11th-Sep-25, 08:02 AM
I have to say, it was an interesting experience popping into the three stores and comparing what was on display to their online offerings...
Jadlams. This is a relatively new retail space (opened 2022), adding to a vastly successful online business that was built from Scalextric bargains. In store, the slot car offering was a tiny fraction of what is available from the website - and the original Scalextric display track has been removed. There were a couple of unboxed bargains. I am sure all of the Scalextric products on the website (and most of the other brands) could be grabbed from the website if we'd asked at the checkout - there was a vague notice alongside the unboxed cars hinting at that. Prices were in line with the website - about 10% below Scalextric RRP. But - as Jeremy said - that vast array of products in the shop was simply amazing, clearly catering for local people's hobby needs and for model kit & RC enthusiasts travelling from around the West Country. Jadlam certainly know how to grow a retail hobby business and the shop and checkout was surprisingly busy at lunchtime on a Monday.
AC Models. This was a very smart hobby shop in a traditional high-street setting. Shops like this are supposed to be struggling and often look tired and worn at the edges. On first impressions, AC Models seems to be bucking that trend. I have bought from AC Models online a few time over the years - from their eBay store - a couple of bargain cars and some hard-to-find spares. I was expecting to find both bargains and spares in the shop, but there were neither. Scalextric cars were full RRP, but there were some real rarities from the past 5 years or so, which you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere (even Pendles) or be forced to pay inflated eBay prices for. The shop had custom mid-afternoon on a Monday - another chap browsing Scalextric and most others were looking at model railways.
Model Giant. The slot car corner in the refurbished shop is much more coherent and sits behind a small track - which has Parma controllers and Policar Subaru BRZ cars to play with. Parent company Gaugemaster distribute plenty of overseas slot car brands (SCX, Slot.it/Policar, NSR, Fly, Sideways, Thunderslot, Le Mans Miniatures, Ninco etc), but relatively few are on display and all are at full RRP, as you'd expect from the distributor. Scalextric and Carrera were more prominent and are discounted by 10%, making those two brands as competitively-priced as any online store. Customers do have access to everything listed in stock on the website - and there was a small notice to say that. I do pop in from time to time and the old shop seemed to be getting more foot-fall since the pandemic, despite being out in the middle of nowhere. I guess the retail rebrand is recognition of that, although in-store business will always be completely dwarfed by Gaugemaster's manufacturing, distribution and online retail arms.
The three visits has certainly got me thinking about the hobby - and hobbies in general.
Jadlams. This is a relatively new retail space (opened 2022), adding to a vastly successful online business that was built from Scalextric bargains. In store, the slot car offering was a tiny fraction of what is available from the website - and the original Scalextric display track has been removed. There were a couple of unboxed bargains. I am sure all of the Scalextric products on the website (and most of the other brands) could be grabbed from the website if we'd asked at the checkout - there was a vague notice alongside the unboxed cars hinting at that. Prices were in line with the website - about 10% below Scalextric RRP. But - as Jeremy said - that vast array of products in the shop was simply amazing, clearly catering for local people's hobby needs and for model kit & RC enthusiasts travelling from around the West Country. Jadlam certainly know how to grow a retail hobby business and the shop and checkout was surprisingly busy at lunchtime on a Monday.
AC Models. This was a very smart hobby shop in a traditional high-street setting. Shops like this are supposed to be struggling and often look tired and worn at the edges. On first impressions, AC Models seems to be bucking that trend. I have bought from AC Models online a few time over the years - from their eBay store - a couple of bargain cars and some hard-to-find spares. I was expecting to find both bargains and spares in the shop, but there were neither. Scalextric cars were full RRP, but there were some real rarities from the past 5 years or so, which you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere (even Pendles) or be forced to pay inflated eBay prices for. The shop had custom mid-afternoon on a Monday - another chap browsing Scalextric and most others were looking at model railways.
Model Giant. The slot car corner in the refurbished shop is much more coherent and sits behind a small track - which has Parma controllers and Policar Subaru BRZ cars to play with. Parent company Gaugemaster distribute plenty of overseas slot car brands (SCX, Slot.it/Policar, NSR, Fly, Sideways, Thunderslot, Le Mans Miniatures, Ninco etc), but relatively few are on display and all are at full RRP, as you'd expect from the distributor. Scalextric and Carrera were more prominent and are discounted by 10%, making those two brands as competitively-priced as any online store. Customers do have access to everything listed in stock on the website - and there was a small notice to say that. I do pop in from time to time and the old shop seemed to be getting more foot-fall since the pandemic, despite being out in the middle of nowhere. I guess the retail rebrand is recognition of that, although in-store business will always be completely dwarfed by Gaugemaster's manufacturing, distribution and online retail arms.
The three visits has certainly got me thinking about the hobby - and hobbies in general.
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