Funny, I was thinking the same thing.

 

Would you class Jaguar/Landrover as a retailer ?

 

Not as much as you think you dont! The man owned a company called 'Northern Upholstery'. DFS stands for Direct Furniture Supplies, a company started in Two Dales near Matlock in Derbyshire. It was owned by the Hardy family (who were friends of my fathers). They bought one Lamborghini too many and the company went into receivership: at which time is was bought out by Northern Upholstery.

 

Interesting to know that the brief I was given when I took over at SCS in 1999 was total tosh then!

 

In that respect it was. Didnt you see the adverts on Granada in the 1980s? "...DFS the out of town store, that saves you more: Darley Dale near Matlock and Measham near Burton upon Trent..." ATV/Central played them to death.....

 

I've got cousins who live in Matlock.
I can remember in the late 70's/ early 80's going to the DFS at Darley Dale with them to buy a new settee.
At the time I think it was the original shop.

Long before out of town retail parks.

 

I dont know about folded, but it did a heavy restructure to protect what business it had left.

Mart

 

Any retailer is potentially at risk at the moment,

DSG group whilst running at 9p a share last week, has now bumped up to 15p a share.

The big problem for the retailers is not orders, stock or customers, but

liquidity.


If they dont have sufficient funds to keep purchasing stock, pay wages

etc, they rely on credit, and therein lies the problem.

The banks were quite happy to lend and make interest on there lending,

and have done for years, but now its a different ball game, the millions

theyve made from company X in interest, count for nothing. They just see

them as a risk, wont lend them money, and then its game over.


The ones who are at risk at the moment? IMHO

DSG, Next, Game / Gamestation / B&O


Mart

 

I think supermarkets are taking a lot of sales in terms of CD's DVD's etc now, they seem to always undercut HMV, Zavvi etc. not exactly high street retailers I know but they are cheaper, and people have the convenience of buying CD's etc whilst doing the weekley shop. Then there's Itunes to compete with too.
Zavvi could be a good option to go next, always seems more expensive than anywhere else

 

Not a retailer but Subaru...if the rumours are correct.

 

Just been eyeing up a nice Lumix camera at my local Jessops. Maybe I'll hang on a little while....

 

And that actually is the problem, so many of us are holding on a little while to see what happens.

Will there be any January sales as so many stores started them at the beginning of December?

WH Smith have business outside of the stores with distribution of magazines and papers also have you seen the side of the queues in their airport shops?

I think DSG need to rationalise their approach, Dixons/Currys/Comet/PC World is too much and they often have stores on the same retail parks. It's pointless and they need to restructure to be more efficient.

BHS look doomed to me. Big discounts, not great clothes and no-one in the stores. Not good.

 

Would have thought NEXT were solid.

 

I'm just wondering what will happen in Jan?
Everywhere is already having sales - never seen anything like it before.
The Jan sales will be silly I reckon!

 

mmm I have not shopped on the highstreet for years...

Why would you when you can do it from your keyboard for the same cost?

 

I buy a fair bit over the internet but still use the High Street a lot. Just like to see stuff and be able to return it promptly if needed.

I find internet returns usually a total pain.

 

The Tesco's sale will be.....

I think the next retailer to go bust will be electrical, someone like currys or comet. They've both recorded big losses recently and the worse is still to come....

 

I bet journalists can wait for a christmas card shop to fold

 

Surely this has been the case for at least the last 4 years.

 

Ignoring the point about who might be next,doesn't everyone think

1.It's sad
2.It's a bit scarey

Is this as bad or worse than previous 'hard times?

 

It'll blow the 90s recession out of the water and rival or even beat the 1930s depression.

It is indeed sad but also highly annoying.

 

We didn't get ATV/Central in Oldham, surprisingly!

 

The 1990's recession stretched over quite a few years, about 5?

I don't think this one will last that long - it can't, this rate of decline cannot continue for long (can it?!) It is going to be deep - no question.

I cannot see any further big discounts - surely they have cut to the bone already?

That said, TV's and cars can always be made a bit cheaper and sold with nil profit to get cash flow.

 

My Mrs has just got back from Meadowhall in Sheffield and said that The Pier are closing down.

 

The Body Shop are having a few problems, and will be closing some stores next year apparently, but won't be vanishing.

 

Oh right, I'll go and tell her to buck up a bit

 

Qube footwear shop in Nottingham is also closing down.
50% off everything today, but most stuff left is a pile of pap.

 

Things are a lot worse in my local area than they were during the last recession and the worse is yet to come....

 

Aren't Zavvi meant to be struggling as they used Entertainment UK (Woolworths) for lots of their stock?