INDIE PROFILE/EVENTS MARKETPLACE
INDIE PROFILE This month Roger Humm visits Cardiff and Dinas Computers. Dinas has been established nearly two decades, and has been operating from its present premises in Crwys Road for the last ten years... LIKE MANY people in the PC trade, Dinas owner Wyn Williams has had to adapt the way the business operates. His shop serves a range of home and business users, and being close to the local university, the student market is also important. This sector has mushroomed over the last five years – there are upwards of 30,000 students in Cardiff – with most of them having some kind of IT requirement. “Things in the computer industry have changed massively over the years. I remember selling top spec PCs for £5,000 twenty years ago, now you are lucky to get £400. However people and
FACT BOX Year Established: 1989 Number of Outlets: 1 Wyn Williams outside his shop, Dinas Computers, in Cardiff
businesses will always need their machines serviced and repaired, and that is what we have been increasingly concentrating on over the last few years. It’s become a bit like the car industry, the likes of Dell, Tesco and PC World are your main dealers, and we’re your back street garage that picks up the pieces when things go wrong." “There is a strong community spirit among the traders here, and many of us trade with each other on a regular basis. It’s a difficult job competing with the out of town shopping centres and internet sites, but a few years ago we were faced with the council planning to
Number of staff: 3
introduce a Controlled Parking Zone in five areas across the city. “That would have been a disaster and would have probably led to me closing down and selling up. We formed an action group based around local traders and community groups, and with the threat of a local referendum hanging around their necks, the council caved in.” Williams strongly believes that the high street indie computer shop is here to stay, but what it will look like in another ten years he says is anybody’s guess. We look forward to visiting him again in 2019 to see.
Regular Vendor Lines: Acer, HP, Viewsonic, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Norton, Microsoft, Belkin, Dlink Contact name and address: Wyn Williams DINAS Computers, 106 Crwys Rd, Cardiff CF24 4NQ Telephone: 0800 052 9445 Email: wyn@dinascomputers.co.uk Website: www.dinascomputers.co.uk
Roger Humm is Head of Membership Relations at Brigantia Computer Experts – roger.humm@brigantia.com
MOBILE MUSIC NOW
STORAGE EXPO ‘09 www.pcr-online.biz
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DIARY DATES 2009 The UK’s channel calendar is full of important events. Here are some upcoming highlights…
JULY 2009
OCTOBER 2009
MOBILE MUSIC NOW July 9th BAFTA, London This unique conference hosted by PCR sister magazine Mobile Entertainment will be the highlight of the summer for everyone involved in digital music. Representatives from every link in the value chain will speak at the July 9th conference, presented in association with 24-7 Entertainment. There will be a keynote presentation by Barney Wragg, formerly head of digital at EMI and a senior VP at Universal. Having been a label insider and now a consultant on the ‘outside’, he should have some fascinating insights into label culture and its approach to mobile.
STORAGE EXPO 2009 October 14th–15th Olympia, London Storage Expo is the UK's leading storage event, with all the major names in the channel present. Designed for both resellers and CIOs, Storage Expo is a melting pot of IT professionals, providing the ideal opportunity for resellers to not just find out about the latest products and developments in the channel, but also network with companies that are actively seeking a new storage solution. The event also has a number of educational programmes designed to boost your knowledge and understanding of the market, as well as discuss solutions with experts and peers.
LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE October 27th BAFTA, London The London Games Conference will take place during the increasingly popular London Games Festival on Tuesday October 27th at BAFTA in Piccadilly. Organiser Intent Media, which publishes MCV and PCR, expects up to 200 delegates. It is also introducing a different concept to previous games seminars. One key element of the London Games Conference is value for money, with the walk-up rate for the day being only £229. This is half the price of last year’s Games 3.0 conference. Members of the ELSPA and TIGA trade bodies will be able to gain a further discount, bringing the cost to under £200 per delegate.
If you would like to promote your event, please contact: andrew.wooden@intentmedia.co.uk This information is believed to be correct, but potential visitors should confirm details with show organisers before making arrangements to attend
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