The past 12 months have seen considerable consolidation in the ranks of game distributors with the demise of Zocchi  (see 'Zocchi Distribution Closing Its Doors') and Wargames West (see 'Wargames West Tanks'), but Gameboard Distributors of Knoxville, Tennessee is bucking the trend and expanding with a new warehouse in Orlando, Florida.  According to Gameboard Senior Partner Jim Fetty, the new 2000-square foot warehouse opens on May 1 and will carry a rough equivalent to the more than 20,000 skus that Gameboard has in its central facility in Tennessee, though the mix in Orlando will be customized to the preferences of Gameboard's Florida customers.  Gameboard has not yet hired a manager for its new facility, which will probably get underway with a staff of under six employees.

 

Although Gameboard's Knoxville warehouse is within 2-day shipping distance of 70% of the U.S. population, the move to Orlando will allow the company to provide one-day service to its customers in the Sunshine state.  As primarily regional distributors like the Mississippi-based Zocchi and Wargames West (New Mexico, Tennessee) bite the dust, opportunities are created for the surviving distribution organizations.  Fetty told ICv2 that he feels the company's Florida venture will succeed because it will build on the company's excellent information systems, inventory control, and locator system.  For more information on Gameboard Distributors, check out their company profile.