Maplin Is Coming Back! (Well Online Anyway)
2018 has been a rough year for the UK high streets. We’ve seen many major brands disappear this year. Aside from Toys R Us, the other major loss (particular to tech consumers) was Maplin. Strangely enough, both stores suffered from the same problems. Overexpansion, high rental costs, and lost business to online retailers.
The last we heard from Maplins (officially) was in April when the administrator, Rutland Partners, was reportedly looking to sell the IP of the company. Well, it seems that we may finally have a buyer. Yes, at least in a website form, Maplin is coming back.
No Physical Locations
If you were hoping that this might mean the return of the retail stores, sadly that doesn’t look likely. A website for the company is, however, currently active and plans to launch as an online retailer ‘very soon’.
Is This A Good Idea?
We have seen this before. For example, when Woolworths went under, a company bought the brand trading name and currently operates an online shop there. Exactly who has purchased the rights is unclear. At present, the website is currently owned by Demys Limited who are an online intellectual property company. Exactly who they are acting on behalf of though is a mystery.
Hopefully, the website launch will be a success and, if nothing else, offer us another portal to search for our tech gadgets online! Better still, it seems that early-bird customers can get 10% off.
You can check out the new Maplin website in the link here.
What do you think? Glad to see them back? – Let us know in the comments!
Shame about Maplin,I still use equipment sold by them in the 1990’s and it still works flawlessly.
I bought my current pc power supply from them 5 years ago and ditto for that too.
I’m looking forward to browsing their website where i expect to find a lot on china sourced gear.
Sadly over expansion and becoming an electronic toy shop killed them. Used them from the sixties both professionally and as hobbyist. The early service mail order was unsurpassed.
This online operation looks doomed from the start, apart from the only online operation (so no browsing in stores) the range of products has vastly been reduced, gone are all the electronic components that Maplin was famous for, the current product range of ready made products is not a move in the right direction. I dont see this new Maplins lasting long.
If the old company had rationalised stores (two in Cambridge was a no brainer) they could possibly have survived on the high street.
Maplin were good when they were just an electronic hobby shop selling kits and parts I built some of their kits and bought parts from them they degenerated into a toy shop and that’s what finished them good job we got amazon for great range of components
My Son started with Maplin in the 70s, He Loved You then and now, I LOVE You
Always, Thank You Maplin for all You are Still. I Wish You all the very very best
GO GO & Keep GOING, Never Stop, PLEASE. X X X X X X X. Stasia Moir & Martin.
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