Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, diamond, Diamond UK, ucs

Diamond UK Goes To Fortnightly Shipping

Published Thu, 14 May 2020 08:16:59 -0500

Diamond UK has updated comic book stores in the UK, and other territories that rely on their distribution, about dates of delivery. Stores who can receive product should now have the delayed March 25th shipment that has been sitting in Diamond's Warrington warehouse. Their new deadline for products ordered in the April 2020 Previews will be 9am, Wednesday, May 20th.

Going forward, British comic stores will be shipping new product fortnightly available in stores from May 27th until the end of June. No DC Tuesdays in the UK from Diamond it seems. Diamond UK states that "with this revised schedule we are confident that we can provide the safety measures required for our staff and meet social distancing guidance whilst still ensuring a routine regular release of product to you. We also feel that this approach will greatly help with the proposed gradual easing of the lockdown throughout June." Deliveries for Wednesday, May 27th will be on that day, rather than the Tuesday, due to an incoming Bank Holiday on Monday 25th. Subsequent shipping will be in advance of, and for sale on, Wednesday, June 10th and Wednesday, June 24th. Diamond UK will then assess July at a later date.

Each of these deliveries will also include re-orders, and due to Diamond UK still being unable to guarantee deadline dates they will "endeavour to incorporate as many re-orders into each shipment as possible." They state "hopefully these are the next steps to returning to normality and your responses and reaction to these initial steps has been fantastic and extremely encouraging, so once again we thank you for your continued business and support, and hope that you all continue to stay safe & well during this time."

Some stores have been able to get access to DC titles through UCS, courtesy of Midtown Comics already subdistributing grey market titles to British comic stores over the years. Gosh Comics of London states "that will include the DC product that has been shipping in the US through alternative distribution channels. Now the qualifier: in the UK we will be seeing fortnightly shipments through until at least the end of June. This is mainly due to reduced shipping capacity and increased shipping costs. So while new comics start up again in the US on the 20th May, our first shipment will be on the 27th. This will include everything from the previous week as well, but be aware that Diamond UK may tweak release dates on some titles so as not to overwhelm retailers on particularly big weeks."