Prices at Withdean

[Van der Gully]

I once passed through East Midlands airport and saw that there was a shop selling kit from Leicester and another team, whose name escapes me, from the same area but a definite rival of theirs and both then in the first division.

When we were promoted to the first division I suggested on NSC that we do the same at Gatwick, possibly in a tie up with our great rivals Palace thus sharing costs, surely something like that would have raised our profile and shown ambition.

 

[Yorkie]

I once passed through East Midlands airport and saw that there was a shop selling kit from Leicester and another team, whose name escapes me, from the same area but a definite rival of theirs and both then in the first division.

Possibly Forest or Derby

 

[Rougvie]

Now airports are something that I DO know about.
The Foxes and Rams stores are closed at East Midlands.......the reason was that it was never intended that they made any vast profits, it was more of a community thing for the airport and they got a great deal on the rents for a year.
When the year ended they packed up and left, with hefty losses even with the anazing deal that they got.
I would imagine a store at Gatwick rent wise would be in excess of £100K per year for a small size unit.
Thats a hell of a lot of replica gear to shift.
The Queens Road store is in the wrong place, simple as that, it is also in desperate need of a face lift, but if it were me I would save the money and look for something else.
Churchill Sq is the answer, it would be expensive, but with some good buying and management you could make money with the right blend of Replica / Souveneir and Skint type leisurewear

 

[Van der Gully]

Think it must have been Derby, was going to type that but didn't want to suggest it as for some reason I had been thinking Coventry.

I suspect you are right about rents at Gatwick, however any business worth its salt considers expansion and some ventures although expensive may be worth consideration in the long run.

Think you are right about combining the club shop with an outlet for Skint leisure wear, this is perhaps the direction the club should be heading in, ambitious and good for raising profile.

Now I wonder if anyone at the club is reading this thread, it is turning into a real brain-storming session...

 

[Dunkstar]

Totally agree!
A lot of people simply stay in Churchill square to shop and don't venture into the other,i would say,more interesting areas of Brighton!So a shop in a more high profile location would definately be to our advantage!

 

[Rougvie]

When you are in a shopping centre such as Churchill Sq, you walk in and out of shops, as there are no doors, every shop is just an extension of the last one, you go back and forth and many people buy at impulse.
Sounds simple, but it works, who would have thought 20 years ago that some of the biggest high street names would be specialist stores selling socks or ties or even tat thats supposed to remind you of the past (!) ??
They saw that the bigger picture was to think of a shopping centre as a huge department store, each shop a different specialist 'department' where customers feel at ease with their surroundings and then part with their cash
You are not going to go to Queens Road unless you have something specific in mind to buy, equally the many thousands of visitors that come to B&H are not going to go there because it is out of the way, they are impulse purchasers that may well buy a skint hooded top or even a replica top as a souvenior if we had a 'superstore' in Churchill Sq.
Club shops are not just for the 'die hards' they are a massive part of the commercial structure of any club, and we just seem shit scared to do anything about our commercial activities untill a decision is made about Falmer.
That is naievity of the highest order.
If we don't start thinking big now, in two or three years time the oppertunity will be lost, and it would not surprise me if the 'Chelsea brand' opened a store in our town which really would be a disaster.
Judging by the amount of CFC tat, and those wearing it round town, unless we act now those days are not far off.

 

[Rougvie]

Rant over, sensible head being removed !

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

I don't get down to Brighton much in the week as I work in the smoke, but when I have been in Churchill Square all I noticed the sports shops selling was Man U and Arsenal kits. I didn't see a single Albion replica shirt. Surely, even if we can't afford a shop there we could persuade the sports shops to sell Albion kits, although I suppose that would take sales away from the Albion shop. Failing that, though, wouldn't somewhere in the Lanes, West Street, North Street or Western Road be better? You only really walk down Queens Road if you are coming from the station.

 

[Dunkstar]

I don't get down to Brighton much in the week as I work in the smoke, but when I have been in Churchill Square all I noticed the sports shops selling was Man U and Arsenal kits. I didn't see a single Albion replica shirt. Surely, even if we can't afford a shop there we could persuade the sports shops to sell Albion kits, although I suppose that would take sales away from the Albion shop. Failing that, though, wouldn't somewhere in the Lanes, West Street, North Street or Western Road be better? You only really walk down Queens Road if you are coming from the station.

Good point although because the stores would want a cut it would force already quite high (yes i know prem shirts are £40 and ours are £36)Probably equal if not above the cost of extortionate premiership shirts!

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

I run an U-14 side and the Club itself has booked a day out at Pompey.
They had a choice of games and chose the Man City game.

A total of 57 people,a coach to the ground and back again to Littlehampton.
A tour of the ground.
A 90 minute training session.
Dinner at the ground.
Seats in the main stand for the game.

£35.00 per child and £45.00 per adult!!

So why cant we do something along those lines

 

[Dunkstar]

'Cos they've got a bigger stadium!!!

 

[Zeitgeist]

The idea of a shop at Gatwick is sadly a non starter, for the reasons people have said before on this thread. The BAA isn't a business, but a greedy cartel of the worst kind! Just to rub things in, I believe Man-Ure have a shop in the South terminl at Gatwick. The extortionate rents charged probably wouldn't bother them too much??......

 

[Albionite83]

I've known for a long time that my Season Ticket costs a fortune but have recently been getting some serious earache from my 6 year old son because he wants to go to see The Albion too. Took him to Plymouth (a) which he loved, his first words when the final whistle blew were " when can I go again Dad?".

I've just looked (for the first time ever) at the prices to get him into Withdean (assuming I CAN get him in) and it's £14!!!! This is hardly encouraging is it? It was £5 to watch Plymouth and we had nice toilets, available refreshments and a ROOF

Supply and demand, innit? Have you written to Prescott? (Might be worth copying it to The Argus too).

 

[Dunkstar]

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

'Cos they've got a bigger stadium!!!

You can take any number of kids from 1 -100 so why cant we do it?

We have also got The family stand,which has had an awful lot of over age kids in it for the last couple of years

 

[Dunkstar]

You can take any number of kids from 1 -100 so why cant we do it?

We have also got The family stand,which has had an awful lot of over age kids in it for the last couple of years

Same reason as i just said!

 

[C1 BHA]

Re: Re: Prices at Withdean

Supply and demand, innit? Have you written to Prescott? (Might be worth copying it to The Argus too).

I would EVERYONE who has enough spare time to read the dross that gets posted on NSC has used a little bit of it to write to Mr Prescott.

 

[Yorkie]

Re: Re: Re: Prices at Withdean

I would EVERYONE who has enough spare time to read the dross that gets posted on NSC has used a little bit of it to write to Mr Prescott.

I have written via the club and the letters are all being sent to Mr Prescott in a file.

 

[berkshire seagull]

Whats wrong with that nice green hill behind the goal as the kids can play there and roll around.

 

[Turkey]

There is no way we could afford to have a shop in Churchill Square. For a start, as Yorkie said, some shops are now moving out of malls because of the cost.

I did some stuff on Churchill Square in Business Studies a few years ago. It would be far to expensive. I think Queen's road is considerably cheaper.

I don't think the extra sales would meet the extra costs. No way.