[loz]

Ten chains 'face closure' in 2009
BBC NEWS | Business | Ten chains 'face closure' in 2009

More than 10 national or regional retail chains risk going bust next month, insolvency experts are warning.

I wonder who?

Place your bets...

However, despite some bargains perhaps, it isn't good news at the end of the day.

[Miyazaki]

Zavvi look next. I wouldn't be surprised if more music chain stores go under. Fewer people bought dvds and music from stores during the good times, and less and less will as money gets tight.

[Beany31]

Yeah Zavvi is next in my opinion, and to be honest with you it wouldn't surprise me if Monsoon are likely go go down next as well.

[lostinspace]

Zavvi is stuck on to go next. Then Toys R Us.

[KoThreads]

It's a crazy situation. We could end up with less choice and competition so things will become more expensive, but as money is short people won't buy, so do the stores hope people will buy more if they keep prices down and risk closure. I just think everyone loses in the long run. And how long will it take for new stores to replace the bust ones until they know it's worth doing.

[dodger747]

DSG group is suffering, as is Halfords, B&Q and Homebase...

[Reign-Mack]

Surviving until next year? just sounds like more bad business practises to me

[Uridium]

Originally Posted by dodger747

DSG group is suffering, as is Halfords, B&Q and Homebase...

B&Q just paid their staff a Christmas bonus

[metalhead72]

I believe some of the high street retailers issues are down to people choosing to shop online.. The high street shops just can't compete on price.. An example of what I mean, a couple of weeks ago I was looking to purchase a BD-P1500. The cheapest price I found in the high street was Argos at £229.. I finally got it online for £149.99 with two blue ray titles. There was no way that I was going to get it that cheap in the high street, I feel that the high street retailers have got to be competitive on pricing to stay afloat.. Lets face it, why would you pay (In the case above) £70 more for the same item in the high street?

[domtheone]

How much is spent online these days? Hundreds of millions or are we in the Billions now?

Most of that cash would have been spent on the hight street 10+ years ago but not now.

Times change and so has/will the High Street.

[Newton's Ring]

Slightly off topic but I just tried to get Comet to do a price match for an LCD £20 cheaper at Richer Sounds but she said there wasn't much point because it was 3.30pm on a Sunday and maybe I should just come back another day. Doesn't look like Comet are exactly struggling for business.

[wormvortex]

I haven't bought anything from the high street in months. What's the point when I can get it cheaper and easier from the comfort of my own home. I know a lot of high street shops do actually have websites but if you are choosing to shop online you can bet they are the more expensive sites.

[Import racer]

Its quoted in one of the papers today that 323 are on the critical list

So looks like these plenty more to go before its over
And most real analysts predict 2010 before there is any real growth, not next year like the politician keep on spinning to us.
So looks like its going to be pretty tough for businesses next year

It was mentioned yesterday 6 billion was spent ethier yesterday or all last week can't remember exactly but is plenty to go around you would have thought.

How did we get into this

Good news though a banker is found hanging in a 5 star hotel

(didn't know whether to be happy or sad)

[shahedz]

Originally Posted by Import racer

Good news though a banker is found hanging in a 5 star hotel

(didn't know whether to be happy or sad)

How the hell is that good news

[BenchyUK]

Zavvi are definitely on the way out soon. They owe quite a large amount of debt too apparently.

I wouldn't to see HMV go under but they need to sort their prices out. Why on earth are they charging £16 for Indy 4 on DVD

[Import racer]

Well, the greedy gits and that's what they are, plain old greed actually got us to this, the Bankers thought to hell with the consequences, lets line our pockets with more money than we can spend.

We won't worry about the fact we may bring the world almost to its Knees
They just must have that Aston Martin like his mates

So sorry if i don't have any sympathy, as a huge amount of people will suffer and die as a result, when all this wasted money could/should and some of it may have been spent on worthy causes such as famine and poverty.

Not to mention people losing there jobs

[Miyazaki]

Originally Posted by KillerOfThreads

It's a crazy situation. We could end up with less choice and competition so things will become more expensive, but as money is short people won't buy, so do the stores hope people will buy more if they keep prices down and risk closure. I just think everyone loses in the long run. And how long will it take for new stores to replace the bust ones until they know it's worth doing.

I think the only place I actually buy almost anything bar food is from play.com or amazon.co.uk

Apart from the odd deal here and there at various other sites.

