Does anyone know which of the 26 stores that are left, their location and size?

I have written a rescue plans for the banches, but like everyone else I need the financies to implement it.

How would Ednen short the Wesley Owen branches out?

Whatever happends to STL, they are going to have to keep on subsidising the retail arm of their business until it begins to show some positive growth.

According to Companies House, Wesly Owen maade sales of £86,080.00 and made a profit of £65.00 last year. Something is wrong with these accounts seeing that they donated over £100k bibles to charity last year.

I’m affraid the God has, taken the Kingdom out of the hands of STL and has been given into the hands of someone more worthier to run the business.

Category review needs to be taken of every item the branches sell and dead stock has to be removed from the shelves and products brought in that are going to bring in the revenues.

well worth a look – oh and then check out the bookstore link and read the affiliate page and faqs page – great signs of the move ahead we can probably look forward to!

yes, well sorry but monopolies, even christian ones, worry me.

I am sort of glad to know that I was indeed spot on and it is indeed Endis/Church Insight that STL through Malcolm Stockdale are teaming up with.
At least it means I am still able to read the signs right and know my business well still! here from my favourite business social media network tool LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/mela91e) is the final proof – http://bit.ly/2W4x34

I think this is deeply worrying not just for shop bound independents & smaller chains, but for the internet shops such as Eden as well.
Indeed this is monopoly type business concern level to my thinking.
God TV is an Endis website as are many more major players and an awful lot of churches use the Church Insight Websites of which the Commercial selling element is already deeply tied in. They service US based as well as UK churches and major christian organisations.

Add this in with the new edition of Christian Marketplace and the talk of franchises in churches (though not looking to put one where there is a christian bookshop it was still quite clear they will go ahead and do it anyway is how I read it, but please feel free to contact me and put my mind at ease anyone from STL!) and the rest and this is, as far as I am concerned very worrying stuff really.
Certainly it’s how I feel having invested all my own personal savings & my future livelihood in my truly independent venture – yes I live with internet contenders and other local competition, but this is bigger than that and considering the power behind it, yes I am deeply concerned.

That lets work together feeling – hmm not feeling the vibe so well at the minute, actaully rather feeling like a David next to a Goliath – praying the Lord is with the small person here, or better yet is with both and that what feels like the invading army will see the light and become as one without the need to take over completely!

On point no.2 that Andrew raises:
’2. So I have to wonder if the desire to create a ‘new’ partnership is to allow IBS-STL to use their buying power to ‘undercut’ everyone else prices- even their own Wesley Owen name. One has to presume that there are a myriad of publishers agreements that STL have to stick to as the ‘major supplier’- and as the suppliers of the independents. And in fairness to STL, they have always matched our prices to WO to enable us to compete on a level playing field. However, if they then partner with someone else, ‘they’ can then presumably opt out of those agreements and do whatever their buying power allows them to do to knock independents (and everyone else…) out of the church market.’

I twittered about this the other week when I found this interesting anomaly on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/1842913808/ref=dp_olp_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1239643762&sr=8-1
If you follow the link you will find both Wesley Owen and Eden advertising a book they both sell on their own websites – but on their own websites it is at a much greater price!!

Oh by the way – it’s not the only book on there where they are doing it either, check out some other christian media too.

Oh and don’t forget to check out ebay too – Don’t get me wrong – I think selling on ebay was a cool and strategic move, St Andrews and others do it too and that’s fine, Selling on Amazon also fine as when I ran SPCKonline we did that too and very early on in the game though the books were always the same price in both places! Heck we all do it now don’t we??

But if you use it to undercut yourself and then potentially be able to claim it’s not really you as such because your official stores and website are the same or similiar price and so therefore you are still playing fair with others – well to me that’s not exactly honest, christian or charitable – but then I guess that’s a matter of interpretation perhaps? 100% Charity anyone?

So I guess Andrew you have it totally nailed on partnering with other sites allowing them to undercut even themselves, let alone the rest of us.

