High Street chain collapse sweepstake

[Critique]

That's not new. When I stopped working at Homebase in 2003, they stocked all of that.

Oh, Huh. Well, shows how much attention I've been paying. Maybe it sells better than I thought it would. I knew they did cheap flat pack furniture for a while - it was terrible quality, even the in-store display models looked awful, with crooked edges and gaps where there shouldn't be any.

I don't know if it's related, but our Homebase got some new signage and an Argos concession last year and is now branded as a 'Homebase Design Centre', which would certainly suggest it is positioning itself less as a DIY store.

[Whataday]

My main Argos store is already one of those, no pens or books etc. If there was every a power cuts there be ......

Power or not, if they're anything like the touch screens my local Argos has, not a lot will be getting ordered either way.

[Pete]

some places can still override the till and do thing even with out power. Thats by n by.

Forgetting the health and safety issue of no lights though. Emergency lighting won't be sufficient to keep a shop open.

The the old school clickity clackity stock checkers would also fail with a power cut? So what's the difference with them using tablets?

[WillPS]

That's not new. When I stopped working at Homebase in 2003, they stocked all of that.

Oh, Huh. Well, shows how much attention I've been paying. Maybe it sells better than I thought it would. I knew they did cheap flat pack furniture for a while - it was terrible quality, even the in-store display models looked awful, with crooked edges and gaps where there shouldn't be any.

Blimey, you ought to have seen Focus Do-It-All if you think Homebase is bad...!

[Whataday]

Talking of Do It All...

http://www.doitalldiy.co.uk/

[gottago]

After that chatter about what would happen to a fancy new Argos in a power cut, all of the iPads in my local branch were down today for some reason. Their solution was to stick a laminated catalogue on each desk, so about four for the whole store, and bring back the pen and paper slips. It was quicker for me to stand there on my phone on the Argos website than fight over a catalogue.

But of course the worst part of the experience was the continued lack of an order number for the collection part. Only one member of staff serving a huge backlog of people - as usual they had to get people to step forward, show them their receipt and then tell them it hadn't been delivered yet. Stupid system.

[Pete]

Dragging this back up somewhat. Amazon are apparently going into a partnership with Collect+ (I believe they already utilised them for returns) meaning you should be able to get things delivered to your nearest Spar / PayPoint supporting corner shop and therefore be able to pick them up until lateish into the evening.

Far better than relying on the godawful couriers.

Agreed - but I'm sure it can't be all PayPoint corner shops - several Sainsbury's Locals for example have PayPoint installed, and I doubt they'd do it.

A quick check seems to show that not all PayPoint locations also have Collect+ - I can't find a Sainsbury's Local with Collect+, and the East Yorkshire Motor Services bus ticket shop in Scarborough with PayPoint doesn't have Collect+.

News & Booze in Filey has PayPoint, but not Collect+ - only Mace has Collect+ in Filey - although the recently opened Spar may not be on the Collect+ map yet.

I notice that Spar have stopped doing Collect+ in their Dundee stores. Is this happening in England too?

[Martin Phillp]

Argos has opened at my nearest Homebase. I haven't had the opportunity to have a look yet, however I'd expect it to look like the concession inside the Andover store.

[Pete]

I notice that Spar have stopped doing Collect+ in their Dundee stores. Is this happening in England too?

to update on this

Spar are not stopping Collect+ however amazon are now not delivering to Collect+. They'll still use them for returns.

This is most inconvenient. The only other pickup points in Dundee that are covered by Amazon are now post offices which close at stupid o'clock. The advantage of Collect+ was that most of the shops were open until 10pm so you could easily go after work / dinner and get your parcel.

Hopefully Amazon lockers will become a thing soon up here.

[bilky asko]

I notice that Spar have stopped doing Collect+ in their Dundee stores. Is this happening in England too?

to update on this

Spar are not stopping Collect+ however amazon are now not delivering to Collect+. They'll still use them for returns.

This is most inconvenient. The only other pickup points in Dundee that are covered by Amazon are now post offices which close at stupid o'clock. The advantage of Collect+ was that most of the shops were open until 10pm so you could easily go after work / dinner and get your parcel.

Hopefully Amazon lockers will become a thing soon up here.

I've noticed that Schuh no longer seem to deliver to Collect+ stores either; though, again, they still do returns through them.

My nearest parcel locker is a few miles from where I live, so is pretty inconvenient. I might as well pick up from the parcel depot.

[scottishtv]

So BHS is trying to get 'a £65m lifeline' from hedge funds, according to the papers. The Sunday Times version of the story had some interesting details in it:

Sir Philip Green, the billionaire owner of Arcadia Group, sparked controversy when he sold BHS for £1 to a little-known consortium called Retail Acquisitions earlier this year. Green’s Monaco-based wife, Tina, took more than £400m of dividends from the business during his ownership. BHS’s pension plan has a substantial deficit. The trustees’ most recent estimate of the shortfall was £207m, but it could increase significantly under the triennial valuation currently under way.

Retail Acquisitions is led by Dominic Chappell, a two-time bankrupt who previously left a trail of bust companies and unpaid creditors. Before BHS, Chappell ran a property development called Island Harbour on the Isle of Wight. It went into administration in 2009 owing creditors more than £24m. Chappell has said he subsequently netted a “bonanza” from an oil storage facility in Spain that allowed him to bankroll the BHS takeover.

He has admitted he was introduced to the idea of buying BHS by a former business partner, Paul Sutton, who is a convicted fraudster and serial bankrupt. Chappell worked as an adviser to Sutton, who tried to buy BHS himself until Green discovered details of his past and refused to deal with him. In February, Sutton said he had no ongoing involvement with BHS. Retail Acquisitions has said that Sutton had no involvement in its decision to buy BHS.