Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

[Edders23]

I think the big one next year will be WILKO's they had a massive restructuring last year getting rid of loads of staff to cut costs and according to some staff i know it hasn't worked so i think they will be the biggest failure in 2019 but quite a few major retailers are struggling so who nows how many big names are on their way out High street retailing is just too expensive to compete with the internet unless you have a product that is a license to print money such as coffee, estate agency, Sandwiches/fast food

 

[higthomas]

Do John Lewis and Waitrose have a clause in the contracts with their suppliers that prohibit them from selling the same products to other shops at a lower cost? This could be a legal can of worms for them - if they don't, then can they legally penalise suppliers for doing so. If they do, is that not something which is likely to attract the attention of the Competition and Markets Authority?

I'm pretty sure Amazon do something similar. Can't sell on marketplace unless it's the cheapest you sell it, which given they take a cut...

 

[bramling]

I think the big one next year will be WILKO's they had a massive restructuring last year getting rid of loads of staff to cut costs and according to some staff i know it hasn't worked so i think they will be the biggest failure in 2019 but quite a few major retailers are struggling so who nows how many big names are on their way out High street retailing is just too expensive to compete with the internet unless you have a product that is a license to print money such as coffee, estate agency, Sandwiches/fast food

No idea what their finances are like, however my local Wilkinson's is always busy. They fill a gap in the market for domestic items needed there and then, which I'm not sure online adequately caters for. They do sell a lot of tat, but equally they stock quite a bit of branded stuff too.

They do tend to be in town-centre locations however, which may put some people off.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

No idea what their finances are like.

Very healthy; see screenshot below.

For the benefit of those who cannot view pictures, it's an image of their key financials as shown on Companycheck and it shows they have a net worth of £142.5 million of which £70.8 million is in cash. That's one of the healthiest balance sheets I have seen for a very long time on Companycheck.

 

[richw]

I tend to find Aldi quality is just outstanding.

My experiences are the opposite especially fresh produce. I find there fruit and veg goes bad very quick.

And I absolutely can’t stand there appalling customer service. The staff at my local store are so rude, chatting away to each other on their headsets, rather than interacting with the customer. My local always has huge queues as well.

I avoid Aldi like the plague for these reasons!

 

[gazthomas]

My experiences are the opposite especially fresh produce. I find there fruit and veg goes bad very quick.

And I absolutely can’t stand there appalling customer service. The staff at my local store are so rude, chatting away to each other on their headsets, rather than interacting with the customer. My local always has huge queues as well.

I avoid Aldi like the plague for these reasons!

Agreed, there will an Aldi backlash at some point in the future

 

[Typhoon]

My experiences are the opposite especially fresh produce. I find there fruit and veg goes bad very quick.

I would say that quality varies - some stuff is fine, some less so.

And I absolutely can’t stand there appalling customer service. The staff at my local store are so rude, chatting away to each other on their headsets, rather than interacting with the customer. My local always has huge queues as well.

Now this does surprise me. I find them very friendly - and polite, especially considering I spend so little there. Certainly better than the local Morrisons and Sainsburys. The queues are becoming a bit of a problem, though. When they first opened, they stuck religiously to the 'if you are queuing beyond this point, we will open a new till', not so now, they seem to wait to ensure that the queues don't shrink before they can open the new till. Mind you the incessant 'We are opening till number 4 for you, please start unpacking you shopping', 'Checkout assistant to till number 4 please', 'We are closing till number 5', 'We are opening till number 3 for you …' was getting grating.​

Interestingly most of the staff are male (not true in most other local supermarkets).

To link with the OP - Aldi are going nowhere! They may adapt (I gather they are not a 'cheap and cheerful' retailer in Germany) but they will still be on our high street in 10 - 20 years time.

 

[underbank]

I think the big one next year will be WILKO's

Now that is probably the only shop I'll go into town for ironically. I buy quite a lot from them, particularly branded toiletries, gardening and DIY products. DIY in particular, because we don't have another DIY shed close by - we used to have a Focus but it left a vacuum when it closed down, so I usually buy decorating, tools and electrical stuff from them. It's one of the few places that seem to have consistent stock items and seldom run out of the basics. Good for pet food too. Ours is usually very busy, so can't imagine it closing any time soon.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Why would Wilko's fail? They appear to have been the de-facto replacement for Woolies (also beginning with a W) but are much better at actually doing the job.

 

[Clip]

Yeah cant see Wilkos going down the pan but you never know what with B&M 'and such like becoming more prominent everywhere

 

[Kite159]

Wilkos might review and close some loss-making stores, but as should most retailers.

