Many many businesses DEAD

  • Thread starter Thread starter AGinAg (37)
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I won’t miss Maplin - I think their prices were too high even before Brexit.
 
There's quite a big Maplin in St Enoch Square but there's never anyone in it.

The staff were a bit listless last time I was in. And what I say "listless", I mean "absolutely could not be fucked".
 
Madison said:
I won’t miss Maplin - I think their prices were too high even before Brexit.
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I used to like going in there as a geeky kid to look at transistors and the like.

From a purely political view, being able to say LOOK WHAT YOU FUCKING DID is nice, even if Maplin has to die RIP xo
 
Maplin used to be great a LONG time ago, but they turned into a PC World type place. They raised their prices, stopped hiring knowledgable staff and expanded too much, concentrating on selling useless tacky gadgets.
 
Ellie said:
Maplin used to be great a LONG time ago, but they turned into a PC World type place. They raised their prices, stopped hiring knowledgable staff and expanded too much, concentrating on selling useless tacky gadgets.
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That's exactly it - I used it a lot to get wee gadgets like odd types of microphone and tape cleaners and unusual jack sizes....you can still order some of that stuff through the website but the shop is full of pricey tat like those miniture cards for rich kids.
 
Prezzo closing 94 restaurants, together with all 34 of the ChimiChanga chain it owns.

Lovers of Italian and TexMex food REJOICE
 
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GOOD RIDDANCE :disco:

Itsu to go next please. Mmm... cold tuna and white rice. In fact I’m absolutely sick of there being so many food shops and STALLS everywhere. You can hardly escape the stink and thought of it. No wonder I’ve BALLOONED
 
Actually no, get rid of LEON first. Overpriced, measly portions and as dry as a nun’s chaff last time I had the displeasure
 
Shops DEAD full stop it seems. Eventually.

Some of these were predictable from a mile off like BHS though.

Peacocks seems to be one that's retained its presence on the high street yet I never see anyone in there when I walk past. I really don't understand how they manage.

I remember when I worked in Canterbury, the council (and cathedral who own a lot of it I believe) pretty much held firm on keeping CHEAP TAT out of their tourist driven middle class city, or so rumour had it. KFC of all things bizarrely was supposedly on the blacklist.

Fast forward a few years when lots of niche businesses and countless clothing brands (admittedly very good ones) are no longer making the dollars to cover the extortionate rent, and the town is chock full of the usual suspects, KFC, and of course, a monster Primark store smack bang in the centre where BHS was..:rolleyes:
 
Raining On Me said:
Peacocks seems to be one that's retained its presence on the high street yet I never see anyone in there when I walk past. I really don't understand how they manage.
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Exactly! (Actually the same could be said of Matalan, which is rarely nose to nipple.) Bizarrely, Peacocks appear to have made the effort to relocate their premises in Dalston to what was the KFC. Who on earth goes in there? I mean you know, oh thanks darling. Well you know me and my eye for NIFTY FASHIONS. Yes, it’s a PEACOCKS :disco:

Admittedly I did once buy a scarf in there but I was in the throes of one of my many DARK NIGHTS
 
Peacocks closed their central Bristol store years back, but still hold on to a couple of tatty (and presimably cheap) high st shops here. Is that similar to everywhere else?
 
Oh and i properly like Leon :evil:

Admittedly I only have them when I'm in London (I've seen one in Brighton, but do they have them anywhere else?), but if anything I always found them rather good value. At least relatively.

I quite like Itsu as well, but that one absolutely overpriced. Add their stores peculiarly SHINY.
 
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I've always liked Leon as a healthy alternative.

I'm glad to see the death of big chain restaurants. Where we lived in Ibiza had a policy of keeping out any sort of chain, no McDonalds or BK or KFC or any of that shit. As a result there were loads of nice places to eat cheaply, especially in winter.
 
I'm a coffee fiend, and do try to avoid Costa, Starbucks and Caffe Nero wherever possible now. Well, Costa I always avoid as I don't like their decor, and their coffee isn't up to much, either. Thankfully most places here there are lots of little indies or local chains I can choose instead - other than the main shopping centre where I guess rents keep everyone except the chains out. But even then, you can usually find a decent place 5 minutes away down a side street.

It's not that I want to get all snooty about Starbucks or Nero or whatever - just that I resent them killing the market. And the indies are often considerably cheaper.

I've noticed here at least that it seems to be the chains who are suffering now, and more quirky places beginning to thrive.
 
I go to Pret for coffee, mostly because

A - it’s right next to my office
B- Their filter coffee is 49p when you bring your own cup.

I tend not to use Starbucks et al much these days now as it’s all just overpriced, and I only ever get filter coffee or an americano these days. Though kudos to Starbucks for doing various different types of non-dairy milk.
 
New Look closing 60 stores and cutting 1000 jobs.

Where does New Look FIT these days? I tend to think of it as a more youthful Peacocks - but Primark do that more cheaply, don't they? The last time I was in New Look (probably a couple of years ago), I remember thinking it seemed quite expensive for cheap clothes.
 
I had a few things out of New Look's Tall range but the sizing was random af and the quality equally variable. Dotty P's similar range kicks them into the dust.
 
Pret give all their food away at the end of the day to charity, so the youth group I volunteer for gets it every other week.

It’s fucking RANK.
 
New Look just opened a new store in Poole, it was front page news in the Echo yesterday. :D And the comments were all ugly old men with moustaches moaning that there wasn’t a BURTONS.
 
I bought a jumper once in Officers Club.

NEVER AGAIN
 
Toys R Us is PROPERLY dead now - all stores to be closed within the next 6 weeks.

I'm not really surprised - their store overheads must be HUGE compared to the other toy retailers. I wonder whether any other retailer will have plans to move into that sort of venue. I've seen a few Primark stores in business parks more recently - or perhaps they'll be seized by the likes of Aldi/Lidl who also seem to be setting up a lot of stores out of town.
 
I’ve only ever been into Toys R Us about twice ever, but it always struck me as being completely desultory in a way that Hamleys absolutely isn’t, and they sell pretty much EXACTLY the same things
 
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It was fucking exciting when I was about 10 and one opened in Ipswich, but 3 years later I was more into Our Price and so barely ever entered one either.

Now Hamleys remains amazing (not that I've been in the London branch for about 17 years.
 
The weird thing for Toys R Us is that it's one of the few retail demographics I would have considered fairly SAFE. Although I'm sure a fraction of their market has moved online or into supermarkets, if I was going to buy a toy for one of my godchildren, I'd probably still go to a toy shop like Smyths, Toys R Us or The Entertainer.
 
Yeah I'd definitely go into a toy shop for younger relatives. But that's great for us with no knowledge whatsoever of what kids like. I'm sure parents know exactly what to order from Amazon.
 
So, it looks like Bargain Booze are going to be next. Where will I get my cheap box of crappy lager now?
 
We don't have Bargain Booze in Scotland but it feels like a bit of a shocker.
 
I've seen Bargain Booze, but didn't realise they were a chain. I thought they were just grotty little indie off licences.
 
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