Another quote from Andrew:
‘STL need to give an assurance they will not use their dominant market position to significantly undercut other sectors of the trade.’
I would like to expand that to read IBS-STL please because…
Oh and hey did anyone notice the line of IBS bibles that were exclusive to Wesley Owen stores the other month??
This was kindly pointed out to me by a customer who wanted me to order some for them – but alas I could not -well not and make any money or through official trade sources!!
They were very nice, some quite cheap large print and leather types.
I note today though when I went to the link
( http://www.wesleyowen.com/WesleyOwenSite/category/exclusive_niv_bibles/ )
I had for it they have now taken these down, actaully you can still find them if you want to try as the isbn’s for them don’t show up on the STL website only on WO!
Perhaps someone else noticed and raised concerns??

Kudos to IBS-STL/Wo etc on their commercial business mentality and game plan – however can we keep in mind the words, and their real meanings, such as Christian, Charity and a few others please, or else be honest and just say you are actaully going secular on a grand scale and intend to do everything you can to undermine other Christian businesses and organisations, whilst at the same time trying to take their money under the guide of service (I wonder how much market research that provides at no cost??) and get better discounts from publishers based on that service.

Honesty and transparency I could live with better, after all I live with Waterstones, WHSmiths and others already.

It’s obviously helpful & appreciated to hear of the internal changes at our major supplier. However, like many others, I would be seriously concerned by the implications of ‘building new types of relationships with churches and para-church organisations, so (Malcolm Stockdale) is heading up a new joint venture project in which IBS-STL UK will partner with a Christian web company to bring these opportunities together.’ Oh great. Another Christian website to further fragment the market. Unless- of course- I wonder if they are looking for a new IT project for the consultants who made such a triumphant success of installling SAP?!

More seriously, we have to acept that direct selling to churches etc has gone on for many years, and publishers are as guilty as STL of doing this. So the attempt to go further down this line can’t be entirely unexpected. Two major issues concern me-

1. Why is there a need to develop a new ‘partnership’? Wesley Owen already have a ‘Bulk Purchases’ option on their website- so why go to the trouble/expense of re-inventing that particualar wheel? It does seem a bit odd.

2. So I have to wonder if the desire to create a ‘new’ partnership is to allow IBS-STL to use their buying power to ‘undercut’ everyone else prices- even their own Wesley Owen name. One has to presume that there are a myriad of publishers agreements that STL have to stick to as the ‘major supplier’- and as the suppliers of the independents. And in fairness to STL, they have always matched our prices to WO to enable us to compete on a level playing field. However, if they then partner with someone else, ‘they’ can then presumably opt out of those agreements and do whatever their buying power allows them to do to knock independents (and everyone else…) out of the church market.

There is no point in deceiving ourselves- if STL-SuperWebsite targets churches & para-church organisations directly via their links with CRE etc, then ‘we’ independents are in significant trouble. And so, surely, would some of the smaller/ less profitable Wesley Owens.

At GLO we are in the happy position of being 5% up on sales for the first quarter of the year. All of this has been driven because we have been blessed with a series of local church orders. So I know the importance & significance of our local church partnerships. But neither do I deceive myself that ‘my’ treasurers would not happily go where the price is cheapest, especially if those offers start landing on their doormat (electronic or otherwise) with the pricing & promotion power of STL-SuperWebsite shouting in their faces.

STL need to give an assurance they will not use their dominant market position to significantly undercut other sectors of the trade. It’s not all about profit & market share- it is also about a Christian presence on the High Streets of our towns, a Christian witness, a place for people to engage with faith issues in an increasingly secularist society. The main Christian trade supplier should not be in the business of deliberately speeding up a retreat from the very place where we are badly needed.

It would be a real concern if Malcolm’s ‘energy and creativity’ were to be channelled (albeit inadvertently) to speed the continuing decline in local Christian Bookshops- independent or otherwise.