It's less about that actually (at least it hasn't been cited by Gibson - as we have asked about dealerships) and more down to, IMO, the fact that Tokai do not produce anywhere near enough Japanese Love Rock style guitars for the UK market.
There's never enough of the right stuff at the right time so it makes it hard, I would imagine, for Tokai UK to be opening up dealers all over the place with any continuity of supply. How much this is restricted by the UK or Japan i don't know.
This is a niche brand really - and knowing what I do about the manufacturer/distribution set up I would be HIGHLY surprised if the brand could have any more structural capacity for growth from a manufacturing/distribution point of view. I think a lot more people would be in to it if they were open minded enough.
The power of the big brands is very strong and from a retailer perspective it is much easier to turn a lot of F and G.
The Tokai Love Rock's are so superior in terms of value for money against their main competition - in terms of specs it is a bit of a no-brainer for anyone willing to take it all in.
The F style Tokai are great. But in my opinion, they are not as clear-cut value for money compared to the Love Rocks. Fender really do make excellent guitars for the money and have especially worked hard on the classic player range which is excellent. Further down the scale, the Squier Classic Vibe range is excellent value again. Mid priced guitars from G&L are also excellent and MIK.
If wasnt' a Fender main dealer however, i'm sure my perspective would alter as i'd need to allocate the cash to something else and give people the option of an F body shape.
If I have a change of heart on it - then you'll see the guitars come into stock.
Take Tokai for what it is - a "Cottage Industry" product that, for those that know, can become a bit of an obsession. For those that don't - well - that's more choice for the rest of us.
In terms of the distance to travel - we are right off the M1 - and down a bypass or two. It's fairly easy to get to. And think about this...
The two people we've had who win awards for distance travelled for a Tokai are:
Okay - it's not every day, but a couple of hundred miles could be worse! ;0)
The good thing with a Tokai Japan guitar is, however, that it is a safe one to mail order. They are all very consistant and nice. So you should never really have an absolute howler.
That's my 2 pence worth. Off to watch the match.