Is Yard-O-Led Going Out Of Business?

[kazoolaw]

Your dull is my classic.

 

gary

[jar]

 

Cudgel, you're talking Delta DV OS.

 

Personally, the YOL Grand Barley is my sterling of choice.

 

gary

A false dichotomy.

 

The proper response should be "Do I get the Barley or Victorian first?"

[Gump]

FWIW I had a pleasant conversation with a Filofax representative last week, but she referred my inquiry to YOL directly. I never received a reply to my previous emails to Filofax.

[twdpens]

 

I would not be surprised if YoL was on the way out. They haven't launched anything new recently and the product line up is pretty dull - same old, same old. . New ownership often means preparation for going into administration once all the assets have been stripped and sold off - look at Conway Stewart.

I think the absence of any new product ranges was mostly down to lack of investment on the part of its old parent company. I couldn't find much on-line about the new ownership of Yard-O-Led but I did turn up this paragraph (and it is only a paragraph) in a regional magazine:

http://issuu.com/rockhoppermedia/docs/january_2016__issue_40_/10

 

FTR, Conway Stewart didn't change ownership immediately prior to going into administration and its major shareholder didn't asset strip. The reason Conway Stewart went bust is they spread themselves too thin and had very inefficient manufacturing, therefore didn't make any profit. In the end the owner just pulled the plug as he wanted to retire.

 

HTH,

 

Martin

[Postscript]

 

I would not be surprised if YoL was on the way out. They haven't launched anything new recently and the product line up is pretty dull - same old, same old. . New ownership often means preparation for going into administration once all the assets have been stripped and sold off - look at Conway Stewart.

There is an indiscernible line between "dull" and "classic or traditional."

 

Post Script

[WilsonCQB1911]

 

I would not be surprised if YoL was on the way out. They haven't launched anything new recently and the product line up is pretty dull - same old, same old. . New ownership often means preparation for going into administration once all the assets have been stripped and sold off - look at Conway Stewart.

I'm with you on that. Also, sterling silver fountain pens and really old design mechanical

Pencils have to be a niche within a niche. The demand may not be there to keep them going.

[jar]

I'm with you on that. Also, sterling silver fountain pens and really old design mechanical

Pencils have to be a niche within a niche. The demand may not be there to keep them going.

 

I'm not too sure Sterling silver fountain pens are that small of a niche. After all, Sheaffer, Parker, Waterman, Ferrari da Varese, Aurora, Montegrappa, Grifos, Onoto, Conway Stewart, Montblanc, Pelikan, Cross, Pilot/Namaki, Sailor, Platinum as well as some I've likely forgotten offer Sterling silver pens.

[da vinci]

 

On visiting the London pen show, I was surprised to see one of the artisans hand-stamping a similar pen. A quick chat and I discovered that each employee uses a slightly different and unique pattern on their pens.

 

"Oh yeah, that'll be one of John's," he said when when i pulled mine out (forgive me, but I think that was his name). He proceeded to talk me through the signature pattern, and demonstrate the difference between their styles.

 

Needless to say, I am a big fan of the company, and wish it all the best for the future.

Wish I had paid more attention to the YoL stand when I was at the show. That is an interesting fact about the creation of these pens (I have and love the Grand a Retro).

 

Do YoL make their own nibs?

[WilsonCQB1911]

 

I'm not too sure Sterling silver fountain pens are that small of a niche. After all, Sheaffer, Parker, Waterman, Ferrari da Varese, Aurora, Montegrappa, Grifos, Onoto, Conway Stewart, Montblanc, Pelikan, Cross, Pilot/Namaki, Sailor, Platinum as well as some I've likely forgotten offer Sterling silver pens.

I certainly hope that I am wrong in my speculation.

[FriendAmos]

^{The website, if it is http://www.yard-o-led.co.uk/ , is very ... "interesting"? For example, there are photos of products, but with no additional information on any, other than that it is made of silver. There is a link, at the top, labelled "Workshop" that leads to ... ? And so on.}

 

^{Hardly the sort of thing that will lure customers and lead to roaring business. With such "effort", I see them in bankruptcy court quite soon.}

Edited January 25, 2016 by FriendAmos

[jar]

Wish I had paid more attention to the YoL stand when I was at the show. That is an interesting fact about the creation of these pens (I have and love the Grand a Retro).

