HobbyTown USA And AMain Hobbies Pardner Up

Now here is some big industry news, HobbyTown USA has just announced a partnership with AMain Hobbies. Read the press release below to get the full scoop, but to boil it down, AMain will be handling Hobbytown’s on-line merchandising, while HobbyTown USA will be licensing the AMain name to retail stores. This should be good news for brick & mortar hobby shops and we looking forward to seeing how this collaboration ends up helping the hobby.

“Chico, CA, April 22, 2016: Hobbytown Unlimited, Inc., the franchisor of
the largest chain of independently owned and operated retail hobby stores
in the US is partnering with AMain Performance Hobbies to manage and
execute hobbytown.com online merchandising, sales and ecommerce
fulfillment. AMain Performance Hobbies, an industry leader in online hobby
retailing will utilize the amainhobbies.com platform to host and manage
the hobbytown.com website.

In addition to online collaboration, HobbyTown will license the AMain
brand to franchise brick & mortar retail stores and racing facilities.
AMain franchise stores and racing facilities will operate with the full
support of the HobbyTown franchise including the exclusive SMART POS and
inventory management system, financial, operational and marketing services
and access to exclusive BuyersClub product distribution including
proprietary products developed by Firelands Group. Radio control products
will be the focal point of the AMain retail store merchandising mix,
promotions and racing activities.

The successful HobbyTown cobranding or conversion model introduced in 2012
that blends well established independent retailer brands with the added
value, services and support provided by the HobbyTown franchise will be
extended strategically to qualified independents under the licensed AMain
brand.

HobbyTown President Bob Wilke credits the alignment of core values,
mission and vision shared between the organizations as the key motivation
to pursue the joint effort to grow and expand brick & mortar hobby
retailing together. “The alignment between HobbyTown and AMain extends
beyond shared values and the opportunity to gain synergy from the focus on
core competencies, we are on the same page with the belief that the future
growth of the hobby industry is dependent upon increasing the
profitability and viability of the brick and mortar retailers. If the
hobby industry focuses on increasing retailer profitability, the result
will be an expanded physical footprint of stores to showcase and promote
the hobby industry. When that happens, the profits will follow all the way
through the industry supply chain.”

AMain Co-Founder and CEO Kendall Bennett truly believes that the brick and
mortar hobby stores are vital to our industry. “As an avid hobbyist and
owner of two brick and mortar retail stores, we have learned a great deal
about the hobby consumer over the last 10 years. Brick and mortar stores
provide a critical entry point for new hobby enthusiasts, while online
retail caters to hobbyists in need of a wider selection of unique and hard
to find products. Over the past several years, it has become increasingly
clear that the relationship between online retail and brick and mortar
must become better aligned to serve the hobby customer and to increase the
overall health of the hobby industry. A partnership between HobbyTown and
AMain provides an amazing opportunity to accomplish these goals.”

HobbyTown is promoting the 2016 HobbyTown National Convention theme
“Retailers First” as a rallying point to create awareness in the industry
of the need to focus on increasing the viability of hobby retailers for
the greater good of the industry. #retailersfirst

About AMain Performance Hobbies. AMain Performance Hobbies is a leading
online retailer of radio-controlled vehicles. Founded in early 2004, AMain
Performance Hobbies has rapidly become one of the largest online hobby
retailers in the world. AMain Performance Hobbies prides itself on having
the products customers need, when they need them, and providing
first-class customer service and product support. AMain.com, Inc. is a
privately held California Corporation.

About HobbyTown. HobbyTown is the largest brick & mortar retail hobby
franchise in the industry with 160 stores open or under development with
locations in 42 states. Founded in 1980, HobbyTown began franchising in
1985 and continues to evolve and innovate the hobby retail environment and
operations to live out their mission “we help hobby retailers grow”.
Hobbytown Unlimited, Inc. is a privately held Nebraska Corporation.”

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