing an order in the next couple of weeks, please be aware that there may be a delay.


Price Increase  :(

The downside to the unit of course, is that our overheads are going to increase quite substantially.  On top of the other increases we've seen over the past 18 months, from metal, petrol, utilities, show stands, etc. it unfortunately means that we are going to have to put our prices up.  We don't enjoy doing this (not least because it requires a lot of work), but it's something which has to be done to allow us to continue growing as a business.  We're really proud of our fantastic customer base, so I hope that people still see us as great value for money.

The planned price increase will take the pack prices from:

£3.50 --> £4.00 (Regular packs)
£2.05 --> £2.35 (Vehicles)
£1.20 --> £1.35 (WWII foot packs)
£1.60 --> £1.80 (Fantasy packs)

The good news is that the price increase won't come into effect until August 1st, so there is a long time for folk to get orders in before the prices go up.  We're hoping this means there won't be a last minute rush in the last week of July, but I have a feeling there will be!  A coincidental benefit of the Aug 1st increase, is that the Pendraken Birthday will be the last show where people can purchase anything off the show stand at the old pricing.  After the Birthday, we'll be pulling everything off the racks and re-pricing it.

Again, I hope everyone sees this as a positive, as the majority of the price increase will be going straight back into making the business even bigger and better.

8)


Postage

Finally, completely unrelated to the move, we are going to be changing the postage pricing very slightly.  The % rates are staying exactly the same, but we need to increase the minimum postage amounts a little, as we're losing out on a lot of the smaller orders.  With Royal Mail increasing their prices as well on April 1st, that loss will be even more.  So, the changes to the minimums will be:

UK - increased to £1.00 minimum.
Europe - increased to £1.50 minimum.
RoW - increased to £2.00 minimum.

These changes will go live on Sat 7th April.  As a counter-balance, we may look at putting a maximum postage charge in place as well, but I'll need to chat with Matt about that first.


Let us know your thoughts on all of the above, your feedback is very important to us and always appreciated.

:-bd
www.pendraken.co.uk - Now home to over 7000 products, including 4500 items for 10mm wargaming, plus MDF bases, Battlescale buildings, I-94 decals, Litko Gaming Aids, Militia Miniatures, Raiden Miniatures 1/285th aircraft, Red Vectors MDF products, Vallejo paints and much, much more!

Shecky

Congratulations. The new digs look nice.

Derek H

All the best for the move. 

Steve J

Nice to know that things are going so well for you guys :). We long out grew our workshop space but the bosses refuse to move us to bigger premises >:(. As for the price increase, it is still very good value for money IMHO.

OldenBUA

Today a new business unit, tomorrow the entire world!

Congratulations, keep up the good work, and good luck with the move!  :-bd
Water is indeed the essential ingredient of life, because without water you can't make coffee!

Aander lu bin óók lu.

Sevej

wishing you guys all the best :D

Techno

Very best of luck Leon and the team...and congrats !
May Pendraken continue to grow and grow !
Cheers - Phil.

Kiwidave

25 March 2012, 09:12:03 AM #7 Last Edit: 25 March 2012, 10:55:08 AM by Kiwidave
Great news Leon!

And you've now got a load more room for a truly epic Coke Wall :D

nikharwood

Looking good...far too tidy at the moment - it'll be good to see it full of Pendraken loveliness (that's the machines & stuff, mate - not you  ;) ) ;D :D ;D

Duke Speedy of Leighton

Nice one chaps!
Good luck with the move.
Even with a price rise your figures are still some of the most reasonably priced on the market!
You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

wargamesbob

Excellent news Leon, congratulations, I wish you all the best in your new premises.

Bob

kerath

Congrats and good luck, Team Pendraken!

Bernie

Best of luck with the move - know how difficult you have had it for past couple of years

Bernie

Nosher

The office will be improved dramatically with a 'Top Totty' wall 8->

Remember the days when it was acceptable to have a topless calendar next to your desk :-bd

Good luck with your 20th Birthday present!
I don't think my wife likes me very much, when I had a heart attack she wrote for an ambulance.

Frank Carson

Luddite

Woot!

Go Pendraken!

What general area will the new unit be in?  I think i'll need to arrange a visit - maybe a few of us at the club might come down mob-handed.

Not thinking of opening a 'store front' at all?
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