BRS acquires Marine Depot? WOW!

[blasterman]

They will eventually get swallowed up by Amazon like everybody else.

The only time I shop BRS is when I can't find it on Amazon. I do give BRS credit for having high quality products like their reef suppliments, but their other gear just won't keep their doors open. You won't win a distribution battle against Amazon. MD just saw the handwriting on the wall.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Why does everyone think amazon will own everything?! LOL
D

 

[BaysEndReef]

Same here. Ill hit all the LFS that are close to me before buying online. I'll go the extra step and ask the LFS if they can order certain items before I start spinning my wheels trying to find it online. Thanks how I bought my Bashsea sump and at a lower cost from ANY online vendor.

Support your LFS before supporting Online stores

I made sure to get with my LFS today and start a monthly order for the things I know I will need. I would much rather give my money to a small business that I know will have my best interest in mind. Most of these people only care about the social media content they can produce while creating a toxic environment amongst reefing hobbyists. I could rant all day about this mess, but I digress... lol

 

[joe0813]

Lot of trash talking about BRS.... They aren't even close to a monopoly so dont get your panties in a bunch. Still have plenty of online vendors to chose from. saltwater fish, premium aquatics, Amazon, Live aquaria also sells dry goods and plenty of other smaller places. In 12 years ive never had any major issue with brs and the few times I did have issues they made it right. Shipping also never an issue.... $4.99 for 4 day shipping. plus they do a ton for this hobby with education and the giveaways like they are doing now.

 

[Murphs_reef]

Did you just announce your engagement at my wedding? Lol.

Hahaha to be fair there are multi threads at the time the email dropped across all forums...
Being a flower girl don't make it your wedding

 

[Nano Chris]

I too wonder about this! Supposed to be for life ‍

 

[stephj03]

What are your thoughts on a BRS / WWC merge?

They'd be better served to
Landscape livestock wholesalers. Sets up a better exit IMO.

I forget which big chain bought DFS/LA but the long play would be to build BRS into an attractive target for whichever didn't.

E-comm + livestock wholesale was the magic combo there.

 

[stephj03]

Lot of trash talking about BRS.... They aren't even close to a monopoly so dont get your panties in a bunch. Still have plenty of online vendors to chose from. saltwater fish, premium aquatics, Amazon, Live aquaria also sells dry goods and plenty of other smaller places. In 12 years ive never had any major issue with brs and the few times I did have issues they made it right. Shipping also never an issue.... $4.99 for 4 day shipping. plus they do a ton for this hobby with education and the giveaways like they are doing now.

Yeah I don't get this. BRS is a biz. Moves like this are how they try to stay in a position to be your fav vendor for years to come.

There's more than sufficient competition out there to keep them focused on attractive pricing and service.

Reefers are fickle. BRS knows. They still want us to buy with them and so does their PE backing.

This notion that every biz trying to grow is only doing so in order to force a customer into a bad spot is pretty antiquated.

If you're not GE, that's prob not what your doing or how you'll do it. And if you are GE, you'll be the one in a bad spot not your customers in the end.

 

[Forty-Two]

I cant imagine that profits are killer in the reefing industry. I would imagine margins are pretty tight.

BRS contributes pretty heavily to the community (and yes its also self serving - but the education they provide and tests they perform are great) - and dont appear to be into gouging.

More competition is usually a good thing - but they likely need to consolidate in the industry in order to make the business profitable. I dont see any major issues with this personally.

Its just like with any other business - if they start getting aggressive/greedy/poor customer service - other options will be generated/other chains/stores will start up to compete with them.

I dont see any reason to get excited over it. Im more concerned about the profit margins of BRS - and whether this is a sign that they must acquire in order to turn a profit/stay afloat.

 

[ReefRondo]

I say congrats to BRS.

 

[amazongb]

Everyone is assuming that Marine Depot owner didn't sell because he was offered some serious cash, kudos to him for selling during these crazy times, at what could be the peak of the market.

 

[Tamberav]

Sucks. I liked marine depot better. Super helpful and they carried unique stuff and sponsored smaller forums for contests (no offense).

 

[Hot2na]

marine depot used to have great deals on spectrapure cartridges for ro/di..sometimes even better than spectrapure when u factor in shipping...I hate all brs r/o parts & cartridges...their r/o units suck too...

 

[Mickeyt1reef]

They better keep the aqua max rollers in stock!

 

[Jeff Kohlmann]

I made a MD purchase years ago day before they started free shipping. Ya think they’d bend a little? Course not! Hell with them! BYE!

 

[Cell]

I think some of you are forgetting BRS is a business formed by hobbyists and run by hobbyists. They aren't just suits looking for a quick buck.

 

[Doctorgori]

I’ve been buying from both since both inception.I thought MD had faster shipping and slightly better inventory whereas certain items were simply “go 2” at BRS like chemicals and RO/DI stuff…..
This might be the rare exception where a merger could be plus for the consumer….maybe
I hope the new marriage doesn’t add any “premium” coral companies … I don’t wanna pay $50 for a acro “ stem cell” …

 

[CMMorgan]

Why does everyone think amazon will own everything?! LOL
D

True - Elon Musk could decide to get into Reefkeeping tomorrow. Actually, please let him do that... can you imagine the advances in tech if he did? Yes --- I'll be the first to say it #TeslaReefers That would be the new reefer status symbol ... the Tesla Tank. A tank that is fully automated, you just add water, fish, coral and enjoy.

 

[Zoomer]

Lots of misinformation (maybe we should call it speculation) in this thread...

BRS, MD, PA, etc do NOT set prices on the majority of items in this hobby. They are MAP protected by the vendor. Ecotech decides what you sell a pump for. Neptune tells BRS what they can sell their stuff for. If BRS, MD, or anyone else breaks that agreement, no more account. Yes, this happens.

Prices are going up industry wide. BRS acquiring MD doesn't change this fact. I have mentioned this many many times here on R2R. Shipping is KILLING companies right now. Inflation is killing companies. Part shortages are hitting every industry at every level. I am ordering extra cardboard boxes since there is a worldwide shortage on them and it is only getting worse. By the end of summer, I suspsect every major company will be 5-10% higher in cost. Better grab that MP40 you have been eyeing.

BRS didn't get a new warehouse recently. BRS HQ hasn't changed in years. I was jsut there in May and got a full warehouse tour from Randy. They have just updated everything and gotten more warehouse space in the same building as other tenants move out.

People talk about "monopoly" and all that and think this will change things. News flash: BRS is the largest in the world and it isn't even close. They have "owned" the market for quite a while now. I would be SHOCKED if we, the consumers, saw some massive shift in customer service from BRS because of this. It is their number one priority with signs all over the building stating this. I got to see them in person

I bet we continue to see great CS. BRS is bringing in brands that only MD carried. Yes, this is confirmed.

Articulated so well. It would seem like if BRS could have a broader distribution network they would be set. I do almost all my online shopping through BRS and have no complaints. Anytime I've interacted with CS it has been a smooth process with a favorable resolution. I understand the disappointment of a staple of the online market place closing, but it doesn't feel as though the sky is falling.

I think it is also important to realize the value of having a strong BRS type entity in our hobby. Most of the major brands keep a lot of their equipment off Amazon (less 3rd party sellers), and the byproduct of that is a more quality product and better customer service. So while people will want to complain about BRS, wait until you get a load of Amazon customer service and quality...

 

[Bpb]

Being a flower girl don't make it your wedding

That was actually a pretty good retort there. I’ll take it.