Long forgotten brands that sank without trace

[rdobbie]

Here's an obscure one that I doubt anyone will remember. Stolen From Ivor. They were big in the late 80s / early 90s in the North West of England and sold high-fashion branded clothes with the actual label ripped out, for half the normal RRP.

E.g. Levi 501 jeans were normally about £40 in those days, but SFI sold them for £15-20, minus the iconic red label on the rear pocket which had been cut out with scissors, but tantalisingly had a few shreds of red fabric remaining, to remind you of what you could have been wearing if you weren't a cheapskate.

Their business model seemed to be the antithesis of the designer brand principle whereby you paid the money because you wanted to flaunt the bloody label. Yet it seemed to work, and many people (including me) were happy to buy their vandalised clothes.

[WillPS]

Sounds like an extreme version of TK Maxx. Interesting!

So, if Wal-Mart didn't buy Asda, Woolworths, MVC and Comet might not have gone bust?

Too many ifs and buts really. Kingfisher could have massively cocked up the lot; Asda was by no means the steady entity it is today back then, and they would have literally have had to go 'all in' buying them, so it's by no means a certainty.

Conversely, in an alternate world I'm sure Woolworths could have survived if the issues were dealt with as they were identified - mostly issues with the ageing store portfolio. A rationalised, refurbished and relaunched Woolies in the early/mid 00s may have sorted them out. Certainly there was no need for the buoyant entertainment side to suffer.

Comet's neither here nor there really. If you're to ask me, Comet died because of their scummy cynical policies with pricing/sales.

[Whataday]

Yes, it's important to note that it's Walmart that should be credited for the substantial growth of Asda.

[Sput]

Are they still doing The Chant?

[gottago]

Does anyone remember Sainsbury's Savacentres? I remember the logo for it was on the Sainsbury's Reward Card alongside the regular Sainsbury's and Homebase ones. I think the V was a tick. I'm pretty sure I went to one in Liverpool as a young child but don't remember it being any different to a regular store, same size and products. Did they have more non-food items or something?

Ok so clearly I need to Google before posting! According to Wiki it was a chain of 13 hypermarkets (the first of its kind in the UK) and later 7 discount supermarkets that were initially run as a 50:50 venture between Sainsbury's and BHS before Sainsbury's eventually bought them out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SavaCentre

There's also an old advert for it here in which a father threatens to hit his own son for suggesting, in an extraordinarily feminine voice, that he asks the fishmonger what bait he used to catch the produce. Delightful.

http://youtu.be/mcB1iycfkZs?t=1m54s

[Alexia]

I remember visiting the one in Sydenham, south east London. Big blue building. I believe the logo is still on the roof.

http://binged.it/Tp9AtK

[Whataday]

I dont know if this has been mentioned yet, but KwikSave is back as an alternative fascia for CostCutter:



Awful logo in my opinion.

[barcode]

Does anyone remember a shop called Chatwell?

[martindtanderson]

Rumbelows


Vice Versas

[martindtanderson]

Awful logo in my opinion.

I think the logo is much better than the last one I remember before they closed down near by

[bilky asko]

Vice Versas

They've brought them back - I'm not much of a fan, actually...

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/ ... =275434716