Mini retail empire Micro Anvika implodes, one shop to be shopped

The administrator of Micro Anvika is continuing to trade the operation out of two stores on London's Tottenham Court Road - one of which will close within weeks - as it mulls over offers for the remnants of the retailer. Back in late September, management at the veteran retailer called in business advisory service and …

[Z80]

Fenwick branch near Newcastle Upon Tyne

That'd be the concession in the Fewnick department store in the centre of Newcastle?

[Anonymous Coward]

"retained a skeletal staff"

No wages, no food, I suppose?

Try skeleton staff. The fewer people they employ, the less they need to have them suffering from malnutrition.

[Anonymous Coward]

So Far

Another victim of the 2012 consumer bonanza we were promised

[Tom 38]

Competition rules

Yoyotech is a far better store on TCR, better prices, better service, don't try to sell you last years kit at this years prices and you can order online and pick up for web prices on TCR.

[Kay Burley ate my hamster]

Overpriced Apple dealers

I'm surprised they lasted this long.

[BigAndos]

Re: Overpriced Apple dealers

Yeah, the only times I've been there I've been confronted by a narrow range at poor prices. In fact most of the shops on TCR have the same problem, occasionally you can pick up a good deal on an old model of something but even that is rare.

[Ivan Headache]

Sad to see them go

I bought my very first printer (a Citizen LSP-10 dot-matrix*) and a Centronix interface adaptor for my QL in a little shop up near where Boots is now. I think I was served by one of the 2 founders too.

*Cost me about £180 IIRC. How much is a colour laser now?

[David Paul Morgan]

a shame but...

... The way people shop is different now.

I think I bought my Asus 1050 net book on TCR, but the shop next door!

Isn't it time the manufacturers let people use the kit and let the shop be a shop-window only, not necessarily a retail outlet? Dare I say it, the Apple model.

[David Hicks]

Ah TCR tech shops...

In the early 90s they were the place you could find new things. But by the late 90s and early 2000's you'd only bother if you needed something right now and didn't mind paying double the online price.

If you could wait 24 hours then why would you bother? You could never get the selection you could find at an online retailer, and the prices were huge. End of an era?

[Dan Howarth]

"Oh, what a pity..."

... said no-one outside central London, ever.

Also, their Twitter account (@microanvika) says under other information "UK's Leading Technology Retailer".

Really? Maybe "Tottenham Court Road's Leading Technology Retailer".

[The Godfather]

Call it a day..

Ramesh and Atul are doing the right thing in 'tipping their hats' and walking away. The Micro Anvika model (and they did lead the field for years), started to suffer badly back in 2007 and got worse. Sad in a way but another symptom of the relentless march of technology and its commerce.

[Kingfisher19]

Customers and Management

I worked for MA for almost 12 years and I experienced the 'golden years' and then the slow decay toward internet buying. The company - unfortunately - basked in the glory days with uninformed (appreciative) customers needing our expertise (which he had) and margins that were huge - MA jumped on the Internet bandwagon way too late.. Customers became better informed, more aggressive with price matching and less needful of our service and knowledge. When I left Tottenham Court Rd (4 years ago) it was little better then a show room / meat market. Customers who were obviously buying elsewhere would still spend half and hour milking us for our expertise even saying up front that they'd ordered one on Amazon and just wanted to know more about the product.. That, of course, is business and fair enough but... Customers will soon HAVE to buy everything online as there will be few or no High St tech retailers left and - those that survive - will pay minimum wages and have the expertise levels of a chimp farm. The constant drive for better prices regardless of a retailer needing to make some profit will come home to roost and if people are happy with that.. Good luck..Everyone seems to feel sorry for the founders of the this company. At it's peak MA hired 250 motivated staff many of who had high levels of expertise. They have all lost their jobs while the owners are millionaires - spare a thought when you're next online shopping will you?