laureatedvd.com

[msm]

ken -

what are you doing to ensure stocks are in delivered to shops and on line stores in time for depatch to waiting customers for xmas....


or should we resign ourselves to non delivery?

hope they come soon

[msm]

Ken

I notice that marx Bros has now shipped.

Can you advise when Fred and Ginger Box set will ship.

Still unsure of whole distribution process but get the impression Laureate is involved in more than producing just a master which is shipped back to Universal for mass production.

Anyway any info you can provide on Fred and Ginger delivery to resellers will be greatly appreciated as it a Xmas present

Rgds

[msm]

Ken

Thanks for all your personal replies - it is impressive to see the CEO himself take such interest in resolving a customers issues.

Just so that we are not mailing an innocent party can you clarify if -

Laureate produces a master and then returns to UNIVERSAL for distribution
or
Laureate produces everything for distribution to retailer

If its the former do you have an email of who we can contact rather than physical address.
If its the latter what is being done by Laureate to resolve distribution issues before Xmas and not leave customers with no product.

Thanks again for you timely responses and personal replies.

Rgds

[Ken Barnes]

Dear msm,

We at Laureate are just the producers of these box sets.
Universal are the distributors. I have been informed that demand for the box sets was greater than anticipated. New stocks were quickly ordered and should be delivered within the next few days.

You are not the only one enquiring after the FRED & GINGER set. In the last week we have received over 300 e-mails.

For full info, I suggest you contact

Karen Charalambous
Universal Pictures(UK)Limited
PO Box 1420
1 Sussex Place
Hammersmith
London W6 9XS

Thanks for your interest

Ken

[t98]

Agreed. HMV site stated "In Stock", until a colleague of mine ordered. Then it went to "should ship in 3 days". Now he is told that the supplier is out of stock. This applies to both Marx and Holiday Inn.

I have noticed MASS advertising of these titles in various publications, presumably anticipatng the Xmas market. Now it looks like there will be many disappointed customers who certainly won't attempt to buy similar products in future.

Have you significantly underestimated demand?

[Ken Barnes]

Dear t98,

Thanks for your note. Please go to my answer marked deliveries.

Ken

[Ken Barnes]

Laureate were engaged to produce the current batch of boxed sets for Universal. We are not connected with Universal in the corporate sense.

All matters pertaining to manufacture and distribution are the province of Universal. If you want to e-mail someone, I can only refer you to the head of the department that employed me:- steve.beecham@unistudios.com

Thanks for your interest

Ken

[R.Falks]

Dear Ken Barnes,

I bought the Fred and Ginger collection as soon as it was released. I've been trying for the last two weeks to get another set as a Christmas present for friends of mine.
I've tried various major stores and it's just not available.

Even Amazon - where it popped up in their top 100 sellers - say it's too late to order it for Christmas.
Have Universal underestimated its popularity and under-produced the set ?

Ray Falks

[Ken Barnes]

Dear Ray Falks,

Yes, I do believe that Universal underestimated the appeal of Fred and Ginger. But this is a common problem in many video companies because they are not as close to the classic movie audiences as they should be.

I too am waiting to receive my copies of this box set and it's a question now of how quickly they can turn the new copies around.

Hopefully, this will not happen again in the future.

Thanks for your comments and I do hope you get your set before Christmas.

All the best
Ken

[P.Furness]

Probably the biggest problem in regard to clasic movies on DVD is the lack of knowledge and appreciation within the companies who won these wonderful films. And this,in itself, may well be due to the fact that the DVD market in general is growing at such a fast rate. Too fast for these companies to appreciate.

The people at Laureate are doing a great job in presenting these films the way that film buffs want to see them. This is an art in itself and Universal are to be congratulated for having the wisdom to employ people like Ken Barnes.

The recent query as to whether audio commentaries and extras are important was answered by many people in the affirmative. As a film buff myself, I think it's essential to have extras to give the DVD the kind of value
it was made for.

This problem of distribution general comes about because of a lack of co-ordination between marketing and sales. It often happens with products that are TV-advertised only to find that the stores have not got them in stock or have even been advised of their existence.

The answer then is in co-ordination. An expert in the right place is one thing but a good marketing team headed by knowledgeable executives is another. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

To end on an optimistic note, I do think the DVD market is improving and will continue to improve as long as executives learn from their mistakes.

[Paul Seiler]

I couldn't agree more with P. Furness. The market for Classic Movies is far bigger than many video companies realise - and it certainly is in need experts who know
what they're doing. Happily, I think the market is improving and I hope more companies follow the lead established by Laureate and Universal.