December Newsletter - Merry Christmas everyone!

[Leon]

Welcome to the latest Pendraken newsletter!

As we come to the end of another year and the Pendraken forges are turned off, we've got some more releases for you, along with news on our impending price increase and a round-up of the year!




New AWI Releases!

We had an early Christmas present for everyone earlier this month with another batch of fantastic Clib sculpts for our 10mm American War of Independence ranges!  The bulk of these are expanding our German codes to add more infantry, command and artillery, and then we've got a sprinkling of American and British items too.

These are all available on our website here.




2025 Price Increase!

We announced this a couple of months back but there will unfortunately be a price increase coming on January 1st 2025.  We've run the numbers and most of our 10mm Pendraken metal products will be going up, along with our RedVectors MDF buildings and also some of the 10mm resin.  There will be some exceptions, with 10mm metal tanks and most of the third-party products unaffected by these changes.

Standard packs (30 foot / 15 cavalry) - £6.75 >>> £7.95

20th C. packs (10 foot / 3 MGs / etc) - £2.25 >>> £2.65

Army packs (pre-20th C) - £42.00 >>> £49.00

(Other pack sizes/quantities will go up by similar amounts)




How did we do this year?!

As another year draws to a close, it's time for our annual evaluation of which projects we managed to tick off, which ones are in progress, and which will be kicked into 2025!  It's been a mixed bag this year, so head over to the Forum here and see how we did.




Litko Clearance!

For anyone looking for a bargain, we've got over 200 of the Litko products reduced by upto 75% in the Litko Clearance section of the website.  These are all items that we're not planning on stocking permanently, so we're clearing out some of the drawers to make space for other products.  There are limited quantities on some of these, so make sure to take a look before they sell out!




Thank you!

And finally we'd like to say a massive thank you to each and every one of our customers for your amazing support this year, it's something we never take for granted and we appreciate you choosing to spend your hobby money with us.  We've got lots planned for 2025, so we hope you have a very Merry Christmas and we'll see you in the new year!


Important Dates

Wed 25th Dec - Christmas Day!
Mon 6th Jan - Pendraken back to work!

[fsn]

Standard packs (30 foot / 15 cavalry) - £6.75 >>> £7.95

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

Ouch!

You did warn us, and I'm certain the increase is based on economic reality and the survival of Pendraken rather than your plans for a beach front property in Monte Carlo*. It does make Pendraken an expensive choice. Most 10mm manufacturers are (at the moment) 18p-20p per figure. Pendraken will now be 27p per figure. I suspect we may see price increases from the others, and very few offer the range that Pendraken does, but it is a concern.   

I won't be changing my preferred supplier. However, I can see that I will not be buying the same quantity.**

Here's to a prosperous 2025 for Pendraken.



*However, if there is a luxurious property involved, I think I may have put enough into the endeavour to merit a invitation for a fortnight's bed & board.
**As a side note, reducing purchasing means that my lead mountain will be exhausted quicker. I estimate that this will take about 36 months off total lead mountain depletion. 


 

[DecemDave]

The website has existing pricing so if we order in what remains of December are the old prices honoured even though the orders wont be processed until Jan?

Asking for a friend.   


<< Gets planning spreadsheet out...

[fsn]

I can confirm that orders placed today are charged at the lower price.

I've just put an order in.

[Leon]

You did warn us, and I'm certain the increase is based on economic reality and the survival of Pendraken rather than your plans for a beach front property in Monte Carlo*. It does make Pendraken an expensive choice. Most 10mm manufacturers are (at the moment) 18p-20p per figure. Pendraken will now be 27p per figure. I suspect we may see price increases from the others, and very few offer the range that Pendraken does, but it is a concern.

The increase is a little higher than we hoped but with the additional costs incurred from the recent budget (NI, minimum wage, increased business rates) combined with the continued uncertainty in metal pricing and the mortgage interest rates, the 10% increase would have been almost entirely eaten up straightaway. 

We've been doing it like that for a long time now and there's always something that comes along during the year and kicks you in the backside, so we need to get ahead of things for once and make sure that we're covering ourselves should the unexpected happen. 

Pricewise we are definitely going to be at the higher end of things, but there is a big difference in the pricing of current 10mm offerings.  Old Glory and Newline are 16p/17p respectively, and then Lancashire and Gripping Beast are 18p.  At the other end the GHQ's through Magister are coming in at 27p each, as are Steve Barber's ranges.  There's a new owner due to be announced for the Magister ranges and I'm expecting those to come back at the higher end of the range too.

The issue we're constantly dealing with is that 10mm is probably the lowest profit margin 'mainstream' scale, as the labour/time input is higher than it would be for companies making 15mm, 20mm, 28mm and even 6mm miniatures.  So a massive chunk of our costs are simply staff wages, something my accountant keeps bringing up each year!  We're trying to make things more efficient and get a higher return per hour of casting, but that's a long-term plan.

[fsn]

So ... no beach front property in Monte Carlo?

Do you not have better things to do on Christmas Day morning than reply to my blather?

Merry Christmas.

