MaggieBB

Just received e-mail from local Bernina dealer that is located in Hancocks fabrics store, that they are going out of retail business as of March 30, 2012. Is this just in Texas or nation wide?

Prism99

I would think this is just the specific dealer in that store.

merryraven

The Bernina dealer in the Hancock's is closing also.

WilliP

I would go to the Hancock web site and see what they say. Bernina is still going strong as far as I know.

mighty

Had not heard anything about this, interesting.

Tartan

I do know that you have to keep updating your skills to be an authorized Bernina dealer. You also need an authorized Bernina technician to work on the machines. Perhaps it is just that outlet that no longer wants to carry Bernina?

Candace

Viking closed many of their dealerships in Joannes nationwide too. It just isn't making sense for some dealerships to have a store within a store.

Sheila_H

I think it is just specific to that particular store I looked online at both the Bernina site in the US and the Canadian one as well there is nothing on there about closing down stores. I agree with Tartan when I was looking at the Bernina's in our LQS the woman that sells the machines mentioned how she had just come back from a training weekend from Toronto. She said that all Bernina reps must keep up to date on changes or they'd lose their contract with Bernina as a authorized store. I know she has a person that does all of the repairs on the machines.

BellaBoo

The Bernina dealer I know goes to Bernina University every year. It's time consuming and expensive for her to keep up with the Bernina Club offerings and keep her employees trained on the new machines too.

AliKat

Wow. You have a Hancock's. All the ones in Phoenix, Az closed years ago. Darn it, as they were good and the staff were knowledgeable.

ali