Alliance Game Distributors Gets Exclusive Agreement with Catan License Holder, Asmodee North America

In a move which may increase the amount of tabletop games sold in comic book distribution juggernaut Diamond’s shadow, their affiliated company Alliance Game Distributors, also owned by Diamond’s Steve Geppi, has hammered out an exclusive distribution agreement with Asmodee North America, probably best known as the current Catan license holder in English-speaking countries.

Due to Diamond’s affiliation with Alliance Game Distributors, many comic shops are already hybrid hobby stores, with walls and shelves of tabletop games and role-playing games adding to sales and broadening customer bases.  One can speculate that having established this trade partnership, even more tabletop games will be available in Diamond’s PREVIEWS catalog than there are now.

Regardless of the impact on comic book retailers, the impact on tabletop retailers will be noteworthy, as on August 1st, Alliance Game Distributors will hold the Catan pipeline to North American game retailers.  In terms of support for specialized tabletop game retailers, Alliance Game Distributors will be creating an Asmodee Specialist Team for dedicated service of Asmodee products.  Additionally, AGD has announced “upcoming retailer initiatives to support and grow the market.”

“This is an amazing and transformational deal,” said Christian T. Petersen, CEO of Asmodee North America. “We at Asmodee have long enjoyed a terrific and productive relationship with the great people at Alliance. This deal joins the combined experience of both organizations to craft a communications and distribution infrastructure that we believe will positively affect both retailers and consumers in the hobby games market.”

“We are truly honored to be part of this historic agreement,” said Daniel Hirsch, president of Alliance Game Distributors. “Alliance has enjoyed a very close relationship with the companies that make up Asmodee North America for over 20 years. We are both proud and grateful that Asmodee has placed its trust in us for the stewardship of its brands.”

In addition to the original press release sent out by Alliance Game Distributors, I’ve also posted for the benefit of game retailers and hobbyists the two FAQ sheets with answers from Alliance and Asmodee as regards the transition.

Original press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ASMODEE NORTH AMERICA ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH ALLIANCE GAME DISTRIBUTORS IN THE U.S.A.

June 1, 2017
Asmodee North America is excited to announce an exclusive distribution partnership with Alliance Game Distributors in the United States.
The multi-year agreement, which goes into effect on August 1st, 2017, is aimed at broadly increasing support for U.S. hobby games retailers. This includes the creation of a large, dedicated Asmodee Specialist Team at Alliance, significant updates to Asmodee’s sales policies, and a number of upcoming retailer initiatives designed to support and grow the market.
More information on updated Asmodee sales policies and details about upcoming retailer initiatives will be made available in late June.
“This is an amazing and transformational deal,” said Christian T. Petersen, CEO of Asmodee North America. “We at Asmodee have long enjoyed a terrific and productive relationship with the great people at Alliance. This deal joins the combined experience of both organizations to craft a communications and distribution infrastructure that we believe will positively affect both retailers and consumers in the hobby games market.”
“We are truly honored to be part of this historic agreement,” said Daniel Hirsch, president of Alliance Game Distributors. “Alliance has enjoyed a very close relationship with the companies that make up Asmodee North America for over 20 years. We are both proud and grateful that Asmodee has placed its trust in us for the stewardship of its brands.”
For additional information related to this announcement, please refer to the Q&A sheet attached hereto.
For sales and business inquires related to this announcement, please contact Brendan Bell, Hobby Market Sales Manager, at bbell@asmodeena.com.
For questions directed to Alliance Games Distributors, please contact Mike Webb, VP of Marketing, Data, and Customer Service, at mew@alliance-games.com.

FAQ sheets:

Hobby Games Retailer Questions to Alliance Regarding the Exclusive Asmodee Distribution Agreement in the U.S.

June 1, 2017 Q: Are there any specific areas we can expect things to improve? A: We are excited to be rolling out a number of new initiatives in the next couple of months that could not have happened in a multi-distributor environment. Please keep an eye out in the Alliance Alert and in ANA communications for upcoming changes – we believe these opportunities will be transformative and will create more value for retailers than ever before.

