High Street chain collapse sweepstake

Andrew
Posts: 330
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 18.18

How is Office Outlet getting on in your area following the sell off by Staples.

I noticed today that my local one has recently moved from its large ex-Staples unit to a pokey little one about three units down.

Basically just three aisles of stuff, no longer selling much furniture, not much computer equipment, the Print Centre has gone, barely much more than you would get in a large WHSmith.

As a result I can’t see it lasting very long.
Pear
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat 04 Jun, 2016 13.11

My local moved from a huge purpose built shed to a small subdivided former PC World a few months before the rebrand. The retail park it moved from was unfortunate enough for two of its three other tenants to be Maplin and one of the American Golf stores that was disposed when they went into administration, meaning the only thing left on the pretty big site is a small supplements store.

I certainly won’t miss them when they inevitably go under, they manage to make even WHSmith look cheap. Last time I went in, the cheapest file binder was about £7, compared to 75p at Wilko.
g67bbx
Posts: 59
Joined: Sat 06 Jan, 2018 08.18

Pear wrote: Sun 03 Feb, 2019 12.14 My local moved from a huge purpose built shed to a small subdivided former PC World a few months before the rebrand. The retail park it moved from was unfortunate enough for two of its three other tenants to be Maplin and one of the American Golf stores that was disposed when they went into administration, meaning the only thing left on the pretty big site is a small supplements store.

I certainly won’t miss them when they inevitably go under, they manage to make even WHSmith look cheap. Last time I went in, the cheapest file binder was about £7, compared to 75p at Wilko.
My nearest one did exactly the same. moving from the building where it always was since built. Then into an old smaller unit which was a remnant of the PC World/Currys mergers on the next retail park along. Which is now half empty since the departure of Toys R Us and I think JJB Sports but I cant remember exactly.

Its previous location has become a home bargains.
DJDave
Posts: 118
Joined: Thu 23 Nov, 2006 22.53
Location: Wirral

Yeah mine was the same, very shortly after the name change they moved from a massive unit to the old smaller Brantano unit about 4 doors down.
Martin Phillp
Posts: 1469
Joined: Wed 11 May, 2011 01.28

Sunrise Records, who acquired HMV Canada out of administration are according to the Telegraph, the frontrunner to acquire the whole business of HMV UK.

As it's a Telegraph paywall story, I'll paste into a quote box.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20 ... -race-hmv/
A Canadian chain of record stores is in pole position to buy HMV, pipping Mike Ashley to the deal.

The Sunday Telegraph understands that Sunrise Records, run by entrepreneur Douglas Putnam, is the front-runner in an auction being overseen by administrators at KPMG.

Insiders are saying that Mr Putnam wants to buy all, rather than part, of the iconic company, raising hopes that the majority of HMV’s 2,200 jobs can be saved.

Mr Ashley, the Sports Direct owner, was widely expected to rescue HMV, which collapsed into administration just three days after Christmas. Bosses blamed a “tsunami of challenges facing UK retailers”. It is HMV’s second administration in six years.

KPMG and HMV’s former owner, Hilco, are brokering a sale and hope to keep open as many of the record chain’s 125 stores as possible. Founded in 1977, Sunrise Records was bought by Mr Putnam in 2014 after its position as one of Canada’s big five music retailers was overtaken by digital rivals.

The Ontario-based chain bought HMV Canada out of bankruptcy in January 2017 and now operates across 82 locations.

Until its insolvency, HMV was the biggest record chain in Canada.

Mr Putnam is also the chief executive of Everest Toys, which claims to be “one of the largest toy, game, gift manufacturers and distributors, located in North America”.

The 34-year-old, based in Ancaster on the east coast of Canada, is known locally for his passion for vinyl albums, which he once described as “a beautiful thing to collect – having them, storing them, and getting to view them whenever you want”.

Fears have been raised over Mr Ashley’s dominance of the British high street. In the past six months the Debenhams owner has added House of Fraser and Evans Cycles to his retail empire through pre-pack insolvency deals.

On Friday he saw off competition from listed furniture specialist ScS to win control of Sofa.com. Mr Ashley’s interest in HMV was seen as a good fit, given his large stake in Game Digital.

However, the Newcastle United owner’s rescues have come at the cost of thousands of jobs. He shut half of Evans Cycles’ stores, despite accountancy firm PwC reporting “nearly all” the debt-laden retailer’s outlets were profitable.

Insiders said Mr Putnam’s deal is more simplistic: he wants to buy the entire HMV business and brand.

HMV opened its first store on London’s Oxford Street in 1921. It was bought by Waterstones in 1998, and despite seeing its market eaten into by online rivals, purchased peer Zavvi in 2009.

By late 2012, the enlarged group had fallen on harder times and Deloitte were appointed administrators in Jan 2013. After providing bridging loans, turnaround specialist Hilco took the business out the insolvency three months later.
TVF's London Lite.
g67bbx
Posts: 59
Joined: Sat 06 Jan, 2018 08.18

DJDave wrote: Sun 03 Feb, 2019 18.39 Yeah mine was the same, very shortly after the name change they moved from a massive unit to the old smaller Brantano unit about 4 doors down.
I know on the Isle of Wight (where it shared its space on the retail park with maplin - they were the only 2 shops) they are thinking of moving to a smaller unit in the town (ex poundland/99p stores) and the 2 units will become a bowling alley (the Cineworld is above and the building is shared with a Pizza Hut and Fever nightclub.)
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WillPS
Posts: 2456
Joined: Tue 22 Apr, 2008 18.32
Location: Carlton
Contact:

The remaining Office Outlet store in Nottingham is still where it has always been, but half the store is permanently closed off and the remaining half is ridiculously sparse. Among other things, they had a whole gondola end of hand soap last time I went in.

Quite what is going on there, I don't know.
Martin Phillp wrote: Sun 03 Feb, 2019 18.57 As it's a Telegraph paywall story, I'll paste into a quote box.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20 ... -race-hmv/
HMV opened its first store on London’s Oxford Street in 1921. It was bought by Waterstones in 1998, and despite seeing its market eaten into by online rivals, purchased peer Zavvi in 2009.
They weren't bought by Waterstones, and they didn't buy Zavvi. Why are journalists so lazy that they don't at least do a quick Google to verify their facts?
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Martin Phillp
Posts: 1469
Joined: Wed 11 