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View Full Version : WHSmith has bought Cult Pens



milkb0at
February 4th, 2018, 04:45 AM
As per the news here (http://www.stationerymatters.news/home/whsmith-buys-cult-pens-54371).

This seems it might be quite... significant for those of us in the UK, maybe?

It might not change anything and I have nothing but good things to say about Cult Pens. I don't have much to say about WHSmith - it's such an ubiquitous institution that it's a bit like having opinions on socks.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with the tie-up. Any thoughts?

Chrissy
February 4th, 2018, 04:52 AM
It will be interesting to see what happens next. :confused:

migo984
February 4th, 2018, 04:57 AM
This is very sad news. W.H.Smith is nothing like the retailer it once was and now sells generic and dull stationery. I don’t think it even sells Basildon Bond writing paper any more.

I have a sense of foreboding about the future of Cult Pens now :-(

GTG
February 4th, 2018, 05:00 AM
Oh dear, oh dear. W H smiths. Not good IMO

grainweevil
February 4th, 2018, 05:02 AM
Hmm. Active pioneering online pen specialists chain themselves to lumbering out-dated high street giant. What could possibly go wrong?

Chrissy
February 4th, 2018, 05:03 AM
Hmm. Active pioneering online pen specialists chain themselves to lumbering out-dated high street giant. What could possibly go wrong?
Indeed. :applause:

top pen
February 4th, 2018, 05:09 AM
It will be interesting to see what happens. I've always found cult pens to have middle of the road pricing but what they excel at is variety.

Never really purchased much from WhSmith B&M stores. But found some of there online pricing to be very reasonable especially a few years ago.

Stickler
February 4th, 2018, 05:43 AM
More than likely Cult Pens will just use the name and resources ....stay Cult Pens, which is obviously a better business model.

GTG
February 4th, 2018, 05:53 AM
The only good thing I remember WH smiths doing was having very rare sale on Lamy 2000 for under £100.

Very limited stock though and only medium I think.

Fermata
February 4th, 2018, 08:21 AM
A large plc, with declining retail sales, buys a small online company with an excellent reputation and i assume good profitability.

WH Smith would need to be quite foolish to alter a successful business.

penwash
February 4th, 2018, 11:06 AM
This is very sad news. W.H.Smith is nothing like the retailer it once was and now sells generic and dull stationery. I don’t think it even sells Basildon Bond writing paper any more.

I have a sense of foreboding about the future of Cult Pens now :-(

Maybe W.H.Smith is trying to revive their former glory by leveraging Cult Pens, which has a good and deserved reputation from anything I've heard and read about them.

Jerome Tarshis
February 4th, 2018, 11:37 AM
Oh, I don't know. On the one hand, I applaud grainweevil's comment. On the other, I ask where is the imagination that made England great. CultPens boutique in every high street in Northumberland? CultPens designing and making its own brand of FPs, thus reviving the manufacturing sector, Arkwright and Brunel cheering from their graves? Where is the vision? It is easy enough to succumb to a very tired feeling.

Fermata
February 4th, 2018, 02:13 PM
This is very sad news. W.H.Smith is nothing like the retailer it once was and now sells generic and dull stationery. I don’t think it even sells Basildon Bond writing paper any more.

I have a sense of foreboding about the future of Cult Pens now :-(

Maybe W.H.Smith is trying to revive their former glory by leveraging Cult Pens, which has a good and deserved reputation from anything I've heard and read about them.


Need to remember the scale of things here, WH Smith with a branch in every city in the country and most if not all of the towns, every airport and major railway station. Cultpens as far as I know just one location, an online seller with perhaps 20 employees.

Some perspective is needed.

Jerome Tarshis
February 4th, 2018, 02:20 PM
Not too much perspective. It is important not to snicker. Or cringe.

manoeuver
February 4th, 2018, 04:23 PM
Not too much perspective. It is important not to snicker. Or cringe.hmmm, yes. watch.

Morgaine
February 5th, 2018, 02:30 AM
WHS does still sell Basildon Bond; my little on does. It also has a limited range of Parker and Lamy, the ink cartridges are expensive - Quink, Lamy, Waterman too sold there. At one large store, I was able to buy Rhodia.

One charity shop find was a leather case with WHS quality bond!

Chrissy
February 5th, 2018, 02:34 AM
WHS does still sell Basildon Bond; my little on does. It also has a limited range of Parker and Lamy, the ink cartridges are expensive - Quink, Lamy, Waterman too sold there. At one large store, I was able to buy Rhodia.

One charity shop find was a leather case with WHS quality bond!
WHSmith website (http://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/basildon-bond-post-quarto-champagne-watermarked-writing-paper-40-sheets/30493094) lists Basildon Bond, so I can't see how they wouldn't still sell it.

