I wouuldn’t count on Blacks/Millets being around for too much longer…

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hEQNSs4iogR1nns8qL3iyHXafVPQ?docId=N0484621324020798389A

And with a subdued chr*stm*s spend and rents due on the next quater day there may be a few more whitewashed windows on the high street…

Priceless shoes has just gone, Thomas Cook is closing shops, a major electrical retailer is a possible, arcadia group also closing shops,we can only hope most of thre mobile phone shops go, along with all the ones who feed fat people fried burgers and shakes.

There should be quite a bit of space for new entrants, or Tesco metros then.

Sometimes it’s not because they’re unprofitable though. An independent outdoor stuff shop closed in ‘Nam in October and I was talking to the owner during the closing down sale. He was telling me that they were negotiating the rent, and the landlord refused to come down to a sensible level because then the rentable value of the property would be lower than he needed for the bank to continue the commercial loan that it was securing. It was better for the landlord to have an empty premises with a notional rentable value of, say £3000pm, than an occupied premises bringing in £2000pm.

So the guy decided that although the shop was doing okay, the rent being asked was too high, and closed the shop (it was one of a small chain).

Crazy situation, and all too common I’d imagine.

I got me some cheap Oakleys from Blacks at the weekend… very happy indeed.

Everything that can go online will do. That leaves, broadly, cafés and hairdressers.

Empty retail units are going to need a new purpose (commercial or residential) somehow.

I love the outdoors yet I never shop at Millets or Blacks. I once walked into Blacks with my dog and was asked to leave by the Manager. I said ‘is this an outdoors shop’? To which he replied ‘its a retailer Sir’.

Fine (that branch shut).

On Thomas Cook, crackers. Nowadays lots of sites have arisen and people book flights/hotels seperately/tailor their holidays and have you seen the pricing of Thomas Cook etc holidays if you book in advance! Overpriced tat.

Bad retailers always go bust. Its happened eternally. Both Woolies and Habitat (who I worked for in their head offices went bust for good reason). Years ago when I was there there was a consensus internally that their way of working was barking.

The massive expansion of coffee shops chains should be due for a cull. Ridiculous on the amount thats sprung up.

who I worked for in their head offices went bust for good reason

I’ve just had an epiphany.

(who I worked for in their head offices went bust for good reason).

Becasue you worked for them…? 😉

**Hi fives TSY!** 😀

I went into Blacks yesterday, they were having a 50% off sale, with an extra 25% off for 1 day only!

Other than rucksacks, they had nothing in a size that would fit 95% of the population 👿

edit: go outdoors will price match -10%…. ummm… going shopping now!

hora – Member
I love the outdoors yet I never shop at Millets or Blacks. I once walked into Blacks with my dog and was asked to leave by the Manager.

the dog was allowed to stay, presumably?

From memory Woolies had 24 promotional periods each year where stock was put on the shelves, taken off and replaced, constantly. Burnt alot of staff out planning those.

Then there was the buyer-led Habitat..best sellers were rebought/cancelled.

the dog was allowed to stay, presumably?

The Administrator will be asked to stay.

I’ve just had an epiphany.

I’ve just had a custard cream. (not a euphemism)

HMV?

HMV will survive. I think he means Comet.

Are you working at Comet then Hora?

I left well before they went bust. Don’t attempt stand up comedy, it’d be a short career.

A friend’s brother was an assistant manager in a HMV. He saw the way they were heading and left. They’ll not be around on the High Street for long, but I think it’ll be a tactical withdrawal to the internet, rather than a death.

Every time I go into WHSmiths, it reminds me more and more of what Woolies was like. No real focus to what they’re selling and too much stock crammed into too small a space. I’d not be surprised if they went or scaled back.

WHSMiths- Good call. When you see shops with older shop fittings, not been updated for a while you know somethings not right.

Sadly (we’ve had great service from them) I’ve seen a few Comet stores with tired carpet etc etc in their stores 🙁

WHSmiths a couple of years back at the height of the first recession were doing pretty well I believe (I went for an interview at their Head Office).

Pretty much had a monopoloy on all airport and rail news outlets. Cramming the shops with crap was part of the strategy at the time and their FD was sure it was working.

I’m sat here working for the administrators at Barratts Priceless Head Office waiting to know our fate ……

It ain’t much fun …. I made it through the last admin … no idea about this time though 🙁

I think there will be a shock retailer fail. One we don’t know about (no warnings etc).

Bookshops next, sadly.

As for Blacks, they’ve been way too expensive for far too long:
I would imagine Decathlon have taken an awful lot of their business.

I think there will be a shock retailer fail.

Fox?

Rockshox?

DT Swiss?

HMV have just cancelled our order from a couple of weeks ago. Brilliant. With service like that they don’t deserve to be in business.

We’ve just ordered the same item from Tesco and it will be available for in-store collection in a couple of days.

One of these companies is a retail Panzer Division and the other is going down the tubes. I wonder why. 🙄

“Best Buy” electrical retailers shuts up shop in January online and stores. Not around that long a joint venture with Carphone Warehouse iirc. Got my sons present from them this year as they were much cheaper than the other usual suspects, then an email stating they are to be no more , shame.

I think there will be a shock retailer fail

Wiggle…….Merlin?

Be interesting to see what happens when amazon sort out their online grocery business.

I can’t see any high street product retailer that you can’t but online having an easy ride in next few years. Maybe fashion will survive?

I’ll chuck my chips on Debenham saying bye bye as the shocker.

was in HMV recently for the first time in a couple of years and was a bit shocked by how little music they had. It was never my favourite music shop but was happy enough to in and have a browse of the music and dvds and would usually purchase something…but what little they had was just a mess and not much better than the shitty, narrow selection you’d get in a large tesco with a music section.

I still go to physical shops for clothes and shoes since fit is so important. Where you can see as much online as you can in a shop I think the shop will struggle.

Wasn’t wiggle recently bought/sold?

Some retail analysts believed Sports Direct, which has challenged Blacks in recent months with its discount outdoor brands Karrimor and Field & Trek
😥

What about one of the chemists/cosmetic stores to go? Lloyds, Boots, Superdrug…

Or an opticians…

Thorntons.

Loads of very high % sales, and a luxury good that is now in quite a crowded market.

Or an opticians…

I imagine, we would see that coming…..

let’s hope it’s all the greeting card shops

Thortons won’t fail.

HMV worries me with their constant sales. I like HMV 🙁 by default they now own Fopps who I really like 🙁

A lot of online bikeshops are offering 15-20% off at the moment but one is naughtily offering ‘cheap’ prices fraudulently. They recently raised their prices then went into sale. No not merlin,crc or wiggle. Its not a traditional onliner but its bloody rude.

Hora – Is that not quite common? I am sure tesco/comet etc all practise a similar “sale” ploy.

I think as long as you have the price higher for a week, you can then discount it again and splatter sale all over it.

Could we see an end of chemists? Get drugs online, but wait a day for delivery – is that easier or not?

So the point about everything that can go online will is broadly true but all of us sometimes want stuff right now rather than in 24 hours

Look and feel items – clothes (bikes?) also probably have a niche – but how many of us go in take a butchers and then buy it cheaper online?

Back to chemists – do we value advice? If you want a chat happy to do that online ?

Think we will see a mix of retail highstreet and online but probably much less physical retailers than we have now

Who’s dead – Game – superfast broadband pay as you go downloads plus online discounts will leave them with very little reason to exist

I’m utterly amazed Blockbusters is still in business.

I personally think CycleSurgery/Snow n Rock are one to watch.

Think its google who are bringing out an app, so yu scan the product instore, and the app tells you where its cheaper on the net.

Shop owners are not happy, as they say they will just be showrooms.

one is naughtily offering ‘cheap’ prices fraudulently. They recently raised their prices then went into sale. No not merlin,crc or wiggle. Its not a traditional onliner but its bloody rude.

Pretty sure Halfords have been doing that annually for years now.