 

Do YoL make their own nibs?

I really doubt it, that would simply be uneconomical at the scale of YoL pens.

[jar]

^{The website, if it is http://www.yard-o-led.co.uk/ , is very ... "interesting"? For example, there are photos of products, but with no additional information on any, other than that it is made of silver. There is a link, at the top, labelled "Workshop" that leads to ... ? And so on.}

 

^{Hardly the sort of thing that will lure customers and lead to roaring business. With such "effort", I see them in bankruptcy court quite soon.}

Website works jess fine from here.

[Tancred]

I think the absence of any new product ranges was mostly down to lack of investment on the part of its old parent company. I couldn't find much on-line about the new ownership of Yard-O-Led but I did turn up this paragraph (and it is only a paragraph) in a regional magazine:

http://issuu.com/rockhoppermedia/docs/january_2016__issue_40_/10

 

FTR, Conway Stewart didn't change ownership immediately prior to going into administration and its major shareholder didn't asset strip. The reason Conway Stewart went bust is they spread themselves too thin and had very inefficient manufacturing, therefore didn't make any profit. In the end the owner just pulled the plug as he wanted to retire.

 

HTH,

 

Martin

 

Thanks for correcting me. Anyway, changes have already happened to YoL - the Astoria and Retro models have been jettisoned and the product line has been narrowed down to the most expensive pens, whose prices have also increased quite a bit, despite very low UK inflation.

 

Conway Stewart could have been saved but the owner couldn't give a monkey's about the brand and whenever that happens the business is bound to fail.

[FriendAmos]

Website works jess fine from here.

 

Really? Interesting. What information do you get when you click on, say. "THE VICEROY GRAND COLLECTION" and then click on a fountain-pen image?

Edited January 26, 2016 by FriendAmos

[jar]

 

Really? Interesting. What information do you get when you click on, say. "THE VICEROY GRAND COLLECTION" and then click on a fountain-pen image?

The expected pictures only.

 

Give them time. This is a new site and still evolving. Drop them a polite note asking for the boring details like lengths, weights, filling systems and such.

[richardandtracy]

The site is like every other manufacturer's website - a triumph of style & flashy graphics over useful content. The YOL website is no worse, and in some ways better, than that of Parker.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[twdpens]

the Astoria and Retro models have been jettisoned and the product line has been narrowed down to the most expensive pens, whose prices have also increased quite a bit, despite very low UK inflation.

The Astoria was actually discontinued some years ago. The Retro has recently been dropped from the catalogue (although there are still some pens out there for sale) because it is not a sold-silver pen. As I wrote upthread, the new owners are concentrating on (current) models that are wholly produced in their own factory in Birmingham. Prices have also increased for the first time in about 5 years.

 

 

Conway Stewart could have been saved but the owner couldn't give a monkey's about the brand and whenever that happens the business is bound to fail.

Sadly that seems to have been the case.

 

HTH,

 

Martin

[FriendAmos]

The expected pictures only.

 

Give them time. This is a new site and still evolving. Drop them a polite note asking for the boring details like lengths, weights, filling systems and such.

 

The pictures only? That was my point, so what's with the "Website works jess fine from here.? Yes, those boring details are helpful things that pen users care about; a picture alone is sometimes less than 1000 words.

[FriendAmos]

The site is like every other manufacturer's website - a triumph of style & flashy graphics over useful content.

 

Every other manufacturer? I can easily think of many manufacturer that go well beyond that. For example, Pelikan gives

 

* "Product description", such as http://www.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_US.FWI.displayShop.93680./souveraen-black-green

 

"Facts and figures", such as http://www.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_US.FWI.displayShop.93680./souveraen-black-green

[richardandtracy]

Just as I can think of a number who don't: MB for one. Onoto is better but not great. Parker is utterly content free. Pelikan is, to my experience, unusual.

Even the Chinese manufacturer's are trying to produce stylish, content free, web sites (eg Kaigelu), and I'm sure as time goes on the situation will get worse.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.