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Byrne's World of Wonder in receivership?

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    #92
    Mocrie14
    Closed Accounts Posts: 341 ✭✭Mocrie14


    maxer68 wrote: »
    I doubt it. They're very good friends and the Smyths guys and very very decent people and extremely well regarded in the Toy industry (I used to be in it, but long gone from it). - Brilliant business people and real decent types at the same time. Its not that long ago that they had just one store themselves in Mayo.

    hmmm.


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    #93
    maxer68
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,076 ✭✭✭maxer68


    Bazbu wrote: »
    hmmm.

    I can assure you i ahve zero connection with any of the companies in this thread, but the toy industry is very small and the industry nights outs are very well attended and great friendships are made - very unlike the fashion industry where bitchiness rules the roost :D


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    #94
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Is that the Chinese toy industry you're talking about. :rolleyes:


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    #95
    maxer68
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,076 ✭✭✭maxer68


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    Is that the Chinese toy industry you're talking about. :rolleyes:
    You'd be very surprised at what's made in Ireland - even locally in Waterford at the Hasbro factory which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


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    #96
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    maxer68 wrote: »
    You'd be very surprised at what's made in Ireland - even locally in Waterford at the Hasbro factory which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    I would, any links - apart from Hasbro - as my experience is that almost everything now comes from China.


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    #97
    klong
    Registered Users Posts: 1,381 ✭✭✭klong


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    I would, any links - apart from Hasbro - as my experience is that almost everything now comes from China.

    I know it's not Irish made- but the below toys are made in Germany. Irish agents are based in Wexford and travel all over the country to fairs and heritage events

    http://www.spielzeugmanufaktur.com/en/index.htm


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    #98
    RadioRetro
    Registered Users Posts: 2,090 ✭✭✭RadioRetro


    Byrne's WoW Facebook page says they're back with the Wexford and Enniscorthy branches back to full business and taking deposits on Christmas presents.


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    #99
    klong
    Registered Users Posts: 1,381 ✭✭✭klong


    klong wrote: »
    I know it's not Irish made- but the below toys are made in Germany. Irish agents are based in Wexford and travel all over the country to fairs and heritage events

    http://www.spielzeugmanufaktur.com/en/index.htm

    Have a stall up and running in the Bull Ring, Wexford Town at the moment


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    #100
    Lola92
    Registered Users Posts: 2,192 ✭✭✭Lola92


    RadioRetro wrote: »
    Byrne's WoW Facebook page says they're back with the Wexford and Enniscorthy branches back to full business and taking deposits on Christmas presents.

    I was down the town on Saturday and saw it open, couldn't believe it! Didn't go in as I was a little short on time but I wonder are they back on full stock etc? The place looked awful the few months before they shut.


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    #101
    Cantona's Collars
    Registered Users Posts: 33,709 ✭✭✭✭Cantona's Collars


    Lola92 wrote: »
    I was down the town on Saturday and saw it open, couldn't believe it! Didn't go in as I was a little short on time but I wonder are they back on full stock etc? The place looked awful the few months before they shut.

    Was in the Enniscorthy store and it's fully stocked with all the big brand toys so I assume Wexford is the same,seems somebody from Byrnes was reading this thread and took notes.


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    #102
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    zerks wrote: »
    Was in the Enniscorthy store and it's fully stocked with all the big brand toys so I assume Wexford is the same,seems somebody from Byrnes was reading this thread and took notes.

    Same old toys as before and anybody wanting anything interesting has to resort to Argos, Amazon etc. Irish toy retailers need to wake up before the internet blows them away completely.


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    #103
    Mocrie14
    Closed Accounts Posts: 341 ✭✭Mocrie14


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    Same old toys as before and anybody wanting anything interesting has to resort to Argos, Amazon etc. Irish toy retailers need to wake up before the internet blows them away completely.

    They wont survive cos Ken Blacks (Smyths) are in Wexford now. Far better selection of toys and more competitive prices. If they had got their act together a few years back they'd have kept Smyths out but they've no chance now.


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    #104
    puppetmaster
    Registered Users Posts: 433 ✭✭puppetmaster


    Bazbu wrote: »
    They wont survive cos Ken Blacks (Smyths) are in Wexford now. Far better selection of toys and more competitive prices. If they had got their act together a few years back they'd have kept Smyths out but they've no chance now.

