First retail ‘name’ to pop off 2018
Discussion
techiedave said:
Bargain Booze have been outgunned by the likes of Asda
The internet (and the spread of knowledge, not just online sales) has brought on something of "and end to scarcity." At least scarcity of access to the best deals.Everyone can see (more or less) what everyone else is paying for commodities. You no longer need a high street presence or a huge mailing operation to get your message and offering across.
The "cash and carry" is no longer the cheapest place, there's no barrier to getting in to Asda (company letterhead, VAT number, whatever).
My wife recently mothballed her food business due to ill-health. She didn't bother buying ingredients from trade sources - they were too expensive! Tesco, Ocado, Amazon, etc could out-compete for pretty much everything.
So the market for cash and carry, for "specialist discounters" and so on is dead.
Unless you're a huge chain (cf The Restaurant Group) and can make purchasing a discipline (and again cut out a few more layers of supply chain) then there's no margin for trade.
That means you have to add value. And with customers feeling less confident and more skint, they won't pay for added value.
The disintermediation of many supply chains is the very thing the internet promised 20 years ago. Finally it is coming true.
"The Nation of Shopkeepers" may have trouble in that new world...
techiedave said:
Bargain Booze have been outgunned by the likes of Asda
Thing with selling drink is that it is not the same as the food market. People will top up from a local shop for drink.another factor is that supermarkets have a very limited range of chilled drinks. This should not be underestimated.Bargain boozes USP was buying up short dated beers.these were quite often a lot cheaper. The supply chain was tightened up.previously brewers would brew the beer,then attempt to sell it. This then changed to pretty much brewing to order.
I competed against bargain booze in bidding for this kind of stock which was increasingly available in smaller parcels.
I did know this:
jas xjr said:
Bargain boozes USP was buying up short dated beers.these were quite often a lot cheaper.
but not this:jas xjr said:
Bargain boozes USP was buying up short dated beers.these were quite often a lot cheaper. The supply chain was tightened up.previously brewers would brew the beer,then attempt to sell it. This then changed to pretty much brewing to order.
I competed against bargain booze in bidding for this kind of stock which was increasingly available in smaller parcels.
Thanks for that. Makes sense. Also, one further change is, it would seem to me, that smaller, niche real/craft ales are having a revival, so any sort of pile-high-sell-cheap operations are going to suffer in that regard.I competed against bargain booze in bidding for this kind of stock which was increasingly available in smaller parcels.
Digga said:
one further change is, it would seem to me, that smaller, niche real/craft ales are having a revival, so any sort of pile-high-sell-cheap operations are going to suffer in that regard.
this is a highly precient comment. people only think that they are price conscious. when their attention is piqued by another, more compelling offering, they very quickly buy what they want to buy....almost irrespective of cost. see the craft ales example above.Look at fevertree mixers for example... a lot of people are buying a better product in bulk now. they don't care that it is more expensive. they are no longer a hipster brand.
that said, if you have pallets of carling on your shop floor, it needs to be cheap.....
The Hypno-Toad said:
The Telegraph is reporting that Warren Evans the bed company, have gone to the wall.
Real shame, I bought my bed from them 18 years ago when they had about 5 branches and 3 mattresses later it's still going well.
That's probably why they've gone bust! If they'd made a bed that was a bit shabby after ten years you'd still have been happy with it, but you'd buy a new one twice as often...Real shame, I bought my bed from them 18 years ago when they had about 5 branches and 3 mattresses later it's still going well.
davepoth said:
The Hypno-Toad said:
The Telegraph is reporting that Warren Evans the bed company, have gone to the wall.
Real shame, I bought my bed from them 18 years ago when they had about 5 branches and 3 mattresses later it's still going well.
That's probably why they've gone bust! If they'd made a bed that was a bit shabby after ten years you'd still have been happy with it, but you'd buy a new one twice as often...Real shame, I bought my bed from them 18 years ago when they had about 5 branches and 3 mattresses later it's still going well.
skwdenyer said:
The "cash and carry" is no longer the cheapest place, there's no barrier to getting in to Asda (company letterhead, VAT number, whatever).
^^^ This. I have no idea how long it is since I last used my Makro card. Probably 15+ years, since I left the job whose commute took me past it.. Wonder if the card's still valid ?gothatway said:
^^^ This. I have no idea how long it is since I last used my Makro card. Probably 15+ years, since I left the job whose commute took me past it.. Wonder if the card's still valid ?
Makro was never cheap,apart from when they were evading duty. It was full of retail customers who thought it was cheap.As a retailer , I never used them out of principle. They were far too expensive for retailers to use.
Carpetright and Mothercare shares head south: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43458476
Digga said:
Thanks for that. Makes sense. Also, one further change is, it would seem to me, that smaller, niche real/craft ales are having a revival, so any sort of pile-high-sell-cheap operations are going to suffer in that regard.
The problem with the supermarkets for me with respect to ales is they just stick to the same stock for vast periods of time.I like to sample new beers so I would like 4 guest ales rotated and a short term (1month) basis so there is always something new to try.
I had this with smaller shops.
Anyone mentioned countrywide?
https://www.countrywidefarmers.co.uk/
That's another shirt supplier gone
https://www.countrywidefarmers.co.uk/
That's another shirt supplier gone
CoolHands said:
Aren’t they all just bailing to get out of their pension liabilities? What’s that about toysrus giving itself a 500 million loan? Which is gone.
It's this and more. Management takeovers, mega pay deals, run up a mountain debt, take out loans, probably pay companies owned by relatives huge amounts for refurbishment etc, bleed it dry and walk away. Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff