High Street Brands Going Bust-Who's Next?

[Med1c]

speedchick said:

Because they sell crap, its all expensive and they no long have Focus making them look good!

These reasons exactly.

[Chris77]

Adrian W said:

Thorntons
Mothercare
WH Smith
DSG

Is this likly?

Reason I ask is we are going to ask for MC vouchers for our wedding gift as we have a 'lil un' du in July.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Chris77 said:

Adrian W said:

Thorntons
Mothercare
WH Smith
DSG

Is this likly?

Reason I ask is we are going to ask for MC vouchers for our wedding gift as we have a 'lil un' du in July.

I wouldn't ask for vouchers in anything at the moment I'm afraid

[williamp]

g3org3y said:

Adrian W said:

WH Smith

Not sure about these tbh.

Their larger/main stores are a little on the sparse side and I can't imagine they sell much in terms of DVDs/CDs etc as they are quite a bit more expensive than online equivalents. Plus from a book point of view, Waterstones comprehensively beats WHS in terms of range/stock. The only thing WHS is any good for is its magazine selection which always susprises me.

Their smaller stores at train stations and the like are always packed ime and act more as convenience stores selling lots of sandwiches, drinks etc. Probably what's keeping them going.

I am surprised a library sells all the sweets, crisps etc. It makes it quite noisy when I'm reading

[Deva Link]

funkyrobot said:

Agree. DSG are doing very well indeed. They have also embraced the internet way of doing things and do well in that area too.

Hmm..."very well indeed" is probably stretching it - they're bound to have got a decent bounce in the UK from Comet closing. They're struggling in other regions though.

[Deva Link]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Chris77 said:

Adrian W said:

Thorntons
Mothercare
WH Smith
DSG

Is this likly?

Reason I ask is we are going to ask for MC vouchers for our wedding gift as we have a 'lil un' du in July.

I wouldn't ask for vouchers in anything at the moment I'm afraid

Mothercare aren't in any immediate danger, but agree with the above - buying vouchers, particularly as some may be for chunky amounts, is just an un-necessary risk.

[Steameh]

I have often wondered how long Halfords can keep going. If we had the American WalMarts here they would be absolutely screwed.

[gingerpaul]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I think it will be interesting to see if they get new stock to fill the empty spaces appearing on their shelves. Fingers crossed they'll survive.

[Adrian W]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Maplin Make huge gross margins, so if they have got their overhaeds sorted they should be Ok, they sell discreet components for about 100 times my buy price.

[Miguel Alvarez]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I kind of agree with this. I'd never buy from Maplins if I knew I needed something but back in my dj days there have been numerous times I've needed a cable or connector or light system last minute and they've been open after work long enough for me to run down there and pay the price for the convenience.

Plus they're not as intimidating as a specialist shop can sometimes be. I can send the missus in there at lunch time and tell her to pick me up a jack to phono cable and she'll be comfortable. Some specialist shops are run by nerds who seem to take pride in mocking someone who doesn't quite know what they're looking for.

As for some of the others mentioned. Without looking at their accounts I can't see specialist high end stuff going to the wall bar a complete management balls up.

[Sargeant Orange]

BHS - it's either empty with 100 staff or full of old people buying socks for a couple of quid. The interiors are really dated too.

Holland & Barrett - always empty

[turbobloke]

Deva Link said:

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Chris77 said:

Adrian W said:

Thorntons
Mothercare
WH Smith
DSG

Is this likly?

Reason I ask is we are going to ask for MC vouchers for our wedding gift as we have a 'lil un' du in July.

I wouldn't ask for vouchers in anything at the moment I'm afraid

Mothercare aren't in any immediate danger, but agree with the above - buying vouchers, particularly as some may be for chunky amounts, is just an un-necessary risk.

Agree with the Mothercare possibility, there may be enough middle class mums willing to pay the price for nothing special but whenever I walk past the local store it's virtually empty. Also agree with the vouchers recommendation, it's an unnecessary risk from any outlet.

[Gibson70]

The internet isn't at fault... the fault lies with the companies who haven't kept up with the times. HMV... people download music from itunes etc, HMV didn't cotton onto that and do it themselves! Blockbuster... you've now got netflix and lovefilm... why didn't blockbuster do their own version? I know who I would have signed up with if they had done it... yes it's a shame so many companies are disappearing, but that's the price they're paying for not keeping up with trends

[speedchick]

Our mothercare closed down a few years ago, HMV moved in, but they closed last year, it's now JD Sports, Toymaster is moving into the empty JD shop.

Hmm, Toymaster, now there's another one, never have anything in, and what they do have is over priced, also never seem to see any customers in there.

[turbobloke]

Gibson70 said:

The internet isn't at fault... the fault lies with the companies who haven't kept up with the times.

Evolve and adapt or go to the wall.

The marketplace doesn't tolerate obsolete lemons for long.

[gingerpaul]

Sargeant Orange said:

Holland & Barrett - always empty

I have never got this shop. The margins must be high on everything in there is all I can think.

[lauda]

greygoose said:

Bang & Olufsen

Interesting one this. I was only commenting to someone the other day that I'd quite like to work in one of their shops as I don't think I've ever seen a customer in one! I have no idea at all what their financial position is like but the store near me in Southampton can't sell more than a handful of products each week.

Perhaps their margins are sufficiently large that this is actually financially viable?

[dozydavenport]

Manks said:

These two I can see going yes.

Based upon our local store I often wonder how Debenhams survives. It's poor when compared to John Lewis or House of Frazer. I presume they must do better online or in other towns.

My mum works for debenhams and says the total opposite, she says they cant get people out quick enough and her contracted hours have just been doubled, whether or not this means everywhere is doing well or just this one is a different matter!

[Deva Link]

turbobloke said:

Gibson70 said:

The internet isn't at fault... the fault lies with the companies who haven't kept up with the times.

Evolve and adapt or go to the wall.

The marketplace doesn't tolerate obsolete lemons for long.

I blame car parking (awkward to get into, small spaces, expensive) myself. Although I think that's something that bothers men more than it does women.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

lauda said:

greygoose said:

Bang & Olufsen

Interesting one this. I was only commenting to someone the other day that I'd quite like to work in one of their shops as I don't think I've ever seen a customer in one! I have no idea at all what their financial position is like but the store near me in Southampton can't sell more than a handful of products each week.

Perhaps their margins are sufficiently large that this is actually financially viable?

Are they not like Sony shop etc & just a franchise? How many shops do thy have if they are owned?