Soldato
No answer then?
New Look on the rocks
- Thread starter Diddums
- Start date
Man of Honour
Do you work for them or own shares or something?
Associate
Bunnings is a mega giant who have swallowed up every other DIY stores in Australia and will probably do the same here so I can't see them going unless everyone in the UK stops doing stuff to their houses.
I think some more clothing stores like fatface will go.
I think some more clothing stores like fatface will go.
Fatface? The store that expanded rapidly with double digit growth last year?
Soldato
Homebase or Carphone Warehouse.
Both in big trouble.
Both in big trouble.
Soldato
Is CarpetRight a franchise?
Our local CarpetRight was cheaper and better quality than any local store.
Soldato
A shame about the jobs but I've been expecting this for years now. Men's section used to be a floor, then half a floor, then a corner of a floor and now in my City there's just a hat and glove stand for men. They used to have a nice range when I was a student.
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 May 2005
- Posts
- 6,891
Surprised at people talking about Dixon's carphone.
Yes they've had a hard time but they've been cleaning up bad debt since 2009 and used the cash ritch CPW to pay off more when they merged. They could easily close a lot of standalone CPW stores as they've been completing the 3 in 1 brand.
Massive buying power is a big factor.
Yes they've had a hard time but they've been cleaning up bad debt since 2009 and used the cash ritch CPW to pay off more when they merged. They could easily close a lot of standalone CPW stores as they've been completing the 3 in 1 brand.
Massive buying power is a big factor.
Sainsbury's sold them years ago and they got hoovered up into the Home retail group, HRG divested of Homebase in the build up to being acquired by Sainsbury's.
I can't see Homebase going under in the near to medium future - their new owner has enough buying power to keep them afloat but in the long term I think we will see some contraction of the DIY store presence in the UK.
Unfortunately the likes of Amazon have made a lot of the traditional high street untenable in the long run and a lot of the types of businesses that will long term make up a presence on the high street can't afford the kind of rents the property owners are demanding which is also helping to hasten the departure of some of the current businesses from the high street almost ironically.
EDIT: There is potentially a lot of money to be made from New Look by the right owner however without having to wait until they [maybe] go under and pick off the carcass - IMO a shrewd move would be someone like Marks and Spencer acquiring them and optimising the store presence of both companies to reduce rent and increase footfall and leveraging the market potential of both brands.
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Caporegime
£1.2b in debt! Billion!!!
How is that possible?!
How is that possible?!
Soldato
Would taxing online purchases and using the money raised reduce business rates on shops under a certain size help being back the traditional High Street?
Just a thought.
Just a thought.
There is still the convenience aspect, etc. and people's shopping habits and use for the high street in general has shifted fundamentally - you can't force it back to how it was - well you can try but it would stifle progress, etc.
Soldato
As long as demand for the High Street continues to fall, trying to fudge things so shops can stay open is an exercise in futility. Bricks and mortar shops will only survive with the right USP (e.g. bulky stuff Amazon can’t be cheaper on or niche stuff you can’t get online).
Really? We just bought a bed from them. They massively knocked a beds price down and chucked in loads of extras. Great warranty too.
Soldato
New Look gone? Doesn't make much difference to the high street really, because nowadays the high street entirely comprises of:
- gambling shops
- charity shops
- phone shops
- coffee shops
- pawnbrokers
- gambling shops
- charity shops
- phone shops
- coffee shops
- pawnbrokers
, i hope they survive because i want my money.
Soldato
Always wondered how some of the department stores managed to survive this long. I know John Lewis were in a bit of trouble 10-15 years ago before they started focussing on brand identity.
Debenhams stores always seems quite shabby to me too, Oxford Street has a good number of department stores and if you go in any of the others and then pop into Debenhams it's like taking a trip back in time. Not a fan.