[Steve J]

I think a fair price increase, given all the uncertainty out there combined with recent changes as you've mentioned. Time to put in a small order once Xmas is out of the way.

[Orcs]

Compared to recent years the price increase is a higher percentage, but I do not feel it is unreasonable. Prices in general have gone up a huge amount, especially electricity and gas.  In the case of gas an electricity, far more than your increases. Plus of course the punitive increases of the last budget.

You may be the more expensive end of 10mm manufacturers, but from experience those mentioned (with the exception of Steve Barber), your quality of figure and consistency are far better.

I have had figures from other manufacturers  (Heresy I know) that broke at the ankles while being painted, after this happened twice I threw all of that pose away (thus adding to the effective cost per figure). I have had figures that are way out of scale with the rest of the range, again causing me to have to purchase replacements.

Painting can get quite tedious at times, that is only made worse when the casting is so poor you are not sure what you are painting.

Wargaming is still a very cheap hobby compared to most others. The prices for decades have been artificially low , mainly by "Hobbyist  manufacturers" - I do not mean this as a slight against their products, just that as they had a main job the profitability of their sales was less of an issue. You only have to look at the prices charged by some of the bigger manufacturers to see this .

GW has reduced the staffing and opening times of its shops hugely, to save costs while charging  £100 for  a Warhammer 40K combat patrol of  just 17 plastic miniatures, which cost literally pennies per sprue.  I accept these are probably the most expensive manufacturer, but most 28mm plastic figures are £1-£2 each, again costing pennies per sprue . These prices are based to return a profit compared to the risk , and to cover necessary costs.

Pendraken needs to the same.  I think most of the Forum realize that Pendraken is far from trying to make excessive profits. It is only trying to cover rising costs and pay those involved a fair wage, while still having funds to expand into those ranges that we are all clamoring for.  Personally It is important to me that those involved receive a fair wage and that the company stays in business. 

After all this waffle I am simply making the point that I think these prices increases are a fair and necessary.

[mollinary]

What Orcs said! 

[fsn]

Compared to recent years the price increase is a higher percentage, but I do not feel it is unreasonable.

Agreed.

You may be the more expensive end of 10mm manufacturers, but from experience those mentioned (with the exception of Steve Barber), your quality of figure and consistency are far better.

Also agreed.

Wargaming is still a very cheap hobby compared to most others.

It's as expensive as you want to make it. If I do a WWII platoon level game, I can probably  get it for about £30 per side. A Napoleonic army of going on for 1000 figures will cost £250.

I think most of the Forum realize that Pendraken is far from trying to make excessive profits. It is only trying to cover rising costs and pay those involved a fair wage, while still having funds to expand into those ranges that we are all clamoring for.  Personally It is important to me that those involved receive a fair wage and that the company stays in business. 

After all this waffle I am simply making the point that I think these prices increases are a fair and necessary.

Agreed.

People like me will buy from Pendraken, and only go elsewhere if Pendraken do not do the thing I want (e.g. French artillery caissons.) Someone without that buy-in will compare the market, and price is a major factor. I can spend £5.30 for 30 Bavarian infantry from Lancashire Games, £5.79 for 30 from Lancer or I can choose Pendraken.

I want Pendraken to succeed. I am prepared to pay the higher prices because I trust Leon and want the Pendraken crew to be adequately compensated for their toils. There's a horrible calculation that higher prices will see reduced sales, which will reduce costs, but there's also the higher NI costs etc, etc.

I hope that Pendraken can thrive in the uncertain times ahead.

[paulr]

What Orcs said

I hope Nobby's concern over reduced new customers does not eventuate or is at least limited

[pierre the shy]

Indeed, some very wise words there from Orcs and fsn.

You get what you pay for so a few pence more per figure won't put me off purchasing stuff from Pendraken in the future. The huge number of ranges available and their fantastically flexible customer service always make them so straight forward and pleasureable to deal with, even if I'm on the other side of the world.

Leon can count on my customer loyalty in the future.

[Orcs]

Oh and I for got to mention the incredible customer service, the ability to purchase extra figures to make up units - I have saved quite a bit that way. No other manufacturer will do that for you

[Norm]

As a family who enjoy and appreciate the whole thing of shopping on the high street, we feel that we have come to a point in which we now have to actively think about those businesses that we want to see survive over the next 5 - 10 years and direct our cash to them, rather than spreading the jam too thin across too many business and so the 'old fashioned' concept of loyalty is becoming a critical tool to the longevity of business, whether that is a choice of coffee shop, store or who supplies our hobby.

Leon, thanks for another year of just being there!

[Ben Waterhouse]

As a family who enjoy and appreciate the whole thing of shopping on the high street, we feel that we have come to a point in which we now have to actively think about those businesses that we want to see survive over the next 5 - 10 years and direct our cash to them, rather than spreading the jam too thin across too many business and so the 'old fashioned' concept of loyalty is becoming a critical tool to the longevity of business, whether that is a choice of coffee shop, store or who supplies our hobby.

Leon, thanks for another year of just being there!

Excellent point. We try to do this at Waterhouse Towers. Pendraken will still be getting my coin.