Your charity shop find was great! :)

grainweevil
February 5th, 2018, 03:55 AM
Three Candlesticks too, look you.*

*Sorry, random attack of Welshness there, for no known reason.

migo984
February 5th, 2018, 04:05 AM
WHS does still sell Basildon Bond; my little on does. It also has a limited range of Parker and Lamy, the ink cartridges are expensive - Quink, Lamy, Waterman too sold there. At one large store, I was able to buy Rhodia.

One charity shop find was a leather case with WHS quality bond!

My two local branches stopped selling Basildon Bond in store. I asked a while back as I was buying it to send to a pen pal in the US who uses it. The duty managers told me it was up to each individual store (to an extent) about what to stock. They referred me to their website but I don’t want to buy online.

amk
February 5th, 2018, 06:48 AM
The only good thing I remember WH smiths doing was having very rare sale on Lamy 2000 for under £100.

Very limited stock though and only medium I think.

Yes, I got my first Lamy 2000 in that sale - absolutely ridiculous price, I think about sixty quid!

milkb0at
February 5th, 2018, 07:32 AM
Ah yes, the L2K sales at WHSmith are legendary. I bought my mechanical pencil and ballpoint versions there to go with my fountain pen. Next time there's another crazy sale I'll probably get the rollerball as well, even though I doubt I'd use it, just to complete the set.

Perhaps the deep discounts will change now they have Cult Pens which stocks some proper pens in the same vein as L2K (and above). Or hopefully Cult Pens will follow WHSmith and put crazy discounts on a GvF-C. That would be nice!

penwash
February 5th, 2018, 08:25 AM
This is very sad news. W.H.Smith is nothing like the retailer it once was and now sells generic and dull stationery. I don’t think it even sells Basildon Bond writing paper any more.

I have a sense of foreboding about the future of Cult Pens now :-(

Maybe W.H.Smith is trying to revive their former glory by leveraging Cult Pens, which has a good and deserved reputation from anything I've heard and read about them.


Need to remember the scale of things here, WH Smith with a branch in every city in the country and most if not all of the towns, every airport and major railway station. Cultpens as far as I know just one location, an online seller with perhaps 20 employees.

Some perspective is needed.

Thank you for the perspective. I am in the US, so I am not familiar with the brands.

But regardless, when a large company with a handle on distribution is buying a small boutique shop, most likely they have a plan to replicate the process that the small boutique shop excels at and bring it to scale. Otherwise it makes no sense, as much as possible, companies don't throw money around easily.

Bungle
February 5th, 2018, 10:41 AM
My thinking is W.H.Smith typifies the outmoded, ubiquitous, nonentity which is synonymous with the decline of writing, newspapers, and high street retail in general.
That said, Smith's News is the Mongol Khanate of news distribution in the UK so definitely has the position and exposure to bring traditional writing back to the masses.

Morgaine
February 5th, 2018, 12:40 PM
I saw fork 'andles for sale yesterday, but that wasn't in WHS. However yesterday, I did see three candlesticks in WHS.

For some unknown reason, my local WHS had a while back a lamy for 20p

Away from pc as room is being redecorated... and I can't add the picture of it from my tablet I had posted in https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/16218-Oh-dear-and-I-ve-just-ordered-more!

grainweevil
February 5th, 2018, 03:36 PM
For some unknown reason, my local WHS had a while back a lamy for 20p

Away from pc as room is being redecorated... and I can't add the picture of it from my tablet I had posted in https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/16218-Oh-dear-and-I-ve-just-ordered-more!

Morgaine, you are definitely a Sumgal with that one. I grovel in your presence. And marvel that WHSmith could be even more clueless than Amazon, who I thought took the cake, the biscuit, and probably the teapot for this sort of bonkers clearance effort. Smith's must take the teaspoon, the strainer, and the cucumber sandwiches as well (minus the crusts).

As to choosing not to stock Basildon Bond, that's a tragedy in both Post Quarto and Duke size.

Morgaine
February 6th, 2018, 04:43 AM
I should have gone to the store the day before.... There were more pens on silly sale too... Parker Frontier, and probably had more Lamy.

Annie
February 6th, 2018, 03:25 PM
I feel a bit sick for reasons I don't quite understand. Have just this evening ordered another TWSBI Eco from Cult Pens.

top pen
February 10th, 2018, 03:45 AM
The thing that always amazes me about cult pens is their speed. I've got everything I've ordered next day without exception.

matteob
February 20th, 2018, 08:26 AM
It depends whether the owners stay on to run it or take their bonanza and head to the Bahamas. Always had good service from these guys hope it stays that way.

Cyril
February 25th, 2018, 02:24 PM
Very interesting and like to know what WHSmith going to do with this new move.

I have already bought stuffs and hope I am able to continue using this excellent FP services to buy my future needs.