Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

[Meerkat]

Another (demographic) issue could be that a lot of the babies may be from tighter knit families/communities, where the expensive things (prams, cots etc) get handed down, so fewer people are buying these things brand new?

That is widespread now - the rise of eBay/Freegle/Facebook marketplace has made the passing on of baby stuff normal and much easier. There were often big stacks of baby stuff in our office as it got handed on!

 

[njamescouk]

Noticed Herbert Brown pawnbrokers in Barnsley have shut down, apparently that happened a couple of months ago, and the Swinton Insurance place next to it has gone as well. Looked at SWs website, they don't seem to have any branches now.

Not looking good for commercial property, or those investing in it, e.g. pension funds and some local authorities.

 

[ComUtoR]

Mothercare looks like a shop from a past era these days. It hasn’t moved with the times...

I'd agree. They are an old school retailer who rested on their laurels. Back in the day they had a pretty captive audience and were the leaders in their field. They took advantage of it and tbvfh, gouged their customers.

I remember when mine were ickle. One of the most consumable items, baby wipes, were pretty much twice the price in Mothercare than elsewhere. Suffice to say, we shopped elsewhere too. I didn't mind the big items (pram, cot etc.) because they did offer a good range and you could go in an try the out but as already mentioned, they are one off purchases and with the rise of the internet, Mothercare just aren't competitive. Both my car seats got passed on too. Everything else I kinda thought they were just awful. lack of anything really special and lack of range due to having too much diversity. Toys were better from places like Toys R Us or Argos, consumables were cheaper in the supermarket, Next had a superb range or kids clothes, and baby food was also a great deal cheaper elsewhere.

Even when my friends have had kids, I have advised them to shop elsewhere and not really gone into Mothercare to buy them anything (gifts etc) either.

Another issue I had with them (for my second kid) Was that they didn't have a website you could purchase from. IIRC they had a website but you still had to go in store to purchase and then you had difficulties because not all stores had the same items. In the end, I just gave up going in there.

The high street MUST diversify and evolve.

The comment regarding Halfords is interesting. I only go in there for their washer fluid (the berry flavor) and the other week I went in for a replacement wiper. They do have their services and tyre places but again, I don't find them to be competitive. Do they have a internet competitor or lack of customers ?

*edit*

Reading the story a bit more it sounds like a lot of miss management. £500 mil in revenue but still a 36mil loss (UK) and a 28mil profit internationally. I know there is an issue with rents and rates but that is a rather large disparity.

Frank Ofonagoro, director at business advisory firm Quantum, said: "Mothercare has been struggling for a while with the now commonly understood factors that have been hitting legacy UK high street operators. An outdated business model has meant the company has been far too slow in migrating its operating model away from costly physical stores to a much leaner online model.

"Furthermore, Morthercare has been unable to find an effective response to the changing buying habits of the new breed of millennial parents.”

As everyone has already suggested.

Mothercare floated in 1972 and has been a mainstay of the British high street for many years. However its UK business has been unprofitable for more than a decade and failed to find any buyers.

Adapt or die :/

 

[DavidGrain]

To be honest I did not know that Mothercare were still in business

 

[Busaholic]

Very well summed up.
Mothercare looks like a shop from a past era these days. It hasn’t moved with the times, and in fact may not have had much choice whether to move with times or not with the rise of eBay/Amazon etc.
I bet they’re paying some hefty rents on those prime location shops too.

Only shops left in Devon are Torquay and Plymouth, Exeter having closed earlier this year. Their sole Cornish store in Truro closed in the city centre and moved to a retail park next to Treliske Hospital in order to reduce costs.

 

[Cowley]

Only shops left in Devon are Torquay and Plymouth, Exeter having closed earlier this year. Their sole Cornish store in Truro closed in the city centre and moved to a retail park next to Treliske Hospital in order to reduce costs.

I walked past the Exeter one yesterday and I’m so used to it being there that I didn’t even notice that it wasn’t!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Mothercare was pretty poor though. Not sure if they sold anything that other retailers didn't sell............. but bought elsewhere because they were so expensive compared with other retailers.

