Whos next?

[Damini]

Friday I found out I've lost my job at Habitat (from the newspapers... cheers for that, Habitat!) and since then we've heard that Jane Norman, Mothercare, Comet, Clinton Cards, Focus DIY and HMV are either shutting down or closing stores, not to mention Oddbins who died a death a while back...

So, let's make a death pool for well known businesses. I'm thinking Blockbuster next (our one looks like a backdrop for a zombie movie) or Pastimes.

 

[Gwadien]

Well, there's a place in my city centre, which has been a 'entertainment' shop, which has seen many entertainment stores, that shut down, because lack of interest in it, now there's a place called That's Entertainment opening there, so I've applied a job for there, like a foo'

 

[cHodAX]

Friday I found out I've lost my job at Habitat (from the newspapers... cheers for that, Habitat!) and since then we've heard that Jane Norman, Mothercare, Comet, Clinton Cards, Focus DIY and HMV are either shutting down or closing stores, not to mention Oddbins who died a death a while back...

So, let's make a death pool for well known businesses. I'm thinking Blockbuster next (our one looks like a backdrop for a zombie movie) or Pastimes.

Most of the local Blockbuster near me have gone, that is a dying trade anyway but the last 12 months the places have had more tumbleweed blowing through than customers.

Local shops are badly hurting too, we have had 3 decent cafe/coffee places close in the last two months. Just heard that our Jamacian takeway is closing down, the gift shop 4 doors up went bust in January, a couple of hairdressers and a bakery have also vanished too. The high street is starting to look a bit empty.

 

[Everz]

Game?

Quite weird as both Cheltenham and Wolverhampton seem to have stayed ok with most stores still open.

 

[cHodAX]

Game?

They are in big big trouble afaik. Over-expanded in the good times, have closed down about 1/3rd of thier stores so far and a friend in the business tells me they could be looking at shedding the same amount again because retail game sales have gone through the floor.

 

[Dudley52]

About time PC world was gone

 

[cHodAX]

About time PC world was gone

Don't see it happening, the margains are so high on shit like printer ink and usb cables. A huge proportion of the country with computers by all thier accessories and consumables from there.

 

[Wij]

Bad businesses die. There's been too much propping up of crap businesses for the sake of jobs (no offence Lou, you didn't cause Habitat to fail afaik )

I would never consider going into Habitat. Ikea sell nicer stuff for 1/4 of the price (traffic jams are a pain admittedly.) Otherwise I can buy stuff cheaper online and it arrives at my door.

A lot of high-street stores won't survive. They don't give customers what they want.

 

[Ch3tan]

All the same names that were in trouble a few years ago, still in trouble. It's a surprise to me that they've lasted so long.

I've been in your shoes Lou (well kind of, I quit before the shit hit the fan), but Wij is right, you can't prop up bad businesses for the sake of jobs.

 

[rynnor]

I think home improvement/furniture/carpet and kitchen/bathroom fitting places will go next.

These are all fundamentally driven by the house market which is poor/declining.

 

[cHodAX]

Bad businesses die. There's been too much propping up of crap businesses for the sake of jobs (no offence Lou, you didn't cause Habitat to fail afaik )

I would never consider going into Habitat. Ikea sell nicer stuff for 1/4 of the price (traffic jams are a pain admittedly.) Otherwise I can buy stuff cheaper online and it arrives at my door.

A lot of high-street stores won't survive. They don't give customers what they want.

Yep, Habitat was an aspirational concept and nothing more. They were selling the same stuff as Ikea but in nicer settings and at silly prices, that business has no place given the current state of the economy, you either go mass market and price accordingly or go niche/premium to keep your edge. Sitting in the middle just sets you up to fail.

 

[Wij]

I think home improvement/furniture/carpet and kitchen/bathroom fitting places will go next.

These are all fundamentally driven by the house market which is poor/declining.

Yep - because it went out of control in the early 2000s

 

[DaGaffer]

All book, game and music/DVD chains will be gone in the next five years max (probably less). Possible exception for Smiths because the wholesale business props up retail, but since newspapers and magazines are fucked as well (in print form), maybe not.

GAME's store expansion (and the purchase of GameStation) - madness. They probably had too many stores when I was there, never mind now.

Just heard my sister-in-law has been made redundant from a magazine company after nearly 20 years

 

[Ch3tan]

Isn't Smiths distribution and wholesale business completely separate from it's retail business though?

 

[Wij]

Smiths station stores must turn a profit. Town centre (unless tourist traps) no chance.

 

[rynnor]

Another thought would be Ocado 30 odd million revenue to make 200k profit?

Their non-competition agreement with waitrose soon ends and all the big supermarkets are improving their web delivery services.

I think Ocado missed its chance - took too long to go to the markets for cash to expand and will now face erosion of its customer base..

