William Arthur dealers have known for a couple of months the vendor they relied on to support them was joining the ranks of those who compete against them. Obviously, this did not win over fans in the storefront crowd.
Three different sources have now confirmed that representatives of the William Arthur web division were browsing through booths at the New York International Gift Fair, apparently in search of product to fill the company’s upcoming online store. “We showed them a number of items,” says one vendor who prefers to remain anonymous, fearing her current retailers might bristle at the suggestion. “After the show that day, I decided not to pursue the relationship,” she continues. “It’s not the way we work. We turned down the big box stores. We need to remain strong on this front too.”
Speculation that the new William Arthur site will mimic Crane & Company’s site, complete with gift items currently offered in retail stores, grew in leaps and bounds as news swept the show floor. “Why would an invitation printer come to the gift show unless they’re looking for gifts?” noted a store owner from Ohio. “This tells me what I’ll be up against when the new site goes live.”
Retailers are scrutinizing such moves more closely than ever as they themselves struggle to remain relevant and unique in today’s tight marketplace. “It used to be that if a company began selling to a big national chain, we’d drop them,” explains one Chicago buyer. “Now we look at who’s selling on the Crane’s site, and quite often drop them too. It’s just the same problem, different day.”
“It’s bad enough that they’re competing against us to sell their product,” adds her business partner. “Do they really need to grab our other lines too?”
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We just got off the phone with William Arthur. Yep, it’s true, they say. They say times are tough and this is the trend for the future and it is necessary for them to keep up with the competition. There didn’t seem to be any regard for the storefronts that have supported them for all these years. Geez, I just ordered a new album!
As one of the retailers who attended last fall’s William Arthur Summit, I can assure you the entire group was stunned when told WA was going to begin selling direct. Of course, there was no mention of adding more lines (that I recall).
I hope vendors who are approached to sell to William Arthur think long and hard about how many of us little guys will have to second guess carrying their products. The first things to go on our sales table are the ones who show up in big boxes and vendor-owned websites.