That's pretty much what killed off Woolworths as well isn't it? Same stuff available elsewhere at lower prices.

 

[bramling]

Personally, I think Halfords will go the same way as Mothercare.

Not so sure. They’re often to be found on out-of-town retail parks, and those branches (IMO) are typically fairly well used. Naturally it helps that they do car parts and accessories so being easily accessible by car is in their favour. Likewise IMO they will always trade on being “the” place to pick up things like spare bulbs (something which might be needed *now* rather than waiting a couple of days for mail order), and for some people the added benefit of fitting or help finding the right part. I think there will always be a market for cheap bikes too, although personally I wouldn’t.

I agree the high-street branches are probably doomed, but as a retailer I think Halfords offer something which isn’t fully replicated and bettered elsewhere. One possible longer term threat is if course the spread of bespoke car parts which can only be changed at a dealer, like some modern types of headlamp. This is some way into the future though.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Not so sure. They’re often to be found on out-of-town retail parks, and those branches (IMO) are typically fairly well used. Naturally it helps that they do car parts and accessories so being easily accessible by car is in their favour. Likewise IMO they will always trade on being “the” place to pick up things like spare bulbs (something which might be needed *now* rather than waiting a couple of days for mail order), and for some people the added benefit of fitting or help finding the right part. I think there will always be a market for cheap bikes too, although personally I wouldn’t.

I agree the high-street branches are probably doomed, but as a retailer I think Halfords offer something which isn’t fully replicated and bettered elsewhere. One possible longer term threat is if course the spread of bespoke car parts which can only be changed at a dealer, like some modern types of headlamp. This is some way into the future though.

Agreed. Prime next day delivery is good and all but if you've gone to town for a little shopping and say a bulb blows, you can go into a Halfords now rather than risk getting pulled over and fined on the way home.

 

[anamyd]

To be honest I did not know that Mothercare were still in business

Mothercare Carmarthen lasted a lot longer than Mothercare Shrewsbury. Seems to be dying a slow death!

 

[johntea]

Clintons now on about closing a fifth of their estate...might as well close the lot because all your customers are in Card Factory paying a lot less!

 

[underbank]

Not so sure. They’re often to be found on out-of-town retail parks, and those branches (IMO) are typically fairly well used. Naturally it helps that they do car parts and accessories so being easily accessible by car is in their favour. Likewise IMO they will always trade on being “the” place to pick up things like spare bulbs (something which might be needed *now* rather than waiting a couple of days for mail order), and for some people the added benefit of fitting or help finding the right part. I think there will always be a market for cheap bikes too, although personally I wouldn’t.

Trouble is, fewer and fewer people "repair" their own cars anymore as modern cars aren't designed for DIY-ers. I always used to do most smaller things to mine, such as changing bulbs, fuses, spark plugs, battery, etc. Now, I don't do any of that. I was incredibly embarrassed a few months ago when a fuse blew and I couldn't change it myself. (Well I could have done, but it involved a lot of faffing around, looked as if I'd have to remove the battery cover, battery etc to get to the fuse box). Far easier just to take it to the garage who did it there and then and didn't even charge as they knew I was a regular customer. Same with bulbs. Last time I tried to change a bulb, I ended up cutting my hand and breaking the lugs off the cover assembly - so it's off to the garage for that now too! With so many "lease" cars around, cars are more modern so less likely to need repairs, and usually the terms of leases prevent "DIY" or non-franchise dealers touching them so that's even less business for Halfords.

One of my clients has a motorsport shop and they're really struggling for the same reasons - fewer and fewer people "DIY"-ing. They bemoan the days of the old mark 1 escorts when a half competent DIYer could do just about anything. Instead of lots of customers doing all kinds of things to their cars, they now only have a very small (VERY small) number of regular customers who take it seriously, i.e. proper rallying, not just young lads pretending, and they know that market is ever-shrinking.

