Hardy Greys up for sale
- Thread starter barbelboi
- Start date
As it says:
"After redundancies were made earlier this year, the business has since turned itself around and managed to win greater market share. The future of the company’s looking extremely positive"
I think that they will go from strength to strength with better investment and maybe slightly more modern-managment.
"After redundancies were made earlier this year, the business has since turned itself around and managed to win greater market share. The future of the company’s looking extremely positive"
I think that they will go from strength to strength with better investment and maybe slightly more modern-managment.
Jeff Woodhouse
Moaning Marlow Meldrew
Or right down the pan.
Most companies do not realise that their best asset is their workers. Lose them and they've lost the plot. I can point to my wife's old company for that, first thing new management did was get rid of all the talented staff. Profits plummeted and now it's up for sale again at a great loss and now carrying debts of around £1.5bn. It was very successful before. BIG MISTAKE!
Same happened for a company I worked for in the 70s that had grown into a multi-million pound organisation. New boys came in with all the great ideas and ruined it. There's now a supermarket on that site probably employing 100 people whereas 680 skilled and talented staff used to make British carpets.
Another PRICE for PRIDE situation.
barbelboi
Well-known member
Possibly they couldn't compete with the quality and pricing of Dragon Carp
Although, IMO, they do make quality stuff the pricing sometimes seems excessive - take their fly rods, I prefer the feel of a Sharpes Gordon at half the price.
Jerry
Although, IMO, they do make quality stuff the pricing sometimes seems excessive - take their fly rods, I prefer the feel of a Sharpes Gordon at half the price.
Jerry
It is all about profit and as hard as it is if a company is not in profit it will go to the wall. There is very little loyalty in business today very little give from either side profit is king and if you have a good workforce you have to look after them and if you have a good boss you have to give 100% if either does not that is an end to it . Not enough team work these days and no trust no wonder there is so little success in business these days.
flightliner
Well-known member
I understand that some (two?) of their management team left and set up SONIK making rods.
This springtime I went to Chapmans in Scunthorpe after reading somewhere that they had an offer on for the SK3 range that went from 1-5/1-75/2lb tc, these include a spare tip section that have three interchangable quivertips
While there I noticed that there were some greys rods with the same spec and were priced in the hundreds of pounds. The Sonics were on offer at £49-99 each and were every bit as good if not better than the greys-- it was a no brainer.
I have used them since on bream and barbel taking fish of both species to well over ten pounds and this winter they will be my first choice for quivertipping with mince n steak for chub, they are a pleasure to use.
I like good quality tackle and my gear comprises of many differant "names" from Daiwa,shimano, Drennan, to other names like Leeda and Shakespeare with no detriment to my catches or pleasure. For many tho the best means the most expensive but the simple facts are that many items of gear out there these days are superb and more than fit for purpose but fly under the rader in many anglers eyes because the price tag is "cheap".
I hope the company survive but they have a hard market to compete in.
This springtime I went to Chapmans in Scunthorpe after reading somewhere that they had an offer on for the SK3 range that went from 1-5/1-75/2lb tc, these include a spare tip section that have three interchangable quivertips
While there I noticed that there were some greys rods with the same spec and were priced in the hundreds of pounds. The Sonics were on offer at £49-99 each and were every bit as good if not better than the greys-- it was a no brainer.
I have used them since on bream and barbel taking fish of both species to well over ten pounds and this winter they will be my first choice for quivertipping with mince n steak for chub, they are a pleasure to use.
I like good quality tackle and my gear comprises of many differant "names" from Daiwa,shimano, Drennan, to other names like Leeda and Shakespeare with no detriment to my catches or pleasure. For many tho the best means the most expensive but the simple facts are that many items of gear out there these days are superb and more than fit for purpose but fly under the rader in many anglers eyes because the price tag is "cheap".
I hope the company survive but they have a hard market to compete in.
B
Berty
Guest
Then they should become more competetive and not rely on their name of old to mark up £49.95 rods at £300
flightliner
Well-known member
Dead right Paul,
[Q.
[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]
hi flight, I see in your list of good quality tackle you have not included mitchell on your list, is this an oversight on your part or have you dumped your mitchell reels and upgraded to something better. Just a thought. redfin.
nicepix
Well-known member
hi flight, I see in your list of good quality tackle you have not included mitchell on your list, is this an oversight on your part or have you dumped your mitchell reels and upgraded to something better. Just a thought. redfin.[/QUOTE]
I'll bet he has an Ernie Stamford rod tucked away too
flightliner
Well-known member
Redfin- You dont post much on here but reading what you do gives me the distinct impression that you are "old school" and know more and can like as not outperform many a guy on the riverbank when it comes to using gear-- gud or bad, pricey or cheap-- running water man I guess so heres my take on your post-- A pound to a penny you have a michell 300 or a "match" in your possession..
C'mon--- fess up! yes or no?
---------- Post added at 20:58 ---------- Previous post was at 20:54 ----------
spot on nicepix-- that makes makes two of us!
Errrrr yes!!!!Redfin- You dont post much on here but reading what you do gives me the distinct impression that you are "old school" and know more and can like as not outperform many a guy on the riverbank when it comes to using gear-- gud or bad, pricey or cheap-- running water man I guess so heres my take on your post-- A pound to a penny you have a michell 300 or a "match" in your possession..
C'mon--- fess up! yes or no?
terry m
Well-known member
Sincerely hope they do go from strength to strength. I rate Greys kit, sure it's a few bucks more expensive, but IMO the quality justifies the premium.
That might have been true in the 1900's but in the 21st century it is market position, production costs and advertising that makes a company y successful or not.
Hardy/Greys/Chub have covered almost the entire spectrum of angling disciplines and prices.
Hardy for those who are well-heeled, Greys for the mid market and Chub for the cheaper end (although not that cheap)
The only target group they seem to miss out are those who go for Dragon carp and Lidl brands.
I have a lovely old framed print in my home of the Hardy's Rod Finishing Section of their factory showing upwards of 25 people moiling away.
Today, all of that is done by one or two machines!
Jeff Woodhouse
Moaning Marlow Meldrew
For the foolish worshippers of Mammon, maybe. For most others, qualiity, reliability, and reasonable cost/pricing structure are what make good companies stable.
Well, these days it is simply called . . . . PROFIT (or ROI) and without it, there would be no company.
as the Meerkat says . . . . . . Simples . . .squeeks!
cg74
Well-known member
And this is the crux of the problems - they've been trying to sell tackle of the same standard of Lidl and Dragon Carp, only at 2 to 3 times the price.
This is very well illustrated: greys prodigy barbel | eBay
The new cheaply made and poorer quality Chinese rods are selling at the same price as the older Japanese(?) secondhand versions.
terry m
Well-known member
Are you really suggesting that the only difference between Greys and Dragon/Lidl is the name on the butt cap and the price?
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Always - emotionally, historically (what fine gear they once made...), platonically - a theoretical Hardy supporter myself (though not much of a buyer of anything by the firm of, say, post-1945 manufacture, until a man I knew in the firm asked me to have a private meeting with a newly appointed Manager / Director in 1999 (I remember the year - it was a very few days before the Ladbroke Grove Train Disaster), early one morning at the cafeteria of Paddington Station where the new man was arriving by train to take up his post.
"Paul, let him pick your brains ... blue-sky think / riff on tackle / on Hardy past present and future for him ... give him some clue of where we have to go to survive...".
I did. And was asked to find them opportunities (through my overseas Angling contacts) in South America ... Argentina / Chile / also someone I knew in the former who knew the right people in Brazil...
So I got on the phone to S.A.
£78-worth of calls.
A few weeks later I submitted my claim for phone expenses to Hardy's (£78).
I got a snooty letter - "Please send us your phone bill...".
I told them to.................
"Paul, let him pick your brains ... blue-sky think / riff on tackle / on Hardy past present and future for him ... give him some clue of where we have to go to survive...".
I did. And was asked to find them opportunities (through my overseas Angling contacts) in South America ... Argentina / Chile / also someone I knew in the former who knew the right people in Brazil...
So I got on the phone to S.A.
£78-worth of calls.
A few weeks later I submitted my claim for phone expenses to Hardy's (£78).
I got a snooty letter - "Please send us your phone bill...".
I told them to.................