This thing that has come around with stihl needs looking at from a different view
Many years ago (10) I was looking to set up selling camping gear online when approaching manufacturers with hello I would like to open an account please I was from over half of them refused as my only sales channel at the time would have been online
Now I have accounts with most of them as I sell through shows on a weekend and also do a little online and have a small retail area should I ever need it but it is in the main just piled up with stock as I don't advertise the retail side of things so don't need a display or any staff
A large portion of camping gear manufacturers have now stopped selling to the likes of Go outdoors, Halfords, B&Q etc preferring to concentrate on selling less volume at a better margin to the many smaller sellers rather than high volume at low margins to volume Internet merchants as every one grumbles to there reps when someone like Go outdoors buys at a better price and greater volume and smaller sellers can't even buy for the other places selling price
That means any one wanting to start in the business can't sell much doesn't grow there business very quickly and can't get good enough prices to be competitive
Many also got stung at the start of the recession with accounts going bust on them so from that view it is better to have 10 people each owing you 10 grand as if 1 or 2 go bust you only get stung for 10 or 20 grand than a couple of big accounts with 100K worth of stock out on account as if one of them goes belly up it hurts a lot more
The fact that only Jonesies and Honeys have been on here communicating this change of policy makes me think that Stihl don't really want there business and would rather have lots of small dealers who with the new discount structure can give 25 to 30% to pro customers if the wish and will probably be encouraged to do so whilst maintaining a margin and giving discount off rrp at the same time
I would think that smaller dealers with a better discount will start carrying better stock on parts and Stihl will probably be happy for a local dealer to serve local customers by post but will have a problem with it if they start posting out country wide and growing into the impersonal large Internet retailers they don't want
Just my view from a different perspective but 3 weeks ago I wouldn't have got anything competitive price wise locally then last week an off chance phone call to price up a TS800 saw them spank both honey brothers and Jonesie on price with out even been asked due to he new stihl pricing changes
Any way got logs to cut, racking to unload and assemble and ridge tiles to cement on so will leave it there
Dave