Derby House Closing- what do you think?

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This week's H&H reports that Derby House Saddlery are closing all but 1 of their stores, and will instead be focusing on the website and catalogue.

Does this signal the end for saddleries? Are we all just going to shop on the Internet in future?

Or were Derby House missing something in those stores? Perhaps they didn't provide the right shopping experience?

What do you think?
 
aww, I love their shop in Moreton on the Marsh (or somewhere like that lol) but am sooo glad that they're keeping their website open, they're my favourite, just bought a fly rug for Bazzer for £20, a lw and m-hw for £25 each, I'd be devastated!
 
Blimey!! though have never had much success shopping there in person, so maybe not that surprised. Quick word of praise (:eek:) for them - ordered half price fly rug (hah! everyone'll be wearing them :))and some other bits this week and everything arrived in a couple of days!! (free delivery too!) Which store is staying?
 
I would say that our most local Derby House was not as good as the shop they bought out (Moreton Saddlery), more cheap nasty stuff, less good quality stuff, virtually no saddles.
 
Oh no! I love trawling the ends of the Morton in Marsh shop for the bargains!!!

I think the internet rules all at the moment - I still miss my traditional saddlers and he closed down 10 years ago!!! - Its now a trendy milkshake and brunch shop!
 
I assume it is Wrightington that is staying open??

If so, it can't be a bad thing for me as that is my local store.
I tend not to order off the internet as sizing just seems to be so disparate across different manufactures.

Can't beat going for a root around the shop :).
 
stroppymare153 said:
Blimey!! though have never had much success shopping there in person, so maybe not that surprised. Quick word of praise (:eek:) for them - ordered half price fly rug (hah! everyone'll be wearing them :))and some other bits this week and everything arrived in a couple of days!! (free delivery too!) Which store is staying?
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same! :)

except my stupid horse has ripped it on her bottom :D
 
Could anyone tell me when they are shutting? And which one is staying open, as we've just booked a holiday(live in Isle of Man) to go to there and robinsons...
 
Me being the cynic here, but I had a feeling they were "in trouble" when they took on the Katie Price c*** - and I never looked at them again.

Those photos, all inflated boobs, inflated lips, inflated hair, inflated make up, her posing like a "glamour model" in a porn mag :eek: - DH lost all credibility for me.:rolleyes:
 
Must admit I have found their shops disapponting. I still compete in some show breeches I bought off their trade stand years ago and they have been excellent at lasting and good value but I don't think I have ever bought anything in the shops.

I think it is a shame that shops are disappearing because of the cost (and sometimes speed if you are not near a shop) of the internet and use my local saddlery (which is for sale) whenever possible unless it is "specialist" gear that they do not stock or cannot get hold of.

There is nothing on line to match the having a good feel of what you are buying!
 
I agree the KP line was a huge mistake but I still find their own brand rugs to be bargainous so I forgive them. I remember when she was on their Badminton trade stand people were flocking round her but the non KP stand was like a ghost ship, so I guess it must have had some good impact on their business.

For serious tack/rider equipment purchases and the smaller stuff like ointments, supplements etc I tend to use my local tack shop too
 
They should have stuck with their one shop (which was an Aladdin's cave with good quality things, far better than Robinson s) instead of buying up Cam and everywhere else. They've just tried to grow too quickly and got burnt - plus their quality of stock nose dived onto a par with Robinsons. Between them, those firms have been partly to blame on the demise of your good local saddler, another reason of course being we all want things as cheap as possible but to be cheap you lose that quality, can't have it both ways.
 
Hmm, some interesting thoughts... most folks don't seem too surprised.

i wonder if other big retailers will go the same way, or maybe they do things better than Derby House?
 
Actually, I have just taken delivery of one of their bargain fly rugs and compared to previous ones I have bought the quality and sizing are definitely poorer :(
 
I much prefered Derby House before they went to Wrightington and they had the small saddlery shop in a village - a root about place in a barn. The new shop is too "fake" and "twee" for me, and the staff are not so good anymore.
 
When I was a teenage Derby House were great. They used to make lovely showing stuff. I had several of their jackets and one of their show saddles too. Plus various pairs of their lovely canary sticky bum jods.

I can't entirely remember when they stopped doing all that stuff but they're just the same old same old now. They don't sell anything you can't get anywhere any more

And as for the KP stuff. Yack. Had to be the beginning of the end didn't it?
 
