However, you have to understand that 'traditionally' Filofax have always announced their new range in the following order.
- New non-leather and new colours in existing leather ranges in the Spring,
- In the Summer to Autumn period they launch the new leather ranges.
The phasing of the launches in this way is mainly to target the different organisers at different markets, as well as levelling out the logistics of getting thousands of new organisers in to the distribution chain here in UK and abroad as well.
As you might have already seen the 'Back to School' compact organiser has arrived on the website. So hopefully others will start to follow soon after press releases are seen here on Philofaxy.
I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE STATEMENT "Nothing has been discontinued at this stage either so you still have the full range of the existing leather organisers that we all know and love." A lot of the ones that many love such as finchley, cuban, and chameleon just to name a few are all discontinued. Only a select few are still available on clearance but only in mini/pocket size. To me that does not mean full range.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't get why Filofax is discontinuing all the awesome organisers that many filofax obsessed people are oohing and ahhing over. Those are the same organisers that has gotten people thousands of views on youtube over the last couple of years.
I know some people feel the same way as I do but I just wanna see who else here feel that way so maybe we can have some change happen for the better???
OK the UK site still has most of them but the UK site is pricier. BUT it doesn't all the colors. The chameleon for example is now only available in red which clearly shows that it is starting to phase out.
DeleteThank you, Glossette for your statement!!!
DeleteI agree 100%!!!
Actually, what Steve is saying is that there has been no announcement of phasing out leather models THIS year. The Chameleon, Finchley and Cuban (as well as the Crimson Malden) have been discontinued following Filofax' announcement in 2012.
DeleteIn the US there are very, very few Malden's and everyone says they are discontinued and will not be returning except A5 in purple which will be restocked next month.
DeleteYou also have to realise that not all Filofax groups take all of the available models and inserts. So Filofax USA will be different to Filofax UK and different to Filofax France and Filofax Germany etc
DeleteSteve
I get that FF UK or USA or whatever else will have different stock and such. But getting rid of stuff we all know and love is crazy. If they came out with it being "limited edition" then at least we know it's not going to be around for long. And they didnt even replace them with good stuff. I hope as said in the post that in the summer to fall time some good leather organisers will come about in the Finsbury/Chameleon price range.
DeleteIt is very difficult to find Maldens in the US stores. Some specialty stores in NY have them but you have to hunt and call and hope. Pens & Leather and Goldspot are mostly offering only the Pocket or Mini and even then in short supply. It's near impossible - make that impossible - to get the Ostrich in Personal Buttercup. All the other lovely leathers seem to be in short supply as well and/or on closeout sales of you're lucky - Cuban, Finchleys, etc. The Filofax USA store has some but not the ones we - I - want. The European stores are pricier for those in the US. sigh... and so far - nothing here in the new range is inspsiring. Filofax seems to be making/have made a wrong turn and have ill-advised marketing advisors.
DeleteI find it strange as well that Filofax discontinues its organizers so quickly. Especially ones that seem to be so popular and in demand. Doesn't make much sense to me at all. Since I have my eye on one or two of last year's selections and they both seem to still be available, I will content myself with them this year...maybe 2014 will have better leather filos to choose from. There is a nice leather FC binder that might work too...
ReplyDeleteIs that not the way it goes, it's the same with handbags, keeps you on your toes and makes them even more special if you managed to get hold of a limited edition!!
ReplyDeleteThe Chameleon was discontinued a while back hence the reason for them showing up in discount stores.
I'm saving myself for any new leather models or colours!!
I get that companies want to keep people on edge. However, I have not heard from anywhere that organisers like Chameleon are so called "limited edition" so they can't just get rid of it unless they bring forth something else that is just as awesome. It's great that a lot of them are now really discounted and sold at discount stores but the colors are very limited. The popular Raspberry and Aqua chameleon are next to impossible to find now.
DeleteI think the Chameleon came out in 2009 or 2010, I know I bought one in 2010. How many do you want to buy?
DeleteWhat other firm makes the same model for ever? I don't recall still being able to buy a Model T Ford in numerous colours... so everything is a limited edition, in the sense that there will only be a finite number of them produced, before the company changes the model or replaces it completely.
