Originally Posted by 007stuart (Post 35269516)

Moben, Dolphin and Kitchens Direct have gone bust http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14052734. Is there going to be any business in the high street left?

Originally Posted by Ramrod (Post 35269575)

Dolphin was hideously overpriced tat and deserved to go bust. :2cents:
.............but I feel sorry for the staff nevertheless :(

Originally Posted by Stuart (Post 35269582)

Especially in retail..

Originally Posted by denphone (Post 35269580)

Yes it is always the staff that have to pick up the pieces and try to get employment elsewhere and that is extremely hard in the current climate.

Originally Posted by pk1 (Post 35269590)

Been there twice, and if you have the unfortunate position of being there untill the shop closes and there is no stock left to sell, you see a side of the the public which is most unplesant, just after a bargin and complain at the price they have to pay, even though they are getting a real bargin.

Originally Posted by denphone (Post 35269586)

Before my illness 11 years ago it was much easier to get a job in the years before that.

Originally Posted by Stuart (Post 35269598)

It was, now it's not.

High street shops are facing problems from three directions..

1. The internet: Amazon and the like are able to sell things at far lower cost that high street shops simply because they have to maintain fewer premises, fewer staff and so their costs are lower.
2. Out of town shopping centres and retail parks: Rental for these is lower than town centre shops. Also, large stores in retail parks have the advantage that if they need to, they can often add 2nd floors inside the store with no need to get planning permission.
3. The recession: People are tending to make do and mend. While this is good for the environment, it's not good for the business of those selling replacement goods.
   
   
   

The solution is simple, but not always palatable. We (as people) need to be willing and able to spend more. To save town centres, we also need the government and/or local councils to restrict the building of retail parks or out of town shopping centres.

Originally Posted by denphone (Post 35269524)

The bottom of our City Centre is increasingly like a ghost town with at least 10 shops closing like Woolies, Derrys and T J Hughes among them.

Originally Posted by 007stuart (Post 35269516)

Moben, Dolphin and Kitchens Direct have gone bust...

Originally Posted by Stuart (Post 35269598)

...The solution is simple, but not always palatable. We (as people) need to be willing and able to spend more. ..

Originally Posted by Stuart (Post 35269598)

The solution is simple, but not always palatable. We (as people) need to be willing and able to spend more. .

Originally Posted by Stuart (Post 35269598)

To save town centres, we also need the government and/or local councils to restrict the building of retail parks or out of town shopping centres.

Originally Posted by DaiNasty (Post 35269785)

I walked down Lincoln High Street yesterday. Virtually every shop has sale signs in the windows, some of them 'up to 70% off'. It's tragic really. Soon all we'll have on the High Street is charity shops and tattoo parlours.

Originally Posted by Hom3r (Post 35269879)

I was wondering if Subway is in trouble, we had two in our town both are closed.

I thought at first when I saw the first one it was over kitchen hygene, but the notice on the door implied rent hadn't been paid, and the other one has the same message, so I guess the same people owned both?

Originally Posted by Stephen (Post 35269872)

Are you sure thats not just the summer sales that most stores have on at the moment?

Originally Posted by Stephen (Post 35270018)

The shops are just trying to get customers I guess.

Originally Posted by Stephen (Post 35270051)

I just got an email for Mountain warehouse and their up to 70% off sale both online and instore.

I think up to 70% is just the current standard for sales.

Originally Posted by DaiNasty (Post 35270047)

Indeed. They are feeling the spread of internet shopping now as well. The first hit were the record shops and you're hard pressed now to find an independant retailer selling music. The other stuff has taken longer but many will be hit hard by the new on-line systems.

I'd imagine the clothing/shoe shops will hold their own in the long term. There's no real substitute for trying something on in real life. However, the over-priced sector will be slimmed down a LOT.