Q: If I don’t have an account with Alliance, how do I get one? A: To set up an account with Alliance, simply contact Marc Aquino, VP of Sales with Alliance at mla2@alliance-games.com and he will set you up with a Sales Manager to walk you through the process. You can also find our account applications online at http://www.alliancegames.com/Home/11/1/79/1162?articleID=127270

Q: I have some outstanding issues in the past with Alliance. I am concerned about reopening an account – what can I do to make sure things go smoothly? A: Contact Marc Aquino, VP of Sales at mla2@alliance-games.com or Mike Webb, VP of Marketing, Data, and Customer Service at mew@alliance-games.com. We are committed to working with you to clear up any issues on either side to make this transition a smooth and mutually beneficial one.

Q: How will this affect my supply of product? I liked my allocations with my former distributor better on ANA product. A: Although there will no doubt be some future products where demand outstrips supply, we do believe having a single source of the product will help to balance out some issues related to allocation of products. Alliance and ANA will also be sharing data more directly during the pre-solicit and solicit phases of a product, and providing extremely detailed analysis of sales within product lines. This will allow more accurate demand forecasting. In addition, allocation policy can better be coordinated on a product by product basis. Alliance’s history as steward of hobby sales for Days of Wonder and Catan products demonstrated considerable improvement in availability of product lines, and we hope to see many of those benefits accrue again.
Q: Is Alliance going to be able to handle the increased volume this represents? How can I know my orders will still be processed in a timely manner? A: Alliance has already begun hiring and training additional operations staff to handle increased volume. They have also undertaken significant investment in technology in their warehouses to increase the speed and accuracy of orders.

Q: How will the Asmodee Sales Specialists work? Will I have to place orders with 2 different people? A: In short, no – you can place your orders for ANA product with either. Your Alliance Account Representative will be there to help as always with the full range of Alliance products and services. The Asmodee Sales Specialists will have additional training and information on programs that can help your store better promote and sell the full range of ANA products. They will help guide you in growing your sales across the ANA brands, and will get to know your store’s unique needs and how ANA can best meet them. From assisting you with organized play opportunity to helping you gauge demand for new product or ANA lines you might not have carried in the past, they will leverage greater experience and information on Asmodee North America products to your store’s advantage.

*****************************

Hobby Games Retailer Questions to Asmodee Regarding the Exclusive Alliance Distribution Agreement in the U.S.

June 1, 2017

Q: Why did Asmodee decide to go exclusive with Alliance in the U.S.? A: It is our goal to provide hobby games retailers with the support and inventory they need to successfully grow their business selling Asmodee’s games. As part of this deal, Alliance will be making a significant investment to enhance our ability to communicate, support, and allocate our products.

Q: When does this go into effect? A: The agreement goes into effect August 1, 2017. Any new releases and restocks of Asmodee products that ship prior to August 1, 2017 will be available to retailers from all our current authorized distributors. Starting on August 1, 2017, all new Asmodee releases and re-stocks will be available exclusively to hobby games retailers through Alliance Game Distributors.

Q: How will this new exclusive arrangement benefit hobby games retailers? A: With this deal, Alliance Game Distributors is building a dedicated team of Asmodee Sales Specialists who will work directly with retailers to help them grow sales by understanding the retailer’s specific needs and providing in-depth product knowledge of ANA products and services. This sales team will also provide greater visibility into stock availability, allocations, and other retailer initiatives, as well as sending retailer feedback to ANA.

Additionally, Asmodee is developing updated sales policies and retailer initiatives that we believe will greatly benefit both retailers and consumers. More information about these changes will be made available towards the end of this month.

Q: How do I open an account with Alliance? A: To set up an account with Alliance Game Distributors, contact Marc Aquino, VP of Sales, at mla2@alliance-games.com. You can also find online applications at http://www.alliance-games.com/.

Q: I have additional questions for Asmodee, who can I contact? A: Please contact Brendan Bell, Asmodee North America’s Hobby Market Sales Manager, at bbell@asmodeena.com.

Q: I have additional questions for Alliance, who can I contact? A: Please contact Mike Webb, VP of Marketing, Data, and Customer Service, at mew@alliancegames.com.

Cross-posted on NerdSpan.com.