[loz]

Originally Posted by Newton's Ring

Doesn't look like Comet are exactly struggling for business.

BBC NEWS | Business | Loss at Comet after falling sales

Kesa Electricals has reported a half-year loss at UK chain Comet, with sales falling because of "extremely difficult" trading conditions.

[wormvortex]

Originally Posted by Miyazaki

I think the only place I actually buy almost anything bar food is from play.com or amazon.co.uk

Apart from the odd deal here and there at various other sites.

same. Only two sites i really use and sometimes ebay.

[shahedz]

play.com and amazon are the main shopping sites i used. I have to say besides some clothing most of my purchases are done online. (tesco delivery are awesome)

I've been to zavvi and have never been impressed by the prices and i think in this day shops like Woolworths just don't have a standing.

I think online shopping has a part to play as to why these companies are suffering as well as the current economic slowdown. I am not complaining as i save a hell of a lot online.

[Miyazaki]

Originally Posted by shahedz

play.com and amazon are the main shopping sites i used. I have to say besides some clothing most of my purchases are done online. (tesco delivery are awesome)

I've been to zavvi and have never been impressed by the prices and i think in this day shops like Woolworths just don't have a standing.

I think online shopping has a part to play as to why these companies are suffering as well as the current economic slowdown. I am not complaining as i save a hell of a lot online.

I think these companies will have to go the way of Japan and have little boutiques with few overheads to price competitively with the online market. Or maybe even 'comet' branded vending machines where you can buy an ipod or whatever.

The massive stores, millions of spotty teenage staff, etc, etc is really what is crippling these companies.

[krish]

Originally Posted by BenchyUK

I wouldn't to see HMV go under but they need to sort their prices out. Why on earth are they charging £16 for Indy 4 on DVD

HMV stores are one of the few to have done relatively well this year, and HMV.com is a thriving business
- however, the HMV group is being dragged down by the Waterstones division which is haemorrhaging money out of every pore and orifice

[krish]

Originally Posted by shahedz

play.com and amazon are the main shopping sites i used.

I think online shopping has a part to play as to why these companies are suffering as well as the current economic slowdown. I am not complaining as i save a hell of a lot online.

could save a lot more if you're not choosing Play or Amazon by default

they both do extremely well out of consumers thinking they're the best value online retailers, rather than doing a quick and simple price check

[imightbewrong]

Originally Posted by krish

HMV stores are one of the few to have done relatively well this year, and HMV.com is a thriving business
- however, the HMV group is being dragged down by the Waterstones division which is haemorrhaging money out of every pore and orifice

Would agree with that - I was at a major shopping centre today, and all the shops were doing average to reasonable business, except HMV where you couldn't move and there was a queue round the shop. And lots of people in there had armfulls of DVDs and CDs. Their prices for new stuff might be high, but they had lots of decent films for 3-4 quid each, outside of multi-buy deals. I imagine it's pretty easy to go in there and buy decent gifts for a lot of people without spending too much.

[monkey butler]

My guesses are:

Comet
John Lewis
Homebase
Burton
Zavvi
PC World
BHS
WH Smiths
GAME (if new video game prices stay as low as they currently are)
Magnet

[krish]

who the frig shops at Iceland? (the retailer formerly known as Bejam, rather than the country/hedge fund)

[Phil57]

Originally Posted by krish

who the frig shops at Iceland? (the retailer formerly known as Bejam, rather than the country/hedge fund)

People that don't have money to spend on caviar in Harrods.

[xnetco]

Originally Posted by monkey butler

My guesses are:

Comet
John Lewis
Homebase
Burton
Zavvi
PC World
BHS
WH Smiths
GAME (if new video game prices stay as low as they currently are)
Magnet

John Lewis. No way. They may have had a dip recently but their stores are doing fantastically well. In terms of customer service they beat any online store hands down.

[krish]

Originally Posted by Phil57

People that don't have money to spend on caviar in Harrods.

sorry, didn't realise it was still the '80s

(EDIT ... i.e. a time when the out of town huge supermakets didn't dominate and you couldn't buy Tesco Value caviar )

[Naaktgeboren]

Some of the names there are certainly possible. I would guess PC World must be a dead cert. I have been in there a handful of times and it seems to be the electrical version of Woolworths. All overpriced crap that never seems to have more than 5 customers in at any one time.