Just received this in my inbox, it's been on the cards for a while with dwindling attendances. Looks like I'll be out tonight looking for a new venue for Mansfield Wargames Club.
Hi there
I'm sorry to have to say this, but Maunsfeld Gaming is now closed for the foreseeable future, including tonight.
Maunsfeld Gaming is going into liquidation shortly; the company is not insolvent - there's enough assets to cover any debts - but the longer it carries on, the more debts will accumulate and it will achieve critical mass at some point. With the attendance falling, organisers cancelling events, terrain being stolen, staff leaving, not being able to stock Games Workshop products in the store and the quite breathtaking and totally unjustified vitriol on the internet from some quarters, it seems the venue is no longer wanted by most.
I know this is a major disappointment for those of you that still attend but I have no alternative but to call an end to it.
Someone may take the assets over and start it up again as a new business, or perhaps one of you wishes to do so, or maybe a consortium of you; if that is the case, please speak to the Insolvency Practitioner involved - Chris Brown of Hart Shaw at chris.brown@hartshaw.co.uk - and you can discuss that with him.
Note that I've been trying to sell it - even give it away - since January, as I realised fairly quickly that the venue was going nowhere with me in charge, but nobody's particularly bothered about taking it on and I'm just throwing money away by keeping it going.
I hope you all understand why this has happened and that it's not what I or our staff wanted. I wanted to sell the company, perhaps even the assets alone, so that someone can keep it going, but nobody seems to want to take it on, so that's that.
May I take this opportunity to thank all of you that have attended the club nights at the mill over the past few years; you have been superb and I hope you have all enjoyed the facilities we put so much effort and time (and money) in to provide.
Thank you.
Pre-Paid Attendance
If any of you believe you are owed monies for the pre-payment of club night attendance, please reply to this message and you will be refunded in due course.
Cheers
Rob Lane
Managing Director
Maunsfeld Gaming Ltd
Wow - I thought that play - with some beefing up of the actual storefront, was the coolest gaming site I'd ever been too. Here, anything holding that many tables is just rented space for a con or day event. The built in pub and dining area was also something special. I suppose Pat and I will cherish our memories of the WAB GT held there even more. Best, Dean
ReplyDeleteP.S. I think I'm going to get into WHFB - at least start on an Empire army. Pat will be my guide into this strange arena.
Cheers Dean, it was indeed a splendid venue, especially before the shop started getting into trouble and was well stocked rather than the flea-market that you saw.
DeleteGood luck with Warhammer Fantasy I saw the Empire troops you had purchased on your blog. I've not played for a good six or seven years, but my Wood Elves and Orcs & Goblins are still in their cases at the back of the garage.
So does that mean the Online website company is now defunct and that our outstanding long promised orders that were to be fulfilled from Maelstroms closure, are now just smoke wafting in the breeze???
ReplyDeleteI would not know. I suggest that you contact Maunsfield. I only relayed the message that I received in my inbox.
DeleteHmmm... trouble is with their website defunk I don't have a contact for them...
DeleteSeems I'm stuffed now... shame really as I foolishly(?) believed their promises they would honour my past orders... whenever I queried things with them I got "yes we'll be sending them out shortly..."
I even had Ian from 'The Blog with no Name' pop in and see what was going on... to be told by Ian the store seemed to have stock, but they were sending out outstanding orders in dribs and drabs as they could 'afford' to... Whenever I checked their website online it showed zero stock for everything...
Damned annoying... no wonder they copped so much flak and bad feeling, I'm out over a 100 quid... and it is way beyond the time for being able to claim back against my credit card... !
When they started arseing me about the first time back in October I did a charge back on my debit card, it was less than £25.00 but better than not having the figures or the cash.
DeleteIn better news, Mansfield Wargames Club found a new venue last night and will now hold their meetings on a Wednesday evening from 17th April.
ReplyDeleteClub members should have had an email from me with more information, I'm not making the details public yet as:
1/ We can only fit about eight to ten tables in there and cannot cope with the over spill from non-club members that met at Maelstrom/Maunsfield.
2/ We want the club members to see the place first and give their approval on the venue.
I really wish this could have worked as it was a fantastic idea and a lot of hard work went into it. But I feel that Mr Lane is being somewhat disingenuous in saying what he felt the causes were in its failure.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the G.W and Battlefront incidents didn't help and did a lot of damage but they left for a reason as were people cancelling events. The way the business was run in the last year or so left a bad taste in many peoples mouths and a lot of the good will built up was taken for granted somewhat. Hope it can rise again in some form but I think the Mill as a gaming center is now something for the history books.