The kind of elecronics stores like Maplin in the UK or Conrad here in Germany have all had to change their product range away from electronics towards selling all kind of crap to stay in business for two reasons, the Internet has become a very powerfull competitor and the classic electronics hobbyist is practically gone.
The main reason was the rise of the home computer and later the PC. Many electronic hobbyists moved to home computers when they started to become popular, and many kids these days go straight to the PC.
The Internet later just tought the remaining customers that they no longer have to live with the local monopoly of the electronics shop. The Internet shops are the logical consequence of the electronic shops not going with the times. I remember very well that the electronics shops from my youth didn't have and didn't want to sell home computers. One was even so stubborn to refuse to sell parts like CPUs, RAM, EEPROMs or bus drivers, to those who want to do some work on their home computers.
And like many others I don't miss the times when the local electronic shops had the monopole and dictated what parts you shall have and what parts just didn't exist. And when they charged you extra for a xeroxed copy of a datasheet.
Still today the local shops haven't got their basics right. The ones in my area are still dark, dirty and dusty places with arrogant shop owners who still after all that Internet revolution thing think they can dictate what hobby electronics is and what isn't.
In the last ten years many independent small electronics shops had to close because of that
In my area the small electronic shops could prevent going out of business by
(a) cleaning their dirty filthy shops (regular use of a duster and a vacuum cleaner would be a start, putting some fresh paint on the walls would be a good idea, too),
(b) fixing or installing proper lightning in the shops so you don't think you ended up in a '70th adult entertainment shop,
(c) specializing on service,
(d) rethink their price calculation,
(e) rethink their opening times (closing at 16:00 means potential customers have to take some time of from the job to go there), and
(f) adding modern stuff to their offerings.
and the big names have responded by selling everything, even if it's got nothing to do with electronics.
Which is actually a chance for the small shops, by specializing on electronics.
The electronics counter has been moved to the darkest corner
They can do that, because the small electronic shops look even worse. If small shops would get their act together (see above), they could beat this large shops by looking proper and offering special services.
But I see small shops who seem to have come kind of contest who can have the darkest, dirtiest place with the rudest, incompetent people (often the shop owner).
and if they've got the thing you want in stock they have prices that make you faint.
Same for small shops here.
In addition they generally seem to employ people that have no clue about electronics whatsoever.
Same for the small shops here, with one exception.
I've been working in the business for the last 12 years and it is becoming harder and harder to keep business running. A small shop like ours can't stock all the gazillions of parts a big company like Digikey or Farnell carry.
But Farnell doesn't sell to non-businesses in Germany. So you could act as an agent for your customers. You don't have a special part? You offer to order it for your customer, and deliver it to his house (partner with a local Pizza service ...).
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