FEATURE: RETAILERS

THRIVING, NOT JUST SURVIVING!

FOLLOWING ON FROM THE ARTICLE ON THE RISE OF DEDICATED DISTRIBUTORS IN THE UK, INDUSTRYVETERAN FRENCHIE SPENT THE INTERVENING PERIOD SPEAKING WITH TWO OF OUR MOST ESTABLISHED RETAILERS IN THE UK TO FIND OUT WHAT THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY IS IN 2022, AND HOW THAT HAS CHANGED IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.

As you might expect there’s an element of plus ca change, plus c’est la même chose.

Airsoft retailers come in all shapes and sizes, and their operating models vary quite a bit. Some like to buy in bulk and sell as competitively as possible, in the process tying themselves into a core range of products simply because they have loads of them. Others tend to be a bit more selective about what they sell, adopting a quality over quantity approach. Just like retailers across all sectors, there is no wrong or right way to do this.

I spoke at some length with two retailers, Landwarrior Airsoft based near Edinburgh, and Firesupport who are situated in Peterborough. Both have been in the business for years, both have steered their businesses through law changes, Covid and Brexit. The stories they told were interesting and quite different.

Given My proximity to LWA I was able to visit and chat, Firesupport was sadly too far for a quick round trip! Frank and I exchanged emails instead. I was interested in how Brexit and Covid had affected them, expecting these to be major issues. It turns out that neither had as much impact as I suspected.

What changes have you noticed over the past decade?

FS: Lots more manufacturers, Lots more game sites and lots more small airsoft retail businesses mainly as a result of easy access to wholesale products in the UK facilitated by the appearance of UK located distributors. LWA: Interestingly, LWA are seeing an increase in the competitive speedsoft side of the sport as opposed to the more ‘traditional’ re-enactment style of play which we all know. (When I get the chance I’ll explore that further. Airsoft Action has had a look at this side of the sport previously and try to find out why this might be).

Have buying habits changed?

LWA: We’ve seen a major change in people’s buying

habits. It is much rarer for us to see one-off large value purchases but this has been more than compensated by an increased number of repeated smaller purchases. FS: Not particularly

Has the nature of products being bought changed?

FS: We are seeing more players wanting to tweak their guns to make them a bit more unique. LWA: Because of the diversification that’s happened over the past years, we offer a range of products that go beyond ‘traditional’ airsofting gear. So yes, we are seeing increasing sales of things like the Umarex T4E range and firearm related products, whilst also seeing an overall increase in sales volumes for purely airsoft related gear.

Are you still importing as much as you used to, either from the EU or beyond?

LWA: The airsoft industry has always imported the majority of its stock and that hasn’t changed. We import a lot from one of the major suppliers in Europe; that has as much to do with particular product lines, which we also distribute within the UK market. FS: In a word? Yes.

This one may be a bit anecdotal but – do you think individual players are still importing guns and gear as was the case some years back?

LWA: Certainly not from the EU! It used to be as easy to buy from Poland as it was to buy from Portsmouth, but that has changed dramatically. There will still be a few diehards out there, but we doubt it’s many. FS: There are no doubt some but we don’t think the numbers were ever that significant; certainly we never worried about them impacting our business.

Is the market stronger than it was?

FS: In our view it found its level around 2018 and has been steady since then. LWA: It had been steady for some years but postlockdown we have seen a significant and sustained increase, predominantly in the airsoft side of the company.

SUPPLIERS

Have you changed the way you source products, either because you chose to or because circumstances have forced changes?

Both: No, not really (See the comments below from LWA about reduced manufacturing output).

Has the rise of distributors like Nuprol, and the presence of ASG in the UK altered your supply chain?

Both: Not massively. ASG has had a market presence for decades and their products still have to be imported from Denmark to the UK. Wholesalers like Nuprol make it easier to source some product lines within the UK, but the airsoft industry has long been used to importing, mainly from the Far East.

FS noted that UK-based wholesalers made it easier for new companies to enter the market since supplies were local and generally not subject to minimum orders.

BREXIT

Has the UK’s departure from the EU forced changes that you otherwise might not have made to your business?

LWA: It seems to have driven an increase in business! Whether that is down to the products we stock or the increased difficulties involved in importing goods from the EU we can’t say. FS: Frankly it hasn’t altered our business, supply lines or market to any appreciable degree.

“ASG HAS HAD A MARKET PRESENCE FOR DECADES AND THEIR PRODUCTS STILL HAVE TO BE IMPORTED FROM DENMARK TO THE UK. WHOLESALERS LIKE NUPROL MAKE IT EASIER TO SOURCE SOME PRODUCT LINES WITHIN THE UK, BUT THE AIRSOFT INDUSTRY HAS LONG BEEN USED TO IMPORTING, MAINLY FROM THE FAR EAST.”