- Staff Notice
What, you think M&S is under threat?
What, you think M&S is under threat?
What, you think M&S is under threat?
Yes, every year they announce less profits and are currently are under a massive restructuring with store closures. Their clothing range is too expensive whilst the likes of Primark prosper and their do called quality food has lost it's edge as the likes of Lidl and Aldi grow (same with Waitrose, they are at risk too)
"Will Clintons be the next casualty on our dying High Streets? Bosses of greetings card chain are planning to close 66 shops in cost-cutting drive"
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7…ting-drive.html
They closed here ages ago, they were so expensive against a local small store opposite selling the same cards for a quarter of the price
Will Clintons be the next casualty on our dying High Streets
I thought they'd already gone under as all the shops I know of around here had shut. Locally both the post office ( Hallmark ) and news agent do cards.
An average small card where I am costs about £3. For a bit of decorated paper, it's too much.
I don't think I've ever been in Clintons, so I won't miss them. As with many things, the supermarkets and online dominate now for card buying.
Department store chain Beales has gone into administration, putting 23 stores and 1,052 jobs at risk.
The drastic move follows failed efforts to find a buyer amid poor Christmas trading and sky high rents.
KPMG has been appointed as administrator to the Bournemouth-headquartered chain.
Founded in 1881, Beales operates 23 department stores in market towns across the UK selling a range of furniture, fashion, toys and cosmetics. It employs circa 1,052 members of staff.
Will Wright, partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said: “For over a hundred years, Beales has been a stalwart of the high street in market towns up and down the UK, but like countless similar retailers, has found trading in recent times to be incredibly tough.
This is a big store in our main High Street, four floors I think. Only just up the road from Debenhams that is also teetering.
The days of these big stores are clearly over
15 years ago we used to visit Plymouth close to Christmas to look at the shops and have a Christmas dinner in Derrys, aka the Co-op. Very popular huge plateful for a few pound
But in the rest of the store the stuff was so expensive, returning in January for the sale I bought a shorty coat reduced to £60 which has become my funeral coat.Same time visiting the House of Fraser sale I found a Crombie coat with a scarf draped round it, reduce £150
Wanted one for ages do I tool it to the till and offered my card to be asked if I wanted the scarf as well, and I said no. He said that would be £750 "sir", it was the scarf that was £150
Gathering my dignity I left without purchasing anything
This high st is dead. B&Q not far from me has closed down and Homebase over the road from it has hardly any stock or staff. The only thing we have left in most high streets is coffee shops and anything food and drink related. Then there's the charity shops, hairdressing and nail bars. Anything that can not be done online is basically gone or is hanging on by a thread. Unemployment is massive though figures may not show it. The majority of jobs now are mostly part time on minimum wage working silly hours. I would love to have weekends, especially Sundays like back like the old days. A day of peace. Now everything is 24/7, even pubs and bars in cities are closing at later times like 12.00 or 1.00 with extended licenses.
It's all a reflection of modern society and life
This high st is dead. B&Q not far from me has closed down and Homebase over the road from it has hardly any stock or staff. The only thing we have left in most high streets is coffee shops and anything food and drink related. Then there's the charity shops, hairdressing and nail bars. Anything that can not be done online is basically gone or is hanging on by a thread. Unemployment is massive though figures may not show it. The majority of jobs now are mostly part time on minimum wage working silly hours. I would love to have weekends, especially Sundays like back like the old days. A day of peace. Now everything is 24/7, even pubs and bars in cities are closing at later times like 12.00 or 1.00 with extended licenses.
I don't where you are, but I'm surprised you've lost the B&Q, as they're usually very popular, but perhaps there is another one in a nearby town?
My immediate local town is the same as yours. Takeaways, charity shops, betting shops, tanning salons... dominate.
My immediate local town is the same as yours. Takeaways, charity shops, betting shops, tanning salons... dominate.
ie stuff you cannot buy on line
True.
It would be quite a technological leap to stuff a donar kebab down the broadband lines.
Display MoreCarphone Warehouse will close all of its 531 standalone stores next month, in a move that will lead to 2,900 job losses.
The store closures are part of a plan to turn around the retailer's mobile business, its parent company Dixons Carphone said.
The retailer expects another 1,800 staff affected by the store closures to be able to find new jobs within the business.
There are Carphone Warehouse shops inside 305 big PC World and Curry's stores, and these won't be affected by the changes.
Carphone Warehouse said customers will be be able to go to the big stores for service while mobile offers will still be available online and the carphonewarehouse.com site will remain open.
The standalone stores, which represent 8 per cent of Dixons Carphone’s total selling space in the UK, will close on April 3.
