First retail ‘name’ to pop off 2018

[Tryke3]

Brooking10 said:

Well they are certainly economical with the genius.....

Current brexiteers are even worse with their calculations and err.... hope&dreams

[Fittster]

Henri LLoyd.
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-new...

Always liked their stuff more than Musto but no time / money for messing about with boats anymore.

[In Arduis Fouette]

Fittster said:

Henri LLoyd.
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-new...

Always liked their stuff more than Musto but no time / money for messing about with boats anymore.

did H-L still make sailing kit - i thought they sold out to the townie tt market years ago , unlike Musto and Gill , although Musto did do more 'normal 'stuff viatheoir equestrian ranges

[C.A.R.]

Helped survey the HoF Oxford St store earlier this year. The building is ruined. The tender was delayed /changed, something to do with change of use for the top 2 floors (currently unused; full of junk and old CRT monitors, pigeons and lots of broken windows!).
I suspected there was more to it then and sadly been proven right. That project won't be happening now!

Amazing just how little investment there is in the buildings on what must be an incredibly profitable, busy high street.

[condor]

I went into a Maplins store for the first time today, only because I saw a big window sign saying '5 days to go' and '80% off everything'. I bought a 'rubber dust blower' for the princely sum of £1.05 which I thought might come in useful one day If that was the 80% off price then the original price was way too high.

[PurpleMoonlight]

C.A.R. said:

Helped survey the HoF Oxford St store earlier this year. The building is ruined. The tender was delayed /changed, something to do with change of use for the top 2 floors (currently unused; full of junk and old CRT monitors, pigeons and lots of broken windows!).
I suspected there was more to it then and sadly been proven right. That project won't be happening now!

Amazing just how little investment there is in the buildings on what must be an incredibly profitable, busy high street.

If it was increadibly profitable they wouldn't be closing it surely?

I think I heard on the news that the business rates are £4.2M pa on it.

[poo at Paul's]

condor said:

I went into a Maplins store for the first time today, only because I saw a big window sign saying '5 days to go' and '80% off everything'. I bought a 'rubber dust blower' for the princely sum of £1.05 which I thought might come in useful one day If that was the 80% off price then the original price was way too high.

£5.29? Yeah, who's got that kinda coin...!! ?

[condor]

It's something you'd expect to find in Poundland! and doubt if it cost more than 20p to make

[MYOB]

C.A.R. said:

Helped survey the HoF Oxford St store earlier this year. The building is ruined. The tender was delayed /changed, something to do with change of use for the top 2 floors (currently unused; full of junk and old CRT monitors, pigeons and lots of broken windows!).
I suspected there was more to it then and sadly been proven right. That project won't be happening now!

Amazing just how little investment there is in the buildings on what must be an incredibly profitable, busy high street.

I personally don't think Oxford St can be deemed as "an incredibly profitable, busy high street". Yes it's busy but apart from Selfridges, there's not much that sets it apart from down the road in Regent Street.

[anonymous-user]

poo at Paul's said:

condor said:

I went into a Maplins store for the first time today, only because I saw a big window sign saying '5 days to go' and '80% off everything'. I bought a 'rubber dust blower' for the princely sum of £1.05 which I thought might come in useful one day If that was the 80% off price then the original price was way too high.

£5.29? Yeah, who's got that kinda coin...!! ?

Me too this afternoon. The only stuff they had left was their own label
Some ok wireless mice for £4.50p most of the remaining stuff was pretty naff

One industrious lad was tasked with bagging up stuff as a sort of lucky did multi buy package
Slipped the guys some cash to get them lunch on Monday or a drink or whatever as thanks for past times .
Will miss them

[Sa Calobra]

When I worked in supply chain Hof offered me a job which I declined.

I thought their way of working, forecasting demand etc etc was archaic. This was going back 15yrs as well. Great place I used to visit but ultimately stuck in some weird time trap.

[FourWheelDrift]

MYOB said:

I personally don't think Oxford St can be deemed as "an incredibly profitable, busy high street". Yes it's busy but apart from Selfridges, there's not much that sets it apart from down the road in Regent Street.

