Acorn had subcontracted distribution to BL Marketing a subsidiary of breakfast food giant, Weetabix), but erratic deliveries from ICL and Cleartone, and weaknesses in BL's record system had been a formula for failure. As a result, the Weetabix Group decided to shut down BL Marketing. The BBC supported Acorn's decision to set up a distribution arm, and to recruit BL's former staff, to run the operation under Acorn's direct control, while bringing distribution and information services under Acorn's customer relations and marketing management.
As for its suitability for the classroom: Students were known to crash-test BBC Micros by standing on them, and their keyboards were tested well beyond the limits of what a Sinclair QL could withstand.
📖 Blimey, some right nuggets of gold found within “Voices from a Future Passed”.
I had no idea about Weetabix impacting Acorn’s distribution of the #BBCMicro, or that “Students were known to crash-test BBC Micros by standing on them” 😳
👨🏫 #NonFictionBooks 💡📚💙 #BookSky 🦋 #RetroComputing ⌨️