As the comic book industry as a whole continues to figure out how to deal with the current situation caused by the Corona Virus, Diamond Comic Distributors is throwing another curveball into the mix.
As previously reported, Diamond Comic Distributors will not be shipping comics for the foreseeable future. As a result, Diamond Comic Distributors has decided to hold previously-scheduled payments to its vendors this week, attributing their decision to a cash flow difficulties due to the impact the Corona Virus is having on the supply chain.
Newsarama published a letter from Stan Heidmann, the president of Diamond’s parent company Geppi Family Enterprises stating to vendors,
“Vendors that they are no longer receiving consistent payment from our customers and that as a result, they will hold payments to vendors previously scheduled to release this week.”
In terms easy to understand, it breaks down this way:
- Diamond’s customers are Direct Market or “specialty” comic book shops, mail order services, bookstores, and other retail operations who buy discounted products from the distributor to sell to their customers.
- “Vendors” are the comic book publishers and manufacturers of games, toys, collectibles, etc., who depend on Diamond to distribute those products to retail stores.
Below is the full letter from Geppi Family Enterprises’ President Stan Heidmann:
Dear Diamond Vendor:
As the world responds to the outbreak of COVID-19, our focus is on protecting employees, understanding the risks to our business, evaluating the risks to our industry and examining the Federal Government resources available. While the full impact of this epidemic is still unknown, one thing is certain: supply chain disruptions have cash flow implications across the extended industry that can’t be underestimated.
While we work to understand the current industry landscape, the unfortunate truth is that we are no longer receiving consistent payments from our customers. This requires that at this time, we hold payments to vendors previously scheduled to release this week. This is a difficult decision and not one we make lightly. As this situation continues to evolve, we are committed to building out a plan for payment and will have more information to share later this week.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during these difficult times.
Stan Heidmann
President, Geppi Family Enterprises
Inside Diamond’s Olive Branch distribution center Credit: Diamond Comic Distributors
A response by the publishers was not available at this time but should be forthcoming.