MK Racing
 

does anyone know how to get in contact with MK racing , their phones off line , the shop is empty and the sites off line !!! and before you delete this thread , its just a question and not suggesting anything !!

Lol! It would be nice to allow/have an official response posted, instead of 'rumours' continuing to circulate

Also noticed the MK racing forum section has been removed... So perhaps Jimmy can shed some light on this

Seems to have been confirmed on MB for a few days now.

It is a shame, always liked MK.

:(

How long has this been going on??
EDIT- Well,from another source (another forum) it seems MK has folded,bloody shame,always found Marc a top guy to deal with on the phone,no part was too small for him to order in
Sad to remove MK from my favourites list.

Gutted!!!!

Was the best shop in the UK,

Wish Marc and his family the best!!!

I echo that

I'm not trying to start rumours. I've ordered from MK many times over the years and just wondered if there was any news.

It's a shame to loose another shop.

This is a real shame! Helped me out with my new centro and spares, what a shame!:thumbdown:

Whilst I hope that this isn't absolutely true and we will see Marc as a retailer again sometime soon & knowing absolutely nothing regarding what has/is/will happen to MK Racing I feel I do need to take a moment to mention a (potentially relevant) little home truth that continues to eat at me;

If people keep trying to save themselves a few pence by buying abroad for the big purchases and only use a UK shop for the occassional emergency item / trackside purchase they WILL eventually disappear.
As much as we all think (know) we have one of the greatest hobbies out there specialist model shops, be they racing suppliers, aircraft specialists or whatever have a VERY limited customer base compared to most other retail sectors we stumble across in day to day life.
This means that if we want them available (and as many support / provide race events / clubs it's more of a NEED than WANT IMHO) we all need to support them. 10 pairs of tires bought trackside by people who forgot to order them from their 'usual supplier' won't support any buisness, no matter how well it is managed.

In my immediate memory I can recall several of my favourite suppliers lossing the battle to internet / overseas sales which, at least slightly, contributed to them closing their doors for the last time. Such great names as;

DC Racing
RacePlace
MicroTech

and now "potentially" MK Racing.

Please guys, think about the bigger picture and the long game.

A I say I hope it's not the end of Mr Knight in the RC retail industry, he is always friendly and helpful. In fact I hope this is a misunderstanding and Marc will be along any moment ... hopefully.

Good words and agree with everythnig you say, but perhaps there is a bigger picture emerging here?. Two fold:

Without any disrespect to people who may fall into these catagories but you have people selling equipment now over the internet and trackside who do not have a 'proper model shop'. These suppliers have no overheads over than their household bills thus can charge less, the majority of people will go to who charges the least.

Distributors in this country selling direct. I know you can buy direct from Schumacher if you wish too..... how long before the margins get so tight the other distributors will sell direct as well totally forclosing the 'model shop'.

Food for thought, as always there is evolution but you do have to wonder where the hobbies help and guidence, local shops and advice... will be in 5 years time for the new starter...

Yes the r/c retail industry is becoming more web based, however there are a number of distributors who will not deal with web only based companies CML, Horizon, to name a couple.

Those companies that are willing to deal with web based companies, one company charges an additional 5% for products, another company the margin is so tight that on a high end kit, by the time you pay the payment fees, and postage the actual profit is less than £5.00.

The web based shops including myself are not really able to offer any substantial discount over a bricks and motar shop. The margins are just not there.

As you know Matty, wasn't having a pop at you, it was just a general comment about the hobby on where it is.

I am aware of the margins in the sector and they are very small indeed and not what 'Joe Public' thinks they are. It's all about turnover and when that drops it's not good.

How long before all the distributors go direct, or maybe even the manufacturers sell direct and just have warehouses in the UK?

How does it work with say Associated in the USA?

Mk racing's ebay shop is still live.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/M-K-Models

That's MK Models which is down south in Weymouth, not M-K Racing.

Think they mean MK Racing not MK Models...

The ebay shop link posted is not that of M-K Racing as per this thread, its another shop in the UK called MK Models which is down Weymouth. And i know they are very much in buisness.

Marc is one of the most helpful guys I have come across in my short time involved with this sport/hobby so if this is true then it is a terrible shame!

I never met him in person, but when Moto Arena went to the wall with my warranty goods locked inside Marc took it upon himself to contact me and also contacted Answer RC to help me out. He also advised me of the drift meeting that happened behind closed doors at Moto Arena several months later which led directly to me driving over there and getting into the building to retrieve my warranty items so I could send them back to Answer direct. Without Marc's help it is quite likely that none of this would have happened and I would just have ended up on a long list of creditors I imagine.

What a shame Bloody nice bloke it seems to happen to the nicest people and never the a holes that are out there.
I'm sure Marc will be ok.

Best wishes to Marc and his family. :(