 

[DaGaffer]

Isn't Smiths distribution and wholesale business completely separate from it's retail business though?

Well, well, so it is (I've not been keeping up to speed obviously). Demerged because the retail business was in trouble and they couldn't flog it, which tells you all you need to know.

Didn't know Smiths owned Funkypigeon.com...

Wij, train stations are high turnover, but they're also ridiculous rents.

 

[Laddey]

Blockbusters in Ptown is huge and if you go around 7pm every single night the queue is atleast 10+ people out the door.
Its absolutly heaving.


The games in Blockbuster are like £5 more expensive than in GAME.

 

[Ch3tan]

Blockbusters in Ptown is huge and if you go around 7pm every single night the queue is atleast 10+ people out the door.
Its absolutly heaving.


The games in Blockbuster are like £5 more expensive than in GAME.

They are in trouble, their highstreet business is dead, that one store is an exception to the rule. They also missed the boat on subscription rentals and content delivery. They can't compete with love film. It's a company that's dead but hasn't quite realised it yet.

Also their us arm is in lots of financial trouble too, and they are still the same company afaik.

 

[Laddey]

Sorry to take the thread slightly off-topic but its aimed towards Chet.


Have you used Love Film mate? Is it actually any good? I'll take a read up on it but i do prefer peoples opinions on such matters.

 

[cHodAX]

Blockbusters in Ptown is huge and if you go around 7pm every single night the queue is atleast 10+ people out the door.
Its absolutly heaving.


The games in Blockbuster are like £5 more expensive than in GAME.

The residents of Preston are 5 years behind the rest of the world then mate.

 

[Cerb]

Sorry to take the thread slightly off-topic but its aimed towards Chet.


Have you used Love Film mate? Is it actually any good? I'll take a read up on it but i do prefer peoples opinions on such matters.

Can't say definitively for Love Film, but I have the U.S. equivalent and I'd definitely recommend it. The instant options alone make it worth twice what they charge for it.

 

[Ch3tan]

Fucking lol cho

And laddey no, but I know lots that do. Wazzer I believe is a big fan.

 

[Laddey]

The residents of Preston are 5 years behind the rest of the world then mate.

Lol looks like it!

 

[Raven]

Game. Useless company run by people who have no idea about the industry they are in.
Waterstones. Failure to move with the times
PC world/Dixons. Both of the above, nobody wants to pay 2x as much as they need to on the shit they peddle there. Internet > Pointless electronics stores.

Sorry to hear that you lost your job Damini

 

[cHodAX]

Fucking lol cho

And laddey no, but I know lots that do. Wazzer I believe is a big fan.

It wasn't an insult mate, more an observation, I have spent some time there and just like Manchester gets the latest fashions 6-12 months after London in most cases, Preston tends to lag behind the bigger cities with certain trends. It isn't a fashionable place, the people are fairly savvy but it isn't a wealthy place and they are kind of starved for good shopping etc. Blockbuster probably killed off all the local DVD rental places and have a monopoly on the market there, most of the locals probably don't know much about Lovefilm and the ones that do know don't trust the robbing bastard postmen.

 

[Zenith.UK]

Friday I found out I've lost my job at Habitat (from the newspapers... cheers for that, Habitat!) and since then we've heard that Jane Norman, Mothercare, Comet, Clinton Cards, Focus DIY and HMV are either shutting down or closing stores, not to mention Oddbins who died a death a while back...

The company I work for had the EPOS maintenance contracts for Habitat, Jane Norman and (some time ago) Focus DIY. We currently have Mothercare, W.H.Smith (high street & travel), Halfords, Iceland and a bunch of others.
Mothercare are looking to close town centre stores and concentrate on out of town stores.
BBC News - Mothercare to close a quarter of UK stores

Some people are speculating about the future of Iceland Foods as Landesbanki (which owns most of the company) is looking to sell it's stake. Given what I know of Malcolm Walker's attitude, he'd rather buy up the share and keep the company trading as it is.
FT.com / Retail & Consumer - Iceland chief secures funds for buy-out offer

JJB Sports are struggling. They escaped going into administration this spring, but their money and time are limited.
FT.com / Companies / Retail - JJB warns restructuring could take five years

And these aren't small stores. These are national chains with hundreds of stores up and down the country.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

LoveFilm is pretty aces. Loads of delivery services and options, watch on pc or PS3 (which is surprisingly good, never once had to buffer) and if it's got a UK release they have it. Well worth a couple of quid a month if you watch films IMO.

 

[MYstIC G]

Releases on lovefilm streaming are bullshit though and they do "pay extra" crap. It's wank like iTunes.

 

[GimmlyThe3rd]

Why game never tapped into the Online retailing and Distributing who knows. But Steam and EA did fairly well, now it's pretty much too late.