We followed up on the bombshell announcement yesterday that Asmodee North America will sell exclusively through Alliance Game Distributors as of August 1 (see "Asmodee North America Goes Exclusive with Alliance") with some questions for Asmodee North America, Alliance Games Distributors, and affected distributors, and round them up here.
We asked ANA for clarification on whether Alliance would handle sales to mass channels, and were told by a company spokesperson that those channels were not included. “The scope of this deal is for hobby games retailers only,” the spokesperson said.
We also asked ANA whether the company would continue to sell directly to retailers, and the company declined to answer directly, pointing us to the planned announcement of new sales policies later this month, saying that the question would be addressed at that time.
We asked Mike Webb of Alliance Game Distributors whether Alliance sister company Diamond Comic Distributors would also be carrying Asmodee North America products along with Alliance, and Webb replied. "We are working on a way to make this possible while keeping Diamond’s channel in compliance with ANA sales policies," he said, promising more info in the future.
We asked the four distributors of Asmodee North America products that are being eliminated from Asmodee’s distributor roster for comment, and two replied.
Sito Sanchez, CEO of PHD Distribution, replied this way:
"When we opened PHD in 2004, Fantasy Flight Games and Asmodee Editions U.S. were kind enough to open their doors to us. The past 13 years have truly been an adventure. We would have not gotten where we are today without their support. Many friendships have been built throughout the years. We are obviously disappointed in their decision to exclude us from their distribution roster. However, it is a decision that they feel is best for their company. I have to respect that. I’m an optimist, so I hope that we get to work together again sometime in the future."
Chris Austin, Vice President of Southern Hobby Supply, forwarded this statement prepared for Southern Hobby’s customers:
"We have been informed that Asmodee NA has selected an exclusive distributor other than Southern Hobby. We have enjoyed and respected our partnership with the folks at Asmodee and wish them well going forward. We were appreciative of the communication from the folks at Asmodee regarding their decision."
"We will continue to represent Asmodee NA in a professional and aggressive manner as the new agreement time frame permits. Our representatives will be glad to assist with any questions."
"Our focus and commitment continues to be with you, our customers, and we appreciate your business over the past 26 years."
We did not receive responses to multiple requests for comment from GTS Distribution or ACD Distribution in time for this article.

Clarifications, Distributor Responses
Posted by Milton Griepp on June 2, 2017 @ 6:39 pm CT

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