To think James Middleton's marshmallows are doomed?

[NightWanderer]

A friend (cough, cough) was reading in the Daily Mail that James Middleton is still trying to save his marshmallow business. If anyone doesn't know, they print out Instagram pictures onto marshmallows and sell them for 15 pounds for a box of 9.

They're marshmallows, sugar and gelatin. Who in their right mind would pay 15 pounds for 9 of them, even if they do have a photo on them?

I don't know why I'm so interested by the way. There is just something so WTF about the whole thing.

Apparently he already lost 1 million pounds through them. Does no one sit him down and say dude, it just isn't a good idea?

Here the DM link
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4126498/Dragons-Den-pal-turns-Middleton-s-marshmallow-firm-around.html

[kierenthecommunity]

Donna Air's website claims she 'has been warming the hearts of the British public for over 25 years'

which is news to me. what was the last thing she was in? (keep it clean )

[TiggyD]

Imagine when he dies. The coffin will be driven to the church covered in commemorative novelty marshmallows. The coffin when then be rammed on a stick and held a few inches above the crematorium's fire before falling into it disappointing everybody.

[Manumission]

Tiggy

[PossumInAPearTree]

I have two things to contribute to this....

Firstly I would not pay £15 for marshmallows and it will never work.

More importantly I am sure that Donna Air is older than me and I'm 40. I watched her on tv when I was at school and she was older.

[ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe]

I must say though that making marshmallows creates the biggest mess imaginable. It's amazing just how much coverage icing sugar can achieve in an average sized kitchen. So maybe the cleaning bills justify the high price?

[Manumission]

I thought she was my age once.

[cathf]

The fact that people on here will not pay £15 for marshmallows is irrelevent.
I would not pay £5 for a loaf of bread, but people do. I would not pay £2.50 for a cupcake but people do. And some people pay sky-high prices for cheese, butter etc, when the basic ingredients are the same as budget varieties.
Look, I can't stand Kate and I am definitely not out to defend her brother or his business.
But I will defend small businesses and speak out at some of the frankly ignorant posts on here. Fine if you don't understand the way these things work, but don't make such daft statements

[Manumission]

We're not claiming to be a representative sample cath we're simply speculating about the likely extent of the market at that price point for that product. And the lack of scope for brand loyalty. Or repeat business. Because really once you're over the limited novelty of seeing a photo on a marshmallow, that's that isn't it?

[thecraftyfox]

Well, at least that's the wedding favours sorted for Pippa's nuptials.

They're just standard marshmallows, same ingredients as the ones you buy in a supermarket. "Artisan" ones would be Cloud 9 ones which look delicious but don't have a picture on them and cost about £7 for 100g

[Riversleep]

I know a social enterprise that was in talks to supply Selfridges that was thrown over conveniently just before it was announced that James Middleton and his £million marshmallows were going in. They are doing quite well, apparently...

[BillSykesDog]

Exactly Francis. Assuming that each box of marshmallows' sale price is a generous 75% profit (and given that the retailer mark up must nearish that I doubt that it's anywhere near that) they would have to sell 150,000 units just to break even and more to turn a profit. I would say more realistically they'd need to sell at least half a million to turn a healthy profit. And that is just not going to happen at that price point. It's simply not achievable. Even if he did manage to catch the public imagination with marshmallows he'd quickly lose out on sales to cheaper alternatives.

[Twogoats]

Small business? He's had more than 1m invested!!!

[MrsPeelyWally]

I million isn't much when trying to get a business of the ground.

[NightWanderer]

Ok, because Im overinvested in James Middletons marshmallows I Googled Boomf and this article is more positive and says they were on the verge of making a profit at the end of 2015. Im not sure what went wrong if they ended up losing 1 million last year though. Apparently they dont actually make the marshmallows, they are imported from Belgium.

www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-3367291/I-m-Wonka-Chief-marshmallow-factory-s-brother-law-future-King-James-Middleton-title-own.html

[BillSykesDog]

Importing them from Belgium is possibly the problem as post Brexit prices for imports have gone up.

[BumDNC]

Now I am overinvested in James Middletons Marshmallows!

Someone mentioned Jamie Lang earlier - I've only seen his sweets once ever in any shop - topshop I think and they were ver expensive. I don't know how he is making a profit either when hardly any shops sell them? My kids are sweets mad. They would like these bloody marshmallows but I couldn't pay £15 for them. Agree too expensive

[UnderbeneathsiesTheMistletoe]

The thing is that he's an appalling businessman, and doesn't seem to actually know what he's doing.

I read he's dyslexic and that's all fine and dandy, but he genuinely seems to be as thick as mince as well.

Carole seems to have her head screwed on, as do Kate and Pippa.

Poor old James,
all beard and no brains.
Cakes and marshmallow,
And a head made of tallow.

[catinbooots]

I think I have found all my new best friends on this thread.

Haven't laughed so hard in ages.

[thornyhousewife]

This is a product for the instagram generation (teens) who generally speaking have more disposable cash than us, and no real concept of value.

For example LUSH Cosmetics was going down the pan 7 years ago before it utilised social media and reached teenagers. £4 bath bombs, no problem for them.

I can see what Boomf is trying to do and I think their price point is correct, but I think the James Middleton association is fatal.

[MsJamieFraser]

I read he's dyslexic and that's all fine and dandy

Is it

Having a learning disability is not all fine and dandy, it's a daily battle!