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Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

Samuel88

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CEX are very reputable in how they trade. They will sell a CD for 10p but it'll be in adequate condition - and may not necessarily play properly but CEX firstly rate whether it's sellable then price it on it's condition. Like I said they trade on a what you see is what you get basis.

On the subject of computer games there is another company based in my town called 'Game' who have other outlets elsewhere. They too are apparently struggling and may be making store closures. They started out in the mid 1990s when people were still tuning into Sega Megadrives and the Ninento SNES consoles. Again, like DVDs & CDs, people are able to download home entertainment from their own homes these days so tangible games cartridges are not as viable as they once were.

CJ
Are you joking about CEX being reputable? I know of three stores locally which have been raided for stolen goods, one repeatedly.
 
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RailUK Forums

LOL The Irony

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Are you joking about CEX being reputable? I know of three stores locally which have been raided for stolen goods, one repeatedly.
That seems to be more of an issue with the patrons than the store but CeX should really have a better background check in place. Again they could be a case of rouge stores, a lazy area manager or both.
 

DaleCooper

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Are you joking about CEX being reputable? I know of three stores locally which have been raided for stolen goods, one repeatedly.

You must live in a rough area.

I'm glad CEX have stopped keeping the 50p DVDs in those drawers, I always felt awkward when I took the case to the counter and the staff spent 15 minutes looking for the disc.
 

Samuel88

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That seems to be more of an issue with the patrons than the store but CeX should really have a better background check in place. Again they could be a case of rouge stores, a lazy area manager or both.
You must live in a rough area.

I'm glad CEX have stopped keeping the 50p DVDs in those drawers, I always felt awkward when I took the case to the counter and the staff spent 15 minutes looking for the disc.
It depends if your local CEX is a franchise or not. The stores directly owned by the company are Okay(ish) but the franchises are absolutely dodgy...
 

D365

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Thats strange, the Sheffield branch has a staircase that while not giving me vertigo, does make want to hold onto the handrail.

I've been in there for years and never noticed this? What do they sell on the additional floor?

[I'm assuming you mean the city centre branch and that said floor isn't staff only.]
 

johntea

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You must live in a rough area.

I'm glad CEX have stopped keeping the 50p DVDs in those drawers, I always felt awkward when I took the case to the counter and the staff spent 15 minutes looking for the disc.

It does make me laugh how they don't just leave the 50p DVDs in the cases on the shop floor, a shoplifter would have to make off with 100 just to make £50!
 

route101

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Never used CEX , just something puts me off buying a used laptop or phone yuck.
 

talltim

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I've been in there for years and never noticed this? What do they sell on the additional floor?

[I'm assuming you mean the city centre branch and that said floor isn't staff only.]
I was quoting a post about Sheffield Waterstones. Were yu thinking I meant CEX?
 

61653 HTAFC

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Another planet...
I've never seen a CEX among our phone shops and charity shops. Are they a national chain?
They started out as Tottenham Court Road Computer Exchange, which was a godsend for gamers in the 80s and early 90s. Back then they just had one branch and most of their business was mail-order. Many a rare Amstrad and Spectrum game were mailed up to a young me in Yorkshire!
 

DavidGrain

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A small suburban shopping centre near where I used to live has a Cex shop but all the 99p shops around them have closed. Poundland is still going however although they now charge
They started out as Tottenham Court Road Computer Exchange, which was a godsend for gamers in the 80s and early 90s. Back then they just had one branch and most of their business was mail-order. Many a rare Amstrad and Spectrum game were mailed up to a young me in Yorkshire!

I used to walk along Tottenham Court Road regularly in the late 1970s usually on my way back to Euston and the road was one computer shop after another.
 

Tom B

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I used to walk along Tottenham Court Road regularly in the late 1970s usually on my way back to Euston and the road was one computer shop after another.

The same was true until not that long ago. Several times I went there in search of an obscure connector or unusual part, but last time I was down TCR they seem to have gone (or vastly decreased).
 

AndrewE

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Are you joking about CEX being reputable? I know of three stores locally which have been raided for stolen goods, one repeatedly.
They are not alone...https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-51402225 says
A band who had equipment stolen during a car break-in has thanked the public after most of it was recovered from a buy-and-sell store.
Do Nothing, from Nottingham, appealed for help after gear worth £1,000 was taken from an underground car park in George Street, in the city, on Monday.
The items were recovered a day later from a Cash Generator store.
 

jon0844

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Their food shop always seems busy, I don't know about the rest of it.

That's the problem. They seem to do okay for food, so perhaps their standalone food shops might be doing okay, but massive retail sites cannot survive on a food hall.

They've tried so much when it comes to remaining relevant when selling clothes, but nothing seems to work. And I am not sure the reputation of going there for your underwear still stands either.

Maybe the attempt to appeal to every demographic in a single store just doesn't work. Young people seem to hate shopping in the same place as old people (and vice versa) so I wonder why they never thought to divide the shop up more like Arcadia did/does.
 

bramling

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That's the problem. They seem to do okay for food, so perhaps their standalone food shops might be doing okay, but massive retail sites cannot survive on a food hall.

They've tried so much when it comes to remaining relevant when selling clothes, but nothing seems to work. And I am not sure the reputation of going there for your underwear still stands either.

Maybe the attempt to appeal to every demographic in a single store just doesn't work. Young people seem to hate shopping in the same place as old people (and vice versa) so I wonder why they never thought to divide the shop up more like Arcadia did/does.

I actually bought something from M&S recently, first time this century I think. Needed to get some plain navy blue suit-type trousers, which oddly enough for something so basic I had a lot of trouble finding. After a fair bit of searching managed to find them in M&S, right fit and shape too, and amazingly enough I’m actually pleased with them, they fit nicely, are comfortable, and seem reasonable quality for the price.

Perhaps I’m just getting old!
 

Tom B

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Marks and Sparks seem to be doing a bit of re-focussing towards the food side. In my neck of the woods, they've closed the shop in Lower Holloway and opened a new one in Archway, focussed entirely on food. TBH, I wouldn't go there myself purely through the perception that it's expensive - maybe I shall go there once for a try.
 

jon0844

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I actually bought something from M&S recently, first time this century I think. Needed to get some plain navy blue suit-type trousers, which oddly enough for something so basic I had a lot of trouble finding. After a fair bit of searching managed to find them in M&S, right fit and shape too, and amazingly enough I’m actually pleased with them, they fit nicely, are comfortable, and seem reasonable quality for the price.

Perhaps I’m just getting old!

I've never really had any issues with clothes bought from there, and used to buy socks, shirts and suits from there when I had to dress smart. But now I can buy clothes I'd say as durable and long lasting, but cheaper, from countless other places.

M&S, as well as John Lewis, Debenhams etc probably do well at Christmas from people buying an expensive jumper for someone as a Christmas present - but I don't even think the stores did that well then. Meanwhile you can buy novelty jumpers and socks from Asda for a fraction of the price, while Primark also has all that stuff too, so that leaves the more affluent shoppers going a few times a year to keep them afloat. It isn't going to work.
 

bramling

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I've never really had any issues with clothes bought from there, and used to buy socks, shirts and suits from there when I had to dress smart. But now I can buy clothes I'd say as durable and long lasting, but cheaper, from countless other places.

M&S, as well as John Lewis, Debenhams etc probably do well at Christmas from people buying an expensive jumper for someone as a Christmas present - but I don't even think the stores did that well then. Meanwhile you can buy novelty jumpers and socks from Asda for a fraction of the price, while Primark also has all that stuff too, so that leaves the more affluent shoppers going a few times a year to keep them afloat. It isn't going to work.

Things are certainly very different from the early 90s when all those sorts of shops were buzzing with activity.

John Lewis survives with delusions of grandeur, albeit a model which seems to work reasonably well. I don’t quite get it, as I’ve had more trouble dealing with John Lewis than anywhere else. Somewhere like Curry’s will change a defective TV with no issues at all, yet on more than one occasion in the past I remember having issues and returning stuff to Welwyn Stores and having a full-scale inquest with some smug middle-aged woman who anyone would have thought was being personally made out of pocket.
 

Dai Corner

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Things are certainly very different from the early 90s when all those sorts of shops were buzzing with activity.

John Lewis survives with delusions of grandeur, albeit a model which seems to work reasonably well. I don’t quite get it, as I’ve had more trouble dealing with John Lewis than anywhere else. Somewhere like Curry’s will change a defective TV with no issues at all, yet on more than one occasion in the past I remember having issues and returning stuff to Welwyn Stores and having a full-scale inquest with some smug middle-aged woman who anyone would have thought was being personally made out of pocket.

She would have been to some extent. John Lewis is employee-owned and they pay themselves a bonus based on profits. Or no bonus if there's little or no profit.
 

jon0844

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John Lewis have gone down in my books because of their 'never knowingly undersold' line that now has so many exclusions as to be almost worthless. Also, even if they can see something cheaper they won't always match a local competitor and instead make you fill in a form to claim (and charge the full amount, taking your details for the refund).

To be fair, I did get a refund quite quickly but felt they make it so complicated. They do good warranties on TVs and some electricals, but often charge more than buying elsewhere and an extended warranty, but I find it difficult to buy things at times because they expect you to 'get in line' and book in at busy times. In many countries, they make you take a ticket but here they seem to have someone at a desk that isn't always there as they walk around on the floor.

But, John Lewis does always seem extremely busy. I like the ability to click and collect too, and recently(ish?) they've begun to let you check stock of things in stores not just online.

Staff have nearly always been nice, but I've known people leave who said that they're under more pressure than ever before and even if everyone is a partner, some managers can make it a living hell for staff. If they don't give much, or any, bonus this year then you can expect the staff to go who can get a job elsewhere, which invariably leaves an employer with loads of people with low morale to carry things along.
 

D365

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I actually bought something from M&S recently, first time this century I think. Needed to get some plain navy blue suit-type trousers, which oddly enough for something so basic I had a lot of trouble finding. After a fair bit of searching managed to find them in M&S, right fit and shape too, and amazingly enough I’m actually pleased with them, they fit nicely, are comfortable, and seem reasonable quality for the price.

I'll agree that M&S are good for formal clothes and office wear. The only issue I have with their trousers is that they don't do odd-numbered waists, but that isn't a problem exclusive to them. I bought my first suit jacket from them in 2013 and it's still serving me well.
 

C J Snarzell

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From what I've seen of Debenhams, Marks & Spencers, John Lewis & Beales is that they do better in towns and cities with a more affluent market. Most cities are okay, along with towns like Harrogate, Kendal, Southport & Wilmslow where they are guaranteed a steady audience of people who can afford the luxuries of what they sell.

Towns where I'm from such, as Chorley, Wigan, St Helens & Bolton you have a large proportion of the population on low incomes or fall into the unemployment/benefits category. Therefore people will generally plump towards stores like Primark or the supermarkets for non perishable goods like clothing and footwear.

I think in the long term M&S will survive but will probably streamline their department stores to places like the Trafford Centre or Liverpool One. They will no doubt make alot of the revenue in the food market and branch out into the coffee shop trade and aim at businesses in train stations, airports & motorway services where they can still charge what they want to a captive audience.

The jury is still out for me about Debenhams. I have a Debenhams credit card and just recently I have recieved letters from them about changes afoot with my account. I have a feeling they may sell that side of the business to another company in due course. I will give them 5 years.

Another business I reckon will go in the next few years is Morrisons - I've seen three close near to where I live (Wigan town centre, Ince-in-Makerfield & Tyldesley) and they are still not doing great. Their Morrison local stores lasted about 5 minutes and again I've always found them slightly expensive compared to Asda & Tesco.

CJ
 

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