As for bikes, however cheap, after a succession of poor experiences, I wouldn't touch Halfords with a bargepole. Despite claiming to be experts, at our local store, none of them have the faintest clue how to build a bike. My son has had one where the stabilisers had been put on with bolts too short so they worked loose and caused him to fall off. A few years later, his first "big" bike, on our first trip out, the front wheel came loose (bolts not been tightened) - on his first ride out on it and Halfords had the audacity to blame us for not checking! I bought one where the gears hadn't been set correctly (not just stretching of cables through, the whole thing was clearly wrong the first time I rode it). My wife bought one where they'd actually put the wheel on the wrongly (I didn't even know you could do that, but apparently is it, as advised by a "proper" bike repair shop" who put it on properly and cured the fault!).

 

[SteveM70]

Halfords have - to a degree - diversified, as part of their offer now is “we”ll fit it for you”, rather than just flogging car parts.

As for the bikes, I’ve bought two from them (using the cycle to work scheme, but unfortunately working for a very large company to keep things relatively simple we’re only allowed to use Halfords rather than an independent) and I’ve had good service at point of purchase and six week check up.

In terms of pure High Street rather than airports train stations and hospitals, it’s WH Smith I can’t get my head round. Everything they sell that isn’t a fixed price like papers and magazines is a ripoff

 

[Meerkat]

I bought a side lamp bulb from Halfords and thought I would pay for them to fit it to save me breaking anything (the clusters are so big it feels like you are removing half the front of the car and is a maze of screws and clips).
However the “fitter” was a kid with a multi tool and a mobile as a torch (not even a head torch!) so
I ended up having to get the manual out and direct operations.

 

[Dai Corner]

I tend to think of Halfords as the motoring equivalent of Maplin. Somewhere that's quite interesting to have a look around to fill in a quarter of an hour but you don't buy anything there unless you need it there and then.

 

[EssexGonzo]

I've not had a glimpse of this thread recently but I've used two names mentioned in it recently and have come away more confident about their ability to adapt.

Our local Argos moved into the local Sainsburys, following the latter's purchase of it. Genius. I've used Argos click and collect a couple of times recently and now, of course, they're open until 9pm. I think they've got a new lease of life because of this. They still need to work on their pricing, mind.

And Currys/PC World. Again, click and collect, they matched the price of a high value item I wanted and i collected it the same day. Their service was pretty good and I also spent £100 on cables and extras when I went to collect it. Good for them and a note even slightly chavvy experience either!

And a mention for John Lewis: I've just invested in Google Mesh Wifi as I live in an old house with thick walls. A 4-hub setup was £40 cheaper than Amazon or any other online source. I'd much rather support a real shop with local jobs paying UK tax if at all possible.

 

[richw]

Halfords wanted 4.99 for a bulb for my car recently. local motor factors 75p.

 

[underbank]

Our local Argos moved into the local Sainsburys, following the latter's purchase of it. Genius. I've used Argos click and collect a couple of times recently and now, of course, they're open until 9pm. I think they've got a new lease of life because of this. They still need to work on their pricing, mind.

I have to agree. It's an perfect example of adapting to survive. Our Sainsbury was always a bit on the quiet side compared to other local supermarkets, but since Argos has moved it, it's been noticeably busier as people now have a reason to go there, and, as planned, buy other things at the same time as picking up their Argos order.

Same with WHS - people whinge about their High St stores, but they had the foresight to see the benefits of incorporating the Post Office counter when "proper" post offices in the town centre close, so that, again, drives people into their stores, who may well buy other things.

Another slightly different example is in-store cafes. We like the Morrisons cafe but hate the Tesco's feeble attempt and aren't keen on Asda either, so when we're on the road or holidaying in the UK, we actively seek out Morrisons to have our lunch or evening meal, and thus buy groceries, newspaper, drinks or whatever afterwards, so that's business gained by Morrison and lost by Tesco/Asda, simply due to "side-line" offerings.

I think it's got to be the way forward - stores need to have multiple sales channels to attract customers.

