Bat Products

[DaveR]

Berinies is for sale. Inglesport seems to be doing OK

 

[Hels]

Berinies is for sale. Inglesport seems to be doing OK

Bernies is for sale??? how comes?  this really is not good news, eventually inglesport will be the only place left. Bernies is sooo much cheaper than inglesport as well !

 

[Speleokitty]

I  seem to remember that caving supplies is also up for sale ?

Kitty

 

[dunc]

Bernies is for sale??? how comes? this really is not good news, eventually inglesport will be the only place left. Bernies is sooo much cheaper than inglesport as well

Steve wants to retire..
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php/topic,5320.0.html

 

[Hels]

Thanks Dunc,  thats not cool my uni club has brought all there kit from them this year, and the year before from bat.  trying to support the local cave community .  What are we going to do when they have gone its all going to be expensive kit!!!

 

[Chris J]

there's no caves on mendip or so goes the tale
so prowes in caving is measured in ale

Interesting though that the Peak District doesn't get its own verse....

 

[Chris J]

Very sad news! First dragon, now bat products. How are the shops doing up North?

Hang on a sec... Dragon did not close due to lack of business or hard times and Bernies is not being sold off because they can't make any money!
Some people just want to retire and do other things!

We need a 'new' generation of cave shop owners and manufacturers....

What is going on with EPIC? Plus there is 'Beast Products' - Ian and Matt from Cardiff Uni CC - perhaps some of these young types will be getting into caving retail?

 

[paul]

Very sad news! First dragon, now bat products. How are the shops doing up North?

Well, Bernies is for sale...

No news I know of on Caving Supples, Hich'n'Hike or Inglesport.

 

[ChrisJC]

Both mine-explorer and aditnow are doing caving related retail, and they are both young chaps......

Chris.

 

[graham]

With all due respect to these younger guys, Tony isn't giving up because of his age, but because a shop such as his cannot compete with internet based mail order companies because they do not have all the overheads that come with a shop.

So what we are losing is the opportunity to try stuff on, to handle before you buy, because we are too mean to support him.

 

[Christian_Chourot]

Or perhaps, it's easier to plan your purchases when you can see them all catalogued online and work out if you want to drive out to wells to try them on.

 

[Burt]

It's indeed very sad that Bat is closing. I try to use it whenever possible but there are alternatives which I also use.

However it will leave a large gap in the outdoor market in the Mendip area. A quality technical tackle shop (not simply clothing and a couple of krabs like what's in other places) would do well in Wells. After all, its in a great location with an established reputation and the nearest others like it are in Bath, Bristol or Taunton. Also with the opening of more of Cheddar Gorge for climbing and the associated rise in climbing traffic there, a change of direction / operation for Bat could be a good buisness.

Any Investors out there willing to give it a go?