Rationalising the outlets, no point in having a specific shop for Carphone Warehouse if there's a local PC world or Curry's.
Rationalising the outlets, no point in having a specific shop for Carphone Warehouse if there's a local PC world or Curry's.
I'm not sure if PC World/Currys sold mobile phones.Was in there recently buying a new laptop but didn't notice any phones, but then I wasn't looking for them
Seems sensible to have all their stuff under one roof but sad for the staff who will lose their jobs. They seem to specialise in youngsters for staff, either they are techie savvy or cheaper
I'm not sure if PC World/Currys sold mobile phones.Was in there recently buying a new laptop but didn't notice any phones, but then I wasn't looking for them
According to the link not all stores have a Carphone Warehouse outlet in them though that will probably change.
Pop goes another one:
Display MoreLaura Ashley has collapsed into administration after talks to rescue the chain failed due to the coronavirus, putting 2,700 jobs at risk.
The clothing and furnishing retailer has been struggling with tough high street conditions and recently warned that it needed a £15million loan to survive.
It had been doing well during the seven weeks to March 13, with trading up 24 per cent on the same period a year earlier.
However, it said the coronavirus has "had an immediate and significant impact on trading, and ongoing developments indicate that this will be a sustained national situation".
It added that its main shareholder MUI Asia Limited won't be able to step in with the money which is needed in time.
Laura Ashley said it hired advisers from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to oversee the administration on Tuesday.
If the country is closed down like France is now then this is only the start. With so many businesses teetering on the brink having to close, even for a short period, will be the end of them.
Thomas Cook travel shops were taken over by Hayes Travel. They must all now be at risk
It's a sensible move for the Dixons group. Mobile phone purchases have changed quite considerably, and will continue to change further. Paying £1k for a phone that is marginally better than a £100 is bonkers, and people are starting to realise this. I predict the price of top end phones will fall, and will fall quite soon. OK, a top end phone plays high speed games more smoothly than a cheaper model, and the camera will be a little better. However, most people now use their phones for calls, texts, browsing the interweb, and possibly watching the occasional video and YouTube clip. Purchasing a separate sim and phone is becoming the norm, whilst locking yourself in to a two year contract whilst you pay off the purchase of a phone is becoming rarer. Dixons will be able to dedicate some space into their existing stores to accommodate the high street shopper, so their decision makes perfect sense.
It's a sensible move for the Dixons group. Mobile phone purchases have changed quite considerably, and will continue to change further. Paying £1k for a phone that is marginally better than a £100 is bonkers, and people are starting to realise this. I predict the price of top end phones will fall, and will fall quite soon. OK, a top end phone plays high speed games more smoothly than a cheaper model, and the camera will be a little better. However, most people now use their phones for calls, texts, browsing the interweb, and possibly watching the occasional video and YouTube clip. Purchasing a separate sim and phone is becoming the norm, whilst locking yourself in to a two year contract whilst you pay off the purchase of a phone is becoming rarer. Dixons will be able to dedicate some space into their existing stores to accommodate the high street shopper, so their decision makes perfect sense.
Carphone Warehouse had a great run, lasted around 30 years but they have run their course. The problem is in their name, it is from another time. The problem is that they leached off all the networks, they were nothing more than a reseller so their value was undercutting. They were always in a race to the bottom because that is the market they operated in, cheaper and cheaper to stay competitive, until they could take no more. Often having their competitors as neighbours on the high street they were easy to overlook. The deal with Dixons bought them a few more time but this has been on the cards for years.
According to the link not all stores have a Carphone Warehouse outlet in them though that will probably change.
Pop goes another one:
These were both weak business' anyway and the virus just finished them off, like it will do with other weak firms. Ultimately, and assuming this virus doesn't go on for too long, strong business' will survive and with less competition.
Jonh Menzies is currently getting heavily shorted...
This is a big store in our main High Street, four floors I think. Only just up the road from Debenhams that is also teetering.
Talking of which, this article from last week gives a list of recent high st casualties and Debenhams is in trouble again:
Debenhams goes bust with 39 stores to close
(new member reminder: click the orange "Quote" lettering above to read the full article)
Will Debenhams finally die now? We've been talking about this one for ages now? (their useless perfume islands etc)
I see M&S is struggling, but I think it will pull through. Their food operations still make them a nice profit.
Pizza Express in trouble. I always liked them. Anyone here even been in one of there restaurants?
I see Jamie Oliver's restaurants have closed. All together now, ahh.... Perhaps if he served up some decent food for a decent price, he'd still be in business.
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