I used to work for one of the saddleries they bought out -jet set saddery in Scotland. They also ran a mail order business. Derby house utterly ruined it. It's sad to see what Margaret and Richard built up just flushed down the toilet. I remember the original Derby house saddlery. It was a great shop. Wonder where it all went so terribly wrong? Apart from the obvious kp range!
 
jesstickle said:
When I was a teenage Derby House were great. They used to make lovely showing stuff. I had several of their jackets and one of their show saddles too. Plus various pairs of their lovely canary sticky bum jods.

I can't entirely remember when they stopped doing all that stuff but they're just the same old same old now. They don't sell anything you can't get anywhere any more

And as for the KP stuff. Yack. Had to be the beginning of the end didn't it?
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Yep, they used to sell really upmarket stuff, now there's too much cheap and nasty and if that's what you want there are plenty of other retailers selling the same.
 
I'd never stop going to my local tack shop (tower farm in rugby) but I tend to go more for feed and then pick up other bits as nec.

I hardly ever by clothes for myself and rugs I get online as horse takes 7'3" which most shops don't stock xx
 
marmalade76 said:
Yep, they used to sell really upmarket stuff, now there's too much cheap and nasty and if that's what you want there are plenty of other retailers selling the same.
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Before Mrs Candy and Pretty Ponies really got going they were THE people to go to for showing stuff. It was a shame the ditched that as they were good at it :(
 
I have to say from personal experince I used to love DH and would go out of my way to use them. But in the last few years since they signed up with Katie Price they have done down hill. Taking money on my credit card for goods they did not have, rude and unhelpful staff how did not seem to know anything about the fitting of hats and body protectors. Getting the refund for goods they did not have took 2 months and only with the help of my credit card company. I now Use the Internet or drive 70 miles round trip to my nearest quality store.
 
never really used DH mail order as i found their stuff to be (very nice, but) too expensive. Living where I do, my local tack shops are still a good 30 miles away, and prices for tack and rugs are astronomical. If i need something desperately, i'll pay, but if it can wait i'd rather use the internet to get the same products for a cheaper price.

For example, i recently needed to buy electric fencing for my new paddocks. Cheapest starter kit on ebay was £135 with free delivery (for that you got an eddie palin energiser that ran off either Dcell batteries or a 12v car battery, 200m of 40mm thick tape, 20 fenceposts, one sign, a volt tester, 2 gate handles and hooks and 10 screw in tape holders)

starter kit from local tack shop £150 (cheapie energiser only running off non-rechargeable D batts, 100m of 10mm thick tape and 10 posts), didnt even have in stock so would have to wait 4 days for delivery.

or when priced out seperately for what i could get on ebay, £230 WITH 5% discount .

I chose ebay, package arrived IN 24HOURS and i am chuffed to bits with it. If i had all the money in the world, I would spend it in my local tack shop; the staff are lovely, helpful and knowledgeable, and i love looking at the noticeboard. I get all my feed and supplements from there, but in this economical climate (and with me expecting a baby in 7 weeks) i can't afford to spend more money when i can get something of the same quality for less online.
 
Went to the Wrightington store today. They say they are staying open but some of the smaller branches are closing.

They had less in stock than I had hoped and had rearranged their furniture so you couldn't see half the stuff they did have in stock. Very strange, especially in this current business climate . . . :confused:
 
The last time I tried to buy anything from the shop I was very dissapointed in their customer service. They were selling a pair of Caldene jods, with buttons missing from the elastic under the foot, when I pointed this out, along with the loose button there was, they simply offered to sew them back on! Showed me what they were going to use, non matching buttons :eek:/ Now I know they weren't visible, but they were selling second quality stock at full price. Just not good enough in my opinion.
 
A well photographed and slicky put together catalogue but . .
there own brands are overpriced and in my experience a pair of boots i ordered were poor quality and nearly the same price as branded !! they were sent back and in thier defence i was refunded quickly !

the KP stuff well naff !!! velour !!!!!
and as for the incredibly tacky rugs eeeerrr no thank you.
its a shame really as there isn't the choice there used to be in the cheap to mid range pricing.
Robinson's shop-- one of thier assistants once told me to always keep receipt as they get a lot of returned items !!
i ask why don't you find out why and make some changes.
I would suggest its poor quality that doesn't last usually but great for lotions and potions ( cant have it all ways i suppose)
 
The Dundonald store is near me and although they aren't as good as they used to be, I don't want them to go :(

There's no other decent (or ridiculously overpriced) tack shop around!
 
Katie Price on the cover of the catalogue turned me off DH. Posing like page three girl on a catalogue that kids could look at....... Gave the impression of DH being tacky and 'cheap'.

I can't see that KP is soley responsible for the downturn of DH's fortunes, but she sure as hell didn't help either.
 
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