Its the honeypot for tourists and organised Romanian shoplifting gangs.

[hyphen]

MYOB said:

C.A.R. said:

Helped survey the HoF Oxford St store earlier this year. The building is ruined. The tender was delayed /changed, something to do with change of use for the top 2 floors (currently unused; full of junk and old CRT monitors, pigeons and lots of broken windows!).
I suspected there was more to it then and sadly been proven right. That project won't be happening now!

Amazing just how little investment there is in the buildings on what must be an incredibly profitable, busy high street.

I personally don't think Oxford St can be deemed as "an incredibly profitable, busy high street". Yes it's busy but apart from Selfridges, there's not much that sets it apart from down the road in Regent Street.

The curved nature of regent Street works against it in my opinion. And it is also wider and relatively more work to cross over the road.

Regent Street is also more stricter on branding and look and feel of the exterior, so customers have to actually look at the shops, very easy to pass by shops/not notice ones on the other side if not concentrating.

Oxford Street has the global recognition, and shop branding is very prominent.

[gizlaroc]

hyphen said:

Oxford Street has the global recognition, and shop branding is very prominent.

But most of it is a sthole, where as Regent Street feels like a capital city High Street should feel.

The only shop I use on Oxford Street is John Lewis, but I park in Cavendish Square so come out directly opposite the back door into the store.

Oxford Street just feels dated and tired, as do many high streets in cities across the UK, pick any city and the cool places to be won't be on the main high street anymore like they were a couple of decades ago.

[Sa Calobra]

Everytime I visit London if it's centre I visit Soho, Covent Garden. Or the backstreets parallel to Oxford St at a push.

I've not been on Oxford road for years. Take all the buses out of it and you'll start to get somewhere more people/shopper friendly. At the 'moment' it's noisy, busy and no fun.

[gizlaroc]

Sa Calobra said:

Everytime I visit London if it's centre I visit Soho, Covent Garden. Or the backstreets parallel to Oxford St at a push.

I've not been on Oxford road for years. Take all the buses out of it and you'll start to get somewhere more people/shopper friendly. At the 'moment' it's noisy, busy and no fun.

Bond St and South Molton etc. is still nice imho.

But for decent shopping I think places like Shoreditch, the old Spitafields Market, Lamb Street and the surrounding shops are much nicer.

All the big brands have small units there, and it feels a bit more special, you get to know the staff there, it is more personal, in a department store you just don't get that.

[vikingaero]

In Arduis Fouette said:

Fittster said:

Henri LLoyd.
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-new...

Always liked their stuff more than Musto but no time / money for messing about with boats anymore.

did H-L still make sailing kit - i thought they sold out to the townie tt market years ago , unlike Musto and Gill , although Musto did do more 'normal 'stuff viatheoir equestrian ranges

I agree, HL was a decent brand that expanded from their traditional market to townie fashion. Townie fashion is fickle and the cost of supporting all these expanded shops must have been crippling. I see the brand being Phoenixed by the owners for £1 and relaunched in a few years.

[Tryke3]

FourWheelDrift said:

Its the honeypot for tourists and organised Romanian shoplifting gangs.

You know, walked in oxford circus all my adult life, never have i been robbed of my belongings

[FourWheelDrift]

Tryke3 said:

FourWheelDrift said:

Its the honeypot for tourists and organised Romanian shoplifting gangs.

You know, walked in oxford circus all my adult life, never have i been robbed of my belongings

What has that got to do with shoplifting?

[EddieSteadyGo]

Just spotted this article which I thought was interesting, relating to the collapse of BHS.

Investigators were trying to find out why PwC signed off on the BHS director's assessment the company was a 'going concern' just before it was sold for £1 to prize clown, Dominic Chappell.

Conclusion reached that key audit actions were negligent and as a result PwC have been fined £10m. Not only that, but the partner responsible for the audit has been given a hefty personal fine as well.

https://www.retailsector.co.uk/38581-pwc-hit-with-...

Wonder what effect that will have in the future where the client is paying large fees and doesn't want to hear bad news...