Britforge: Retail Dead Pool

With Woolies and MFI going titsup, who d'you reckons next?

Argos have been cutting down staffs working hours (not quite a 3 day week, but on its way), DSG (Currys, Dixons and PC World) and B&Q are in rocky waters and WH Smiths are looking shaky. Clinton Cards have apparently closed some shops and their shares keep going down like a blowjob queen.

So then, who else will be appearing on Grim Gordons Economic Implosion List? And why will it be the Americans fault (answers on a postcard for that last one to be sent to Lord Voldemort of Mandelson, preferably in time for the next media briefing)

It'll be something that does big appliances and interiors etc, apparantly MFI went down the tubes due to all the customers getting to the sit down with the salesman part of the deal, wanting to sign up for the 0% deals, and then getting refused credit.

If thats true, then furniture stores or big electronic goods etc.

Also, it can't be Gordons fault. He's saved the world with his bail out. This credit crisis/recession of doom is Labours Falklands war.

Browns little act yesterday was pure comedy, rather than answer any specifics he simply brushed off every Tory question by saying they're a do-nothing party.

I used to think Brown would be a marvelous statesman, instead he's proved he's just another twat who thinks he can bullshit away all his fuck-ups. Sadly for a lot of jobs, a whole load chickens are coming home to roost and when the UK's still in the shit and everyone else is coming out of recession there's going to be one hell of a reckoning for Broon.

WH Smiths will get rocky, but scrape by on the short term. They have a dying business and they now it. All of their areas are out done by other shop retailers or online retailers. They either need to find a new trick or bite the bullet.

Clinton Cards are rip off bastards, I hope they go under!

Woolworth's died here in the states a long time ago. IIRC WHSmith was a book,stationary,newsagent kind of place. I shopped there lots but that was 20 years ago. I found the best motorcycle magazines there and lots of little gifts to mail home for birthdays, etc. I imagine there are more big department type stores there now then when I was there. These bigger stores do kill the small shops. The only small stored that survive are the ones that are really convenient.

Dude, why is it whenever there's a Brit thread we always have to listeb to you expert knowledge fro 20 odd years ago? If you're so nostalgic, why not come back over here!

Sorry, I hope to visit there next summer. Did not mean to derail you thread.

Not my thread.

Currys (DSG int) are still making money (£8,545.9 million (2008))

This is wasn't about the previous spending plans, this was about how Labour planned to pay for their little bailout.

Tories: "Your sums don't add up"
Brown: "Do nothing party!"
Tories: "You say we're the best placed, when we're actually the worst placed"
Brown: "Do nothing party!"
Tories: "We've something like 150% GDP in actual debt..."
Brown: "Do nothing party!"

Dan, this is pretty important - we're in a very precarious position with regards to debt, and if Browns not prepared to give grown up answers I think it's a good indicator of just how much shit we're in.

Graph courtesy of this blog

O RLY?

They posted a post-tax loss of £41 million this morning.

Well that sucks, I should have waited a few weeks before blowing £150 on a camera for my little sister.

Around these parts, Boscov's almost assumed room temperature but seem to be okay for now. We've lost a lot of big retailers over the years- Gimbles, Strawbridges, Lord & Taylor, Wannamakers...it's a sad thing to see.

I predict the queen will be the next business to go titsup.

That's been happening for years.

Well, I'm rather pleased that I haven't pruchased one christmas pressie before the VAT drop.

Unless your planning on buying a rolex or a cartier it's not going to make much difference.

You guys really think those 2,5 per cent will matter? You'll get prices like 2,82 for a week or two, then 'transportation costs' will go up again and it's back to 2,99 as before. The VAT drop is really a vehicle to pump more of your money to a whole variety of businesses. We can discuss ad nauseum if it's better for them to cash it in or the money going to the state (which, I guess, will need it very much after all this), but to sell it as 'help' for the citizens is so ridiculous it's almost funny.

Austria stopped it btw. T'was proposed in September and only for groceries. Competely laughable discussion about what groceries means and what's a luxury good included - is a chicken a luxury good? Is a goose? Geez

^It's only works out around 1.3% in real terms anyway.

But hey, it's Flash Gordon's idea, saviour of the whole worlds economic system, so it must be good

I always thought Argos used Oompa-Loompas.

Well, Woolies will remain open over Christmas and the staff to be helped finding new jobs.

Given the retail sectors tanking at the moment, and the entire economy is contracting, so probably the best way to find them jobs would involve a TARDIS, a big stick with a nail through one end and Broon in a dark alley circa 1996.

The Oompa-Loopahs were too competent and efficient, so they had them replaced with the Oompa's neighbours, the Lective-Defectives...

Actually, apart from WH Smug, the chain I think is in deepest shit is Boots. Everything it does is undercut by somebody else these days, and its lunchtime food is, without doubt, the shittiest on the planet.
Argos at least has extremely low overheads in terms of staff costs...

I dunno so much about boots actually.

Firstly, most people I know use it a fair bit, I actually got a lot of lunches there when I was working at GAP because it was the fastest, cheapest, non-fried puke available.
Secondly, between this city centre, and in my town centre at home, there's a total of FIVE stores. Which is either very stupid, or created because of demand. Which means that they can probably afford to close a few stores, and keep trading. If they do go under, it won't be soon.

Well, I'm just going by the fact that there used to be three here, now there's one and it's a third of the size it used to be - the rest of the site having been taken over by New Look.
And a rellie who used to work there got out when he saw which way the wind was blowing. And he was in their Nottingham HQ...

Woolworths is going under?

I fondly remember going their to get the Pick'n'Mix.

Interesting comments about this on Question Time last night.

Apparently the banks forced them into liquidation, despite a rescue plan being on the table. Despite being bailed out with taxpayers money, the banks aren't doing what they're supposed to, and the government are refusing to force them.