Steve
When I met the manager of the Filofax shop in 2010 she said all the binders are intended to be limited edition and will change styles and colors each year.
DeleteThe fact that they are actually keeping so many of their binder styles and colors this year is new.
I get some of the "older" model stuff from different brands get phased out at some point. I am thinking of certain items that are tried and true to certain brands. For instance, someone I know in their 30's is using the same foundation they used while in highschool. I mean the company may have altered the formulation a bit due to technology and as time goes by but the product is still there.
DeleteIm just really sad that FF decided to get rid of the good organisers. I hope they come out with ones just as good as those.
I get what you are saying Steve - however I can't figure out why they are launching 'back to school' stuff now in March when the children don't go back to school until September - I would have thought July/August would have been the most suitable time for these products?
ReplyDeletePerhaps it's me - I never figured out why the shops sell summer clothes in Feb when it's freezing then in the summer when I want something it's sold out and all I can find it fleeces and winter coats!
Alison in the US school starts in early August or in some places even late July. Other companies are bringing out their academic-year planners now. For example, Moleskine's 18 month planners will launch next week. On some Filofax websites (France for example) the August-start diary inserts are already available.
DeleteIt makes sense when you think most people need to schedule events and appointments 6 months in advance, and so will need their next-year diary then. The calendar year diaries/ planners are usually available in August or September at the latest, because people need to start making appointments into the new year then.
As to why they sell summer clothes in February, I don't understand that one either! To buy clothes for spring break trips to warm places maybe?
Thanks Laurie - I can understand it with the diaries, but less so with the binders. Some elements of life are still a mystery to me!
DeleteEven though the back-to-school binders come without diary inserts, they are probably launching them at the same time as the academic-year diaries so that students will buy diary inserts for them. From a marketing standpoint, I'm assuming Filofax will want students to buy their products instead of competitors' dated diary products that are coming out at the same time.
DeleteWith regards to diaries, I've never been able to understand why there seems to be a failure to grasp the basic fact that one way to (literally) keep ahead of competitors is to make sure that users can always plan at least a year in advance.
DeleteIf I have an event at the beginning of Feb in 2014, as I do, I cannot add it to a "diary" if I can't buy a diary until half way through 2013 at the earliest. Whilst I appreciate the difficulties of holding extra stock, simply ignoring this obvious requirement is perhaps accelerating the decline of the paper based diary.
I think that the recent move by Filofax, to omit a diary from some products is quite a good move, so long as their is an appropriate and recognisable reduction in price, but not offering next year's diary until half way through the year means that using a filofax based diary as a serious business tool is not really an option
I think the marketers/merchants of the world are the ones who are forcing us to live our lives in fast forward. In the US, the Christmas decorations are now out quite a while before Thanksgiving (which is in late Novemeber) and before they are out of the stores - you will see Valentines's Day (Feb. 14) candy and decorations sitting right next to them. I think it creates a great deal of anxiety in people who are made to feel they need to "keep up".
DeleteNeil, daytimer has 2014 out.
DeleteUS amazon also has per-order for 2014 dodopads, says will be released June 13, 2013
DeleteNew Zealand shops seem to start getting ready for Christmas earlier and earlier each year. It isn't even October yet, and already some places are abuzz with fairy lights and tinsel!
DeleteDespite the disappointment of having to wait until the summer, before we learn if Filofax are to address the quality issues associated with their leather binders, I think Steve needs a big thank you for the efforts he has made to bring us news of the latest products so far.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteTHANNNNNK YOOOOOUUUU, STEEEEEVE! :)
DeleteI, for one, am looking forward to what Filoxes come out this year. I feel I've seen pretty much all I need to see of what's been out so far (and over it) so I'm ready for some new stuff! I've sold the ones I could live without and kept those that I can't and that will look great in my collections years down the road. Looking forward to see what Filofax has up their sleeves with the new leather ranges.
