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  • Retail slump / sales down – anyone else?
  • RustyNissanPrairie
    Full Member

    Wife has a small clothing/fashion accessories shop in the Rossendale Valley, been open for 3 years. Sales have always been pretty consistent but the last month or so they have been unseasonally really down, also the rest of the shops in the village have been quiet. Happening as well in Ramsbottom that has always been pretty strong.

    Anyone else in retail noticed a decline recently?

    shermer75
    Free Member

    Could be everyone waiting to see how deep the cuts will be…

    cloudnine
    Free Member

    Not just the last month but this whole year has been quieter

    nickc
    Full Member

    weather has been a bit rubbish for May?

    the-muffin-man
    Full Member

    UK Sales bounding ahead according to CBI!…
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32880099

    But yep – weather has been rubbish. People are still in their winter clobber.

    zippykona
    Full Member

    Our first quarter was our best ever.
    May has been slow in the week but good on Saturdays.
    Some offices nearby are being converted to flats so have lost that lunch time business.

    project
    Free Member

    Its afecting everyone in buissness, work has gone quiet in building trade, the depots are empty, cycle shops when you walk in the staff jump on you to sell stuff, and due to cuts, redundancies, job loses due to bankrupt companies ,its going to get worse as peeps cut back as they dont know if theyll have a kjob at the end of the month.
    Around here, PC WORLD , 2 x TESCO HOME Stores, Homebase, and Morrisons have all closed realitively new shops all in the last 3 months.

    hora
    Free Member

    OP – any changes to local parking (charges etc) recently?

    Any road closures/access etc to the area -or anyone opened up nearby recently?

    The only other thing that I can think of is 1/2 term in the area?

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    project – Member

    Its afecting everyone in buissness, work has gone quiet in building trade, the depots are empty, cycle shops when you walk in the staff jump on you to sell stuff, and due to cuts, redundancies, job loses due to bankrupt companies ,its going to get worse as peeps cut back as they dont know if theyll have a kjob at the end of the month.
    Around here, PC WORLD , 2 x TESCO HOME Stores, Homebase, and Morrisons have all closed realitively new shops all in the last 3 months.

    Completely different here, we’re in IT Support and Sales. we’re busier than we have been in years and recruiting. We’ve got clients who are coming back to us after a couple of years of going without because they’re more confident and their sales are up. A recruitment agent I know has says that this year is the first year since 2008 that they’re actually looking for candidates after 5 years of having a few dozen CVs a day in, they’ve got more vacancies than decent candidates.

    Your local issues are probably caused by the problems of the retailers you mention rather than any current trends.

    Tesco & Morrisons are all suffering at the moment, not because of any external forces, but bad management – they’re at the end of a long boom period for supermarkets – Tesco are deep in the shit for being too aggressive in expansion, over valuing land they owned to borrow for more stores – they’ve had to issues all sorts of profit warning and retract accounts. Morrisons were too conservative and got left behind because they failed to offer and online shopping service or loyalty scheme until very recently. They’ll be back though.

    Homebase are in the midst of a national restructure after years of circling the drain and will close 25% of it’s stores by 2019 – the ones that remain will be reorganised to include an Argos click and collect store as Argos own them.

    PC World is still restricting after merging with Currys – most out of town places have a PC World and a Currys and they have a huge cross-over of products – that won’t last forever – the PC Worlds are being closed down and their products merged into mini-PC worlds within Currys.

    midlifecrashes
    Full Member

    Either destination shopping (Trafford centre, Meadowhall, White Rose, make it a day out etc) or buying online/mail order (with free returns via the store or collect+ corner shop) is where it’s at.

    And yes, you won’t get summer dress sales when the customers are in boots and fleeces. Seasonal stuff can always do with a good couple of weeks weather at Easter to kick start the buying.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Around here, PC WORLD , 2 x TESCO HOME Stores, Homebase, and Morrisons have all closed realitively new shops all in the last 3 months.

    Where is here? Sounds pretty bleak….

    gearfreak
    Free Member

    Jan and Feb were the best we’ve had for a couple of years, but then Mar and April were pretty bad. May is looking OK so far, so for the year we’re about even. I think the election had an effect as well as early easter.

    twinw4ll
    Free Member

    The world economy is in a downward spiral and there is nothing anyone can do about it, we is DOOMED. 🙁 All we can hope for in this country, is a credit fueled mini boom followed by the inevitable bust.
    Tis funny how we never hear about the balance of payments anymore, probably the most important economic indicator.

    brooess
    Free Member

    I wouldn’t take an overly local view of it myself… global economy is not looking too good. Russia, China, Brazil, USA, Eurozone, UK all underperforming against expectations, in deflation or recession…

    I’ve been reading the FT a lot recently and it’s not got a particularly positive tone… lots of concern that the underlying issues leading to 2008 have not been resolved, overwhelming amounts of debt, frothy property bubbles all round the world and very little room for manoeuvre by central banks if things start to slip. Historically there’s a recession c every ten years… next one’s due in c 3 years therefore.

    Best case scenario is one of slow growth… personally I’m revisiting my expectations of an ever-increasing income and standard of living…

    RustyNissanPrairie
    Full Member

    OP – any changes to local parking (charges etc) recently?

    Any road closures/access etc to the area -or anyone opened up nearby recently?

    The only other thing that I can think of is 1/2 term in the area?

    no changes to parking (free) or any competition opening up.
    The weather has been rubbish but the Mrs delayed bringing the spring summer stock out.
    We just seem to be experiencing the opposite of what the CBI and radio4 last night (highest disposable income ever) are saying!

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