 

[Meerkat]

Sainsbury’s were keen on getting Argos, Habitat etc into their stores as they had far too much shop floor built during the super shed supermarket expansion period.
Like big town centre department stores are desperately trying to offload whole floors.

 

[SteveM70]

Sainsbury’s were keen on getting Argos, Habitat etc into their stores as they had far too much shop floor built during the super shed supermarket expansion period.
Like big town centre department stores are desperately trying to offload whole floors.

Correct, and also compared to Tesco and Asda their general merchandise offer was relatively limited.

But the impact on JS’s bottom line from dumping high street leases for Argos stores they’ve moved into Sainsbury’s superstores is very significant

 

[xc170]

One thing stands out in this thread, the majority of the companies we've seen vanish have a few things in common, over priced and unwilling to adapt to todays market.

 

[SteveP29]

Another slightly different example is in-store cafes. We like the Morrisons cafe but hate the Tesco's feeble attempt

Half the larger Tesco's I go into that are big enough for a cafe have a bl**dy Costa, I don't want arty farty coffee and overpriced slice of cake if I'm wanting something to eat when at the supermarket, I want sausage, egg and chips (like I used to have every saturday morning when I was a kid at Savecentre in Washington, their cafe seating area was half as big as some supermarkets)

 

[Islineclear3_1]

I believe Debenhams has moved closer towards closing many of its stores

 

[High Dyke]

UK plc...after December.

Seriously though, Simons construction in Lincoln went bust a couple of weeks back. They were involved in a number of projects, including a new build hospital in Mansfield and refurbishment of shopping centres.

 

[Kite159]

Clintons now on about closing a fifth of their estate...might as well close the lot because all your customers are in Card Factory paying a lot less!

I can remember a time when Andover had 3 Clinton Card stores (plus 3 of the 'cheap' card shops)

Customers are either in the likes of Card Factory, picking up greetings card with the shopping in Tesco, sending e-cards or using the likes of Moonpig

 

[SteveM70]

I can remember a time when Andover had 3 Clinton Card stores (plus 3 of the 'cheap' card shops)

Customers are either in the likes of Card Factory, picking up greetings card with the shopping in Tesco, sending e-cards or using the likes of Moonpig

Clintons have tried to reposition themselves as a generic gift/event shop (the branding is now Clinton’s rather than Clinton’s Cards) but I don’t think that’s sufficient. The whole problem with that kind of shop is that it’s by definition for infrequent purchases, and moreover purchase that the yoof of today are loathe to make. Why buy a card when you can send an offensive WhatsApp message instead?!?

 

[Iskra]

Half the larger Tesco's I go into that are big enough for a cafe have a bl**dy Costa, I don't want arty farty coffee and overpriced slice of cake if I'm wanting something to eat when at the supermarket, I want sausage, egg and chips (like I used to have every saturday morning when I was a kid at Savecentre in Washington, their cafe seating area was half as big as some supermarkets)

Clearly, plenty of people disagree with you. They are always busy. And supemarkets don't seem interested in catering as it isn't their core business and has small margins after all costs are taken into account because it's quite labour heavy compared to traditional retail.

Surely if you want a cheap breakfast these days you just go to a greasy spoon or wetherspoons?

 

[greyman42]

And supemarkets don't seem interested in catering as it isn't their core business and has small margins after all costs are taken into account because it's quite labour heavy compared to traditional retail.

Surely if you want a cheap breakfast these days you just go to a greasy spoon or wetherspoons?

Morrisons seem to have good food in there cafes and at low prices as well. My store seems very popular.

 

[DaleCooper]

TK Maxx puzzles me, it seems like a mishmash of neither particularly desirable nor particularly cheap stuff and their clearance area looks like a car boot sale. Perhaps it's just not my type of shop.

 

[DavidGrain]

Halfords have just bought a chain of 60 tyre depots in Scotland and Northern England with 100 vans providing mobile tyre fitting service so they must be in a fairly sound financial position in spite of suggestions otherwise on this thread.