Very local chains

wells
Posts: 747
Joined: Sun 31 Jul, 2005 14.52

You know the things, the brands that are very well known locally but wouldn't be known to a national audience. A bit like Bob Warman.

Locally we have Tony's Handyman which was a mainstay of Redditch Town Centre for many years, at one time had three branches, and now solely exists in the affluent village of Barnt Green home to Jamila and Ron Atkinson.
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Alexia
Posts: 2999
Joined: Sat 01 Oct, 2005 17.50

Do you mean national audience?

Trago Mills.

Wildings / Rossiters
Philip
Posts: 1133
Joined: Fri 22 Feb, 2008 21.23
Location: Merseyside
Contact:

Booths, a supermarket chain which can mainly be found when visiting Lancashire and the Lake District. Wiki.

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wells
Posts: 747
Joined: Sun 31 Jul, 2005 14.52

Yes, Alexia I did mean national. I have in the past frequented the Falmouth Trago.

In Worcester and Bromsgrove Thompsons exists that gives the public a chance to pick up big brand electrical goods at discounted prices due to deformities and such, I suspect these types of outfits exist everywhere. http://www.thompsons-online.co.uk

I like how they've copied and pasted this article about an employee who wronged them. http://www.thompsons-online.co.uk/index ... cts_id=803

You'd never get this from Currys, also like how they only know how to enter content as product pages for lines that they sell, so have done it as if he's a product. Can't find a store directly though.
wells
Posts: 747
Joined: Sun 31 Jul, 2005 14.52

Philip wrote:Booths, a supermarket chain which can mainly be found when visiting Lancashire and the Lake District. Wiki.

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At least you can see a big brand mentality there, it doesn't feel as if it's just a local operation. I'd say I'm more looking for those things that seem stuck in a time warp.
Andrew
Posts: 330
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 18.18

Mike's Carpets is one that immediately springs to mind.

Do they have Wynsors World of Shoes everywhere or just 'up North'
wells
Posts: 747
Joined: Sun 31 Jul, 2005 14.52

http://www.gardinerhaskins.co.uk is another one. This department store is split across two buildings in Bristol and had everything from a rather modern looking Samsung TV department to a bit that is basically Wilko. The branding is all very dated.

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Alexia
Posts: 2999
Joined: Sat 01 Oct, 2005 17.50

Taybarn's is an odd one. Loads of restaurants up north, and one (the original) in Swansea. It's one of those all-you-can-eat buffet type places.
Square Eyes
Posts: 630
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.38

Andrew wrote: Do they have Wynsors World of Shoes everywhere or just 'up North'
It's just across the North (mainly NE, Yorks & Lancs). Nothing south of Stoke on Trent, nothing north of Newcastle.
wells
Posts: 747
Joined: Sun 31 Jul, 2005 14.52

Since having year living in the North East, I've noticed a couple of Heron's in the Midlands. But it's as far South as that brand travels as of yet.
bilky asko
Posts: 1400
Joined: Sat 08 Nov, 2008 19.48

Philip wrote:Booths, a supermarket chain which can mainly be found when visiting Lancashire and the Lake District. Wiki.

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LONG POST ALERT

Apparently they share quite a lot of supply chains with Waitrose, but on the few occasions I've visited, they have even more wine, and even better counters that Waitrose. There's a much heavier emphasis on local produce, and the shopping experience is second to none. It's a shame my "local" branch is ages away in Ripon.
wells wrote:Since having year living in the North East, I've noticed a couple of Heron's in the Midlands. But it's as far South as that brand travels as of yet.
For those who don't know, it's like Farmfoods, but better on many accounts. They've been on a big refurbishment drive, so most of the shops are rather pleasant to be inside. My local sotes started out as a tiny shop, which then expanded into empty neighbouring units, before moving out to replace the closed Co-op/Somerfield/Kwik Save/Frankie Dee's next door. Now it's one of the largest branches of Heron I've seen.

In fact, why not take a tour of my local branch in 4K (I knew this video would come in handy):



There''s the usual short date produce (but they tend to be hotter on getting rid of it once it's gone over than Farmfoods), as well as the repackaged frozen items. They even copied Iceland in having a local bakery produce frozen versions of their popular pastry products.

Coming from near Scarborough, I can't not mention Boyes. The original shop in Scarborough is still there, and there's a museum to Boyes on the top floor of the Bridlington branch. The following picture appears to have been taken by forum favourite Graham Soult.

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Both the following shops used to be small chains, but now exist solely as the branches below:

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The former currently has two frontages on two streets - the shop adjoins the two. It sells everything from TVs, to mobility scooters; from tabards to tins of paint. The owner is a millionaire, and yet the mismatched carpet tiles throughout the whole shop were acquired for free.

You can't quite appreciate what sort of shop it is unless you've been in there. I, only a few months ago, managed to acquire quite a few pieces of original Mr Blobby branded merchandise from there, sold as if it were brand new and fresh on the shelves. From the very same shop, I could have bought myself a brand new washing machine. They also own a beach-front shop, as well as the (seasonally opening) "Walk Round Store" and Pound Shop.

The latter shop, apparently, only exists after the departure of WHSmith many moons ago. It once had a larger branch in Scarborough, but this is all that is left of Wrays.

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It's run in quite a traditional manner - it doesn't open on Sundays at all, and everything is priced up with (branded) pricing gun stickers.
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