DeleteI have been doing some market research this lunctime with the secretarial staff in my office about how much they would pay for a leather notebook cover I have been given to review (it will be on my blog but not until I have given it a good using to see how it bears up!) and after I was able, like a rabbit out of a hat to produce five models of Filofax from my work bag for them to compare it to, I realised that actually it is probaly a GOOD thing there are no more appealing ones for me to buy right now! )I do confess to planning on decorating my new studio so that the new aqua malden will look good sitting on the counter though :) )
ReplyDeleteWhat is of note though is that I asked the staff to say what they would pay for every product I had ( Osterley A5 and personal, Holborn A5, Malden personal, Classic A4) and none of them even came close to the retail price even on the ones they loved. Also Woods the Stationers in Bath tell me on my visits down there that they are one of the bigest UK sellers ( they certainly have a huge display) but they do not even stock the top end ranges because they say no one buys them. So it might well be that churning models to enthusiasts like us who value the products and collect keeps turnover up by keeping us wanting the latest, the newest, whilst the core purchasers are at the bottom end buying more of the lower priced items. And I guess in the recession that is likey to be even more so the case. and how many of us who love the top end leather ranges actually buy retail price for them all?
PS Hubby asked last night if I now had all the filofaxes I 'needed'. Anyone understand the question?!
Thank you Steve for getting all this information out to us.
ReplyDeleteSusan
Yes - great thanks to Steve for getting the information to us. What would we do without him?! I do understand the concept of line extension and innovation, etc. in a product, and in truth, most of anything we buy/have, are truly "limited editions" but with FF, I have to wonder about the old adages of "if it's not broke - don't fix it" and "why reinvent the wheel". For me, I love the wonderful, rich leathers that only get better with time. I don't have a Malden (and it looks like I won't be getting one soon until the new Aqua) but I do have the Holborn Zip in Personal and A5 and the way the leather is "seasoning" is luscious! It's like an old friend and it only gets better. That's the kind of FF I would love to see be a constant.
ReplyDeleteExactly.. as time goes by and with new inventions and technology things/products change. I only think they should change to a certain extent to improve the product but not to get rid of something that people love so much. Some brands (not necessary organisers) have their "permanent" line of products and every season or few months will come out with "limited edition" things to keep people on edge. At least people knew that those products would no longer be selling after a while so they would stock up.
DeleteIf I was into FF back when Chameleon and some of the other awesome organisers came out (I guess around the same time) I would stock up on the different sizes and colors if I knew they were only going to be around for like a short time. Laurie, as commented above, said that she talked to a person at FF and they said all organisers that they ever come out with are always limited edition. I had no knowledge of this. When did they decide to share this info?
Filofax doesn't advertise their binders as limited-edition, except in the case of the Temperleys for example that have been produced in a limited amount. Their reasoning is they want to have new colors and styles every year, and can only offer so many binders at once, so they cycle them through.
DeleteThat strategy seems to work. After all, look how interested we are in seeing what the new range will be every year! And when we know the binders won't be around forever, we make sure to buy the ones we really love before they are gone.
But it does show that Filofax's strategy is different from what it was in the past when they focused on the highest quality and binders were meant to be used year after year. Now, they want people to buy a new binder every year, or more often.
And it seems to be working. How many of us have more than one Filofax? I have several.
Woo Hoo! I just ordered the FF Doodle. Can't wait to get my colouring pens out and start decorating the cover. I also got a commemorative Olympics 2102 Personal for my collection at 60% off. At that price it would have been a crime not to.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about the back-to-school range at my age...
Just a little warning. Recently, I bought personal Line Burst 2012 from Filofax UK. And it came REALLY dusty. So be careful when unwrapping.
DeleteBut I love the inserts (especially Fitness planner and colourful ruled pages) and today marker. I wish Filofax started selling those as inserts to buy.
Ah, thanks! I expect FF has found a few spares gathering dust at the back of the stockroom. I love the today marker and will probably borrow that to use elsewhere. The Fitness Planner sounds very timely as I dust off my trainers....
Delete@Cloudberry I hope they come to the US site. I can't wait to get my hands on either of them. The doodle especially.
DeleteSteve, maybe you're not allowed to reveal this just yet, but has there been any talk of updating the diary inserts in any way? I know in the US, the website has removed some of the options, and I don't know if its because they're currently sold out of them or if they're being discontinued altogether...
ReplyDeleteIs there any word as to whether the school range and the doodle Filofaxes will be available on the USA site? I actually really like them and so do my children.
ReplyDelete