High Street chain collapse sweepstake

thegeek
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Pete wrote: Sat 10 Oct, 2020 10.52
thegeek wrote: Fri 09 Oct, 2020 22.02 Hasn't Edinburgh Woollen Mill gone bust about a million times before?
what does it even sell?
Edinburgh.
bilky asko
Posts: 1400
Joined: Sat 08 Nov, 2008 19.48

Pete wrote: Sat 10 Oct, 2020 10.52
thegeek wrote: Fri 09 Oct, 2020 22.02 Hasn't Edinburgh Woollen Mill gone bust about a million times before?
what does it even sell?
I've never been inside an actual Edinburgh Woollen Mill branch, I've seen the Tweed in the window and that's about it. I can't say I'm an avid shopper in many of the brands they own, either.
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Charlie Wells
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Pete wrote: Sat 10 Oct, 2020 10.52
thegeek wrote: Fri 09 Oct, 2020 22.02 Hasn't Edinburgh Woollen Mill gone bust about a million times before?
what does it even sell?
EWM's target audience seems to be primarily older people, and their numbers have dwindled over the years as they've died off. There is a range aimed at younger females called Country Rose, and the general menswear is okay when it comes to trousers and jumpers. Our local branch finally closed after nearly two years of closing down posters, initially 'subject to landlord negotiations'. It didn't help that the wooden window frontage was rotting away, and a leak from a blocked off courtyard periodically socked the carpet and brought in maggots.

Personally I think EWM as a shop brand has little future, unless it's given a serious refresh and modifies its target audience. Peacocks should have more potential given the range of clothing it sells. EWM also owns Ponden home stores, and I believe at one point was considering buying some of the old BHS units to put all of their different operations into these units.
"If ass holes could fly then this place would be an airport."
cyberdude
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They trialled a department store combining all their brands under one roof at the former BHS in Carmarthen, West Wales. Every time I’ve been there, it’s been empty. I’m not surprised.
DJDave
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Charlie Wells wrote: Mon 12 Oct, 2020 10.34
Pete wrote: Sat 10 Oct, 2020 10.52
thegeek wrote: Fri 09 Oct, 2020 22.02 Hasn't Edinburgh Woollen Mill gone bust about a million times before?
what does it even sell?
EWM's target audience seems to be primarily older people, and their numbers have dwindled over the years as they've died off. There is a range aimed at younger females called Country Rose, and the general menswear is okay when it comes to trousers and jumpers. Our local branch finally closed after nearly two years of closing down posters, initially 'subject to landlord negotiations'. It didn't help that the wooden window frontage was rotting away, and a leak from a blocked off courtyard periodically socked the carpet and brought in maggots.

Personally I think EWM as a shop brand has little future, unless it's given a serious refresh and modifies its target audience. Peacocks should have more potential given the range of clothing it sells. EWM also owns Ponden home stores, and I believe at one point was considering buying some of the old BHS units to put all of their different operations into these units.
Having worked at Peacocks for 11 years up until a few years ago, It was a really good company and was going places under Richard Kirk but then the credit crunch came and the banks wanted the money back and they didn't have the money to pay back. Having been through administration with them back in 2012 the administrators always said the company would be bought in some form as on paper it was making money and our stores believe it or not where better then Primark and a similar look to River Island was rolling out at the time.

After my store closing down I was taken back on by EWM at a reopened store in my area on less money but it was either that or sports direct. I stayed another few years and worked my way up to supervisor and assistant manager for an extra 40p an hour lol, and even got paid no more when I was left to run a brand new store on my own for 6 months.

For me and I know a lot of others, there was a real buzz before EWM but then EWM kind of took that buzz away and was paying the staff very low wages with stores running on very little staff and hours, but the company still made money, Mr Day use to say we were his favorite brand as we made him the most money, I think for me the prices shot up but the quality and the fashion slowed down and i think that's what's gone wrong.
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WillPS
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If all of the EWM brands disappeared overnight, what would be the gap they leave behind? I honestly don't think there would be one at all.

I saw these a while back:
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I can't image much more dispiriting than having to manually jot down a lengthy closure notice because there is no budget for toner.
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Zimba
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Joined: Tue 13 Oct, 2020 11.01

WillPS wrote: Tue 13 Oct, 2020 08.34 If all of the EWM brands disappeared overnight, what would be the gap they leave behind? I honestly don't think there would be one at all.

I saw these a while back:
ImageImage

I can't image much more dispiriting than having to manually jot down a lengthy closure notice because there is no budget for toner.
I've been reading this for awhile but just had to post, losing EWM would be devestating for the Highlands and tourists towns. They own quite a lot of large tourist places such as The Scottish Wool Centre (Aberfoyle), Kilmahog Woolen Mill (Callandar), Mason Mills (Matlock), Moffat Mills, Holm Mills (Inverness), 4x stores Pitlochry, 2x stores Jedburgh, James Pringle (Llanfairpwllgwyngyll), 2x stores Ullapool, Abbey Mills (Melrose), Antartex Village (Alexandria) just to name a few.

It's National Holidays / Shearings going under added with the Covid 19 which has killed them off as all of the above rely on coach trips and usually have 1 or 2 in at a time spending money in their restaurants. Could be devastating for some places such as Aberfoyle which it's the main reason to visit the place and can't see anyone who can easily just fit into them, they're quite niche. Most of them aren't exactly attractive places neither and could become an abandoned mess as they're mostly in ex Mills and industrial units (Holm Mills, Mason Mills, Moffat Mills, Antartex etc).

Also Bon Marche is safe as it's a seperate company from EWM.
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WillPS
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I didn't even know they had actual mills with restaurants and that.

It was the high street retail business I meant.
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cyberdude
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Closing down signs up already at my local store.
Zimba
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WillPS wrote: Wed 14 Oct, 2020 13.03 I didn't even know they had actual mills with restaurants and that.

It was the high street retail business I meant.
Ah they're not, they're just basically all the brands in one place with a restaurant on site where coaches dump pensioners off for a few hours in old Mills or the like - tbh most them are a dump and stuck in a timewarp from about 40 year ago.

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x ... CnoECBYQAw - That gives an idea of what they're like as they own the main place at Llanfairpwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch (sorry just had too) but you never know as they tend to try and hide it.

https://scottishdeercentre.co.uk/ - They own that aswell, got quite a few things here and there but it's all secret as if they know that they're a bit meh.
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Pete
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Pensioner dump shops have always fascinated me. They're such absolute bollocks.
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