 

[dievoyagerdie]

I think Wilko will survive. It also has its online service and store collection. I do wonder about their strategy of high cost city centre locations and would imagine that any expansion will come at out if town centres or strip malls. It's a good product as a whole.

Whilst not a shop, I can't see Eastern Airways lasting. Limited network. A plane that's no longer made and there are no similar sized alternatives being made today. A very oil centric route network and very niche. High fares and lots of unhappy passengers online. Limited supply of pilots many of who want to fly a shiny jet earning good money having spent £100,000 on their pilot training.

 

[Dai Corner]

My rule of thumb is that if the staff are not busy working, either because they're poorly supervised/motivated or because there is nothing for them to do, the company is in trouble or likely to be so before long.

 

[krus_aragon]

My rule of thumb is that if the staff are not busy working, either because they're poorly supervised/motivated or because there is nothing for them to do, the company is in trouble or likely to be so before long.

Excusing occasional slack times (like when several members of staff are waiting for a late stock delivery, or waiting to shut up the shop) I agree fully. But if you have proactive staff who tidy aisles as they pass, or face-up displays near the tills whenever they don't have a customer to serve, then you can sometimes find yourself with a full, tidy shop and nothing to do for a while most evenings.

In my time in retail, some shops I worked at had a policy of doing a close-down tidy of the entire store during the half hour before closing. At another branch, we were encouraged to tidy and replenish stock proactively, and find jobs to do. In the latter the store never got untidy enough to need half an hour to tidy it!

 

[318266]

Abellio ScotRail

I agree!

 

[SteveP29]

It's started......
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45714224

Mike Ashley's firm has sacked the senior management at House of Fraser just weeks after it bought the department store chain.

In a one-sentence announcement to the stock market, Sports Direct said it had "dismissed the former directors and senior management of House of Fraser".

 

[61653 HTAFC]

No idea what their finances are like, however my local Wilkinson's is always busy. They fill a gap in the market for domestic items needed there and then, which I'm not sure online adequately caters for. They do sell a lot of tat, but equally they stock quite a bit of branded stuff too.

They do tend to be in town-centre locations however, which may put some people off.

The town-centre locations may actually be an advantage. For those without their own cars, it's much more convenient to get your wallpaper/shelving unit/big bag of doggy kibbles from Wilko than it is to get a bus into town, another bus (likely a different operator) to the main road passing the retail park, hike across a car park, then repeat in reverse whilst laden down!

 

[Dai Corner]

The town-centre locations may actually be an advantage. For those without their own cars, it's much more convenient to get your wallpaper/shelving unit/big bag of doggy kibbles from Wilko than it is to get a bus into town, another bus (likely a different operator) to the main road passing the retail park, hike across a car park, then repeat in reverse whilst laden down!

True. But which would you rather have in your shop? Car owners, who generally have more money to spend and may buy more than they can carry, or bus passengers?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

True. But which would you rather have in your shop? Car owners, who generally have more money to spend and may buy more than they can carry, or bus passengers?

I don't think it was a deliberate strategy! Simply that as their rivals have fallen they've cornered that gap in the market. Their cheap and cheerful furniture is another example, popular with second-year students who no longer have the provisions they had in halls. Someone upthread mentioned their cosmetics/toiletries choice: they're good for those sorts of things, which the big 4 supermarkets seem to stick a massive mark-up on.

 

[Clip]

It's started......
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45714224

What has started?

I think they are right to get rid of the people who have overseen the decline of the business dont you?

 

[Dai Corner]

I don't think it was a deliberate strategy! Simply that as their rivals have fallen they've cornered that gap in the market. Their cheap and cheerful furniture is another example, popular with second-year students who no longer have the provisions they had in halls. Someone upthread mentioned their cosmetics/toiletries choice: they're good for those sorts of things, which the big 4 supermarkets seem to stick a massive mark-up on.

I generally go to Wilko for pet, garden, DIY type stuff and I think they're good value for those. I'll have to look at their other stock next time. My nearest branch is a city centre one and the second nearest more retail park so I have the best of both worlds.

Oh, and they do pick 'n' mix sweets like Woolworths used to!

 

[Typhoon]

True. But which would you rather have in your shop? Car owners, who generally have more money to spend and may buy more than they can carry, or bus passengers?

I don't disagree but so many retailers are serving the car driver - they are still building out-of-town shopping centres - leaving the likes of Wilko to appeal to those who cannot or will not visit these large stores. OK you have to make more sales but there are plenty who just want basic items and their pounds on the balance sheet look exactly the same as those who drive Chelsea tractors.

 

[trash80]

All the big new retail complexes seem to be in city centres these days

 

[bramling]

I don't disagree but so many retailers are serving the car driver - they are still building out-of-town shopping centres - leaving the likes of Wilko to appeal to those who cannot or will not visit these large stores. OK you have to make more sales but there are plenty who just want basic items and their pounds on the balance sheet look exactly the same as those who drive Chelsea tractors.

I'll visit Wilkinson's simply because it's convenient to walk into town (10-minute walk), and most of the sort of things likely to be purchased there will not be heavy or bulky. In fact, one of the attractions of it is that I *don't* have to faff around getting the car out.

Naturally this works for me because my house isn't too far from the town centre. One wonders if this is enough to sustain a business model, but having said that my local W's always seems pretty well patronised.

 

[Dai Corner]

I'll visit Wilkinson's simply because it's convenient to walk into town (10-minute walk), and most of the sort of things likely to be purchased there will not be heavy or bulky. In fact, one of the attractions of it is that I *don't* have to faff around getting the car out.

Naturally this works for me because my house isn't too far from the town centre. One wonders if this is enough to sustain a business model, but having said that my local W's always seems pretty well patronised.

Let's not forget that many 'out of town' supermarkets are actually in suburban areas, surrounded by housing and quite possibly within walking distance of more customers than 'town centre' ones.

My local Asda is like that, with a secondary school next door and lots of offices not far away too. I see plenty of workers walking there in their breaks as well as local residents carrying bags of shopping.

 

[underbank]

All the big new retail complexes seem to be in city centres these days

Depends on the area. We've certainly had no new retail complexes in our local town/city centres for a long time and it shows with lots of empty shops. All new developments for the past 20 years or so have been out of town centres, new retail parks, etc. Even the likes of vets, GP surgeries, accountants and solicitors offices have left the town centre and moved into the retail parks.

Let's not forget that many 'out of town' supermarkets are actually in suburban areas, surrounded by housing and quite possibly within walking distance of more customers than 'town centre' ones.

That's what's happening around here. We've a shiny new huge Sainsbury in the middle of a heavily built up residential area, a couple of miles from the "centre" of town that has a steady stream of "walking" customers from the surrounding estates. Also a big Tesco on the outskirts of our next nearest town.

Our town/city centres are dying - mostly because of anti-car councils who are making life difficult for drivers, but not facilitating better public transport. Not everyone lives in big city centres with buses every 5 minutes, trams, decent trains, etc. If there's no decent public transport, then developers would be crazy to invest in new city developments!

 

[bramling]

Depends on the area. We've certainly had no new retail complexes in our local town/city centres for a long time and it shows with lots of empty shops. All new developments for the past 20 years or so have been out of town centres, new retail parks, etc. Even the likes of vets, GP surgeries, accountants and solicitors offices have left the town centre and moved into the retail parks.



That's what's happening around here. We've a shiny new huge Sainsbury in the middle of a heavily built up residential area, a couple of miles from the "centre" of town that has a steady stream of "walking" customers from the surrounding estates. Also a big Tesco on the outskirts of our next nearest town.

Our town/city centres are dying - mostly because of anti-car councils who are making life difficult for drivers, but not facilitating better public transport. Not everyone lives in big city centres with buses every 5 minutes, trams, decent trains, etc. If there's no decent public transport, then developers would be crazy to invest in new city developments!

My town, despite having a fair population size, is unusual in not having any “out of town” developments, and I can’t really see how they would be fitted in. I can’t say I miss them, although it does mean driving elsewhere for certain things.

The town centre is increasingly full of cafes and barber shops. Whilst the latter seem pretty idle to the extent of seeming dodgy, the cafes are always well used especially during the day by women. I simply don’t have the spare time to while away the day sitting in a cafe as I always seem to have something to do / on the go! Apart from that and the typical shops like Smiths and Boots plus banks, there’s not much else apart from Wilkinson’s. The one really decent furniture shop sadly closed down this year.

I must admit to not really being a fan of retail parks. They seem to be becoming increasingly cramped - gone are the days of spacious half-empty car parks, everything seems manic busy nowadays even mid-week. Actually I’m not really a fan of shopping full stop!

 

[LOL The Irony]

Tesla.

Strangely enough, they're on my high street.

 

[Gemz91]

Tend to find myself popping into Wilko's at least once a week on my lunch break, there's always something I'll run out of during the week I'll need to buy, it saves stopping off at a supermarket on the way home. Usually stuff like sink unblocker or bird feed. Rarely ever spend more then a few pounds in there at a time though.

 

[route101]

When did Home Bargains and B&M come onto the scene? I can only recall them going back a decade