TP have announced that they have now published the new brochure or catalogue for 2011.
Pride of Place in it goes to the TP Genius Trampolines, the new 2011 trampolines that will eventually replace the Sovereign Range.
They feature some fancy new Trampoline enclosures, and a new look for a TP Trampoline.
Also featured heavily are the TP Spirohop and the Forest Pirate Boat, but downgraded and due to be discontinued is the TP Balloppa product.
The Plum recall and the way it is handled by Argos continues to be very controversial.
A new Facebook group has been started:
Plum product playcentre – Argos ripped me off!
With 62 members, a flavour of the messages on there are:
Frank Dean Same thing happened to me today when Argos offered me £116 if I dismantled it for them! Product was sold with 12 year warranty but how can you stain/protect wood if plastic coated? Not just rungs which are plastic coated but main support joints too so all structure is probably unsafe. How can Argos recall a product they’ve sold which is unsafe and then refuse to supply a replacement or refund the purchase cost? Also wonder how many children have been injured by this dangerous/defective equipment.Have read all reports & reported to Watchdog.
It’s the Spring, so retailers and manufacturers are launching their new activity ready for the season just about to start.
One such development is a new specialist web site for Schools, www.schoolclimbingframes.co.uk . Obviously, it’s a site especially for Schools, and tells them everything they need to know about buying a climbing frame for the school.
The products on the site are targeted at the smaller school, or more accurately the smaller spending school. Since some schools can access local authority money to put in giant sized Play Grounds costing a hundred thousand or so, this site is for schools who want to spend anything from £1500 upwards.
A spokesman for the site said, ‘The most popular climbing frames we install ins schools cost around £4000, so we created this site to make it easy for schools to see what the could get for that kind of money and of course make it easy to buy too.’
Good Luck.
The Plum Products recall continues to be very controversial. Due to the very high number of consumers who are affected by the recall, it has created a lot of activity on the telephone and the web, with Forums dedicated to the issue showing just how many disgruntled people there are out there.
Although, clearly the companies have done everything the need to according to the law, consumers feel that since the products had long manufacturer guarantees, then they should be getting a better deal.
The pressure groups have now created a facebook group and are pressing for some of the consumer help TV programs to get involved and bring more pressure on the companies.
Since the companies have done everything within the rules and the law, we feel there is nothing more they will get.
There is a growing dissatisfaction and row about the Plum Products recall of climbing frames sold between 2004 and 2008.
We have been told that the number of climbing frames affected by the recall could run in to tens of thousands.
Plum have a detailed report of how they are handling the recall on their website, but the growing row is to do with Argos and their Plum Products Climbing Frames.
See: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2139583&page=3
and http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=30241115
Consumers are not happy with the compensation being offered, and are talking about going to the BBC Watchdog program for help.
The row is also now involving Selwood Products Ltd according to the forums on Money Saving Expert.
The problems are caused by the swing arms which were made of ‘Durawood’ a kind of pulp covered in plastic, a cheaper alternative to real wood, which is now rotting.
Quite a row it seems, and one that will rumble on.
A new website has been developed selling Pub Climbing Frames.
A really interesting section on the website is about why pubs should not just install a residential climbing frame. it gives good advice and explains that they are often asked to supply residential style units in to a pub enviroment.
The reasons why pubs would want one is obvious, it’s the cost. Residential climbing Frames are around 50% cheaper than the commercial ones.
But this website explains why its a bad idea. The summary of the reasons why are:
1. Residential climbing Frames are not designed to pass the BS EN1176 regulations on climbing frames that a commercial enviroment are meant to have. This includes regulations on the type of slide, the type and position of swings, and the style of fixings. thats why a real Pub Climbing Frame has a very substantial steel slide, covered in plastic rather than just a plastic one like you would have at home.
2. If your pub climbing frame does not meet BSEN1176 then your public liability would probably be invalid. that obviously a tricky situation to defend.#
3. Residential Units would carry no warranty if put in to a commercial enviroment, so there is no comeback if anything should go wrong
They are the reasons why you should not use a home climbing frame, but many pubs still do, and the reason is cost, and the experts at Pub Climbing Frames.co.uk reckon they have cracked that too, with a small but interesting range of cost effective units designed especially for pubs. They can start at around £2k, and for under £5k you can get a superb model.
See: http://www.pubclimbingframes.co.uk/pubs-residential-units/
First off the block with the new, online Design Your Own Climbing Frame application from Action are Madfun.
The software application that allows users to mix and match all of the climbing frame modules has been installed and works brilliantly. See it for yourself at :
scan down the page and start making up your very own deign. Go mad with as many towers and connectors as possible, and see what you end up with. It’s pretty addictive, and is totally unique in the climbing frame business.
More information on Action Climbing Frames, can be found at http://www.actionclimbingframes.com/
Advance news of a launch coming in the next few weeks. Action Climbing Frames have been working on an on-line version of their Action 3D programme that allows customers to design their own climbing frames.
they can drag and drop all day until they have the exact layout and price point they want, save it, and order it. All on-line.
complete modularity, complete flexibility and service. A massive change in the structure of the climbing frame business. No-one has ever done this before and we can not wait to see it in full action, but for a sneak preview you can see the development project here at http://www.actionclimbingframes.com/Design%20Your%20Own.html
It works really easily, and we understand will be available on the websites of all the Action 5 Star stockists before the season starts in March.
It could totally transform how Climbing Frames are bought and sold, and we understand the development of the software has cost Action over £150,000. Big spend, for a big project. We will play with it for a while and report back on some of the climbing frame designs we manage to make.
The Houtland range of Climbing Frames, sold in the UK by Super tramp will be discontinued for Spring 2010 by Supertramp. Having dramatically cut back on sales through the trade last year, the company has now decided that it will stop selling the climbing frame range altogether, and focus on their trampoline sales.
Always known best for its superb Trampoline Range, in the last ten years or so, the company did develop a huge range of outdoor play products to supply to the trade, including the Houtland Climbing frame range, and Table Tennis tables, and Sledges. Since their decision to cut back on supplying the trade and focus on direct sales to the consumer, it was inevitable that the climbing frame range would go. Its a shame because we really like the quirky nature of the some of the classic wooden climbing frames.
Their Sledges, Trampolines and Table Tennis Tables are still available for sale.
It does give some opportunities for other Climbing Frame brands, since the Houtland Multi-tower is a superb products and one of the very sellers in the UK climbing Frame market. Alternatives such as the Action Mult-tower will be increasing production.
We understand that someone will be taking on the distributorship of the Houtland Range, but may not be supplying to retailers.
TP Whacky Wigwam
TP Pow Wow
Two climbing frame products, the TP Whacky Wigwam, and the TP Pow Wow which have been exclusive to Tesco this year, will be available in Independent stores and their Centres of Excellence for next summer.
Clearly TP are using Tesco are a proving ground for new products, using exclusivity to guarantee listings and then launching the best-selling products to a wider customer base the next season.
The Whacky Wigwam is a great looking product, and at around £300 should be a big success. It has lots of little features, and looks a real quality product. We will not get to see it in real life until January, but from January it will available from all the major stockists.
The TP Pow Wow is also a potential winner. Compact enough for most town gardens, it provides plenty of play value. At £400, it is a similar price to an entry level climbing frame, but its a new looking product. No swings, slides, or hanging play, but dens, climbing and plenty of fun.
TP Pow Wow is an exciting themed playhouse, a step up from the boring ‘shed’ playhouse, that, in our opinion will also sell well next spring.
Well done TP, some excellent ’new’ products, even if they aren’t that new. I suppose at least you could say they are ‘tried and tested’, and therefore should be guaranteed winners.
Using Tesco as a test bed is an interesting development and one that the major toy manufacturers and grocery companies have used to the full in the past. We will keep you up to date with the progress of the new products.