    Im still surprised that Smyths made the decision to extend the Ken Blacks name to Wexford. It being a midlands brand i understand it keeping the Ken Blacks name there. Thought they just would have used the smyths name.

    Either way, its a good store albeit cold. and id say the same as most smyths stores, I reckon they have their "act together" much better than their british rivals.


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    #105
    Mocrie14
    Closed Accounts Posts: 341 ✭✭Mocrie14


    puppetmaster wrote: »
    Im still surprised that Smyths made the decision to extend the Ken Blacks name to Wexford. It being a midlands brand i understand it keeping the Ken Blacks name there. Thought they just would have used the smyths name.

    Either way, its a good store albeit cold. and id say the same as most smyths stores, I reckon they have their "act together" much better than their british rivals.

    I still dont understand the exact link between Smyths and Ken Blacks...same brouchure/same shops but different directors and shareholders :confused:


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    #106
    maxer68
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,076 ✭✭✭maxer68


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    Same old toys as before and anybody wanting anything interesting has to resort to Argos, Amazon etc. Irish toy retailers need to wake up before the internet blows them away completely.

    So how come Smyths have been voted UK Toy industry Toy Retailer of the Year for 2 years running??? -

    Voted upon by its peers including Argos, Amazon etc???

    How come Smyths are the fastest growing Toy retailer in the UK

    and How come Smyths are rumored to be buying out Toy r Us uk operation.

    I think the main Irish toy retailer is wide awake!

    As for smyths / Ken black question - its answered earlier in thread. They are long standing best friends. Literally as simple as that.


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    #107
    Cantona's Collars
    Registered Users Posts: 33,709 ✭✭✭✭Cantona's Collars


    maxer68 wrote: »
    So how come Smyths have been voted UK Toy industry Toy Retailer of the Year for 2 years running??? -

    Voted upon by its peers including Argos, Amazon etc???

    How come Smyths are the fastest growing Toy retailer in the UK

    and How come Smyths are rumored to be buying out Toy r Us uk operation.

    I think the main Irish toy retailer is wide awake!

    As for smyths / Ken black question - its answered earlier in thread. They are long standing best friends. Literally as simple as that.

    I think JD was referring to Byrnes,not Smyths/Ken Black.

    Smyths are now the biggest toy retailer here and in the UK.I compared prices and Smyths are better value,don't get me started on Hamleys,yes their London store is amazing but avoid the Dundrum one unless you want to leave with a very light wallet-some of the stuff is nearly double the price of Smyths.

    @JD, I actually thought there was a pretty decent selection of stuff in a small area in Byrnes,they'll never compete with Smyths but will fill a gap in the market in Enniscorthy.


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    #108
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    I still think that the days of small toy retailers are numbered when more and more people are going online for the massive choice regarding price and variety. As the older generation gives way to the younger, internet savvy buyers, where will that leave the likes of Byrnes? I made only my second local Christmas purchase yesterday - a tree from Maura Flannery on Castle Hill - the other being in Argos, Wexford. Nearly everything else has come from Amazon, eBay, Play.com etc.


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    #109
    Lola92
    Registered Users Posts: 2,192 ✭✭✭Lola92


    I agree that there are less and less people shopping locally, in bricks and mortar shops particularly. But the reality is that these shops are just not competitively priced!

    I bought my daughters christmas gift online on Amazon.com - just over €50 delivered to my door. An Irish shop wanted to charge me €89 for the exact same item! I'm all for supporting local business but that kind of money is extra expenditure that most people just cannot justify in this climate!


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    #110
    puppetmaster
    Registered Users Posts: 433 ✭✭puppetmaster


    maxer68 wrote: »

    As for smyths / Ken black question - its answered earlier in thread. They are long standing best friends. Literally as simple as that.

    My bad I should have read up. You seem to be in on the business so i wont contradict , They have to be very very good friends to be delivering to each other too though no? Didnt think that was the case in any business without a financial link somewhere along the line. But its certainly a prosporus friendship at the very least.

    As for the toy business being all fluffy and freindly. I have great repect for smyths and what they have done so dont get me wrong, but if they were all good friends in the toy business , Smyths wouldnt have put every toymaster and Bynres and countless other toy stores in the country out of business. (Granted the done it by simply being better, cheaper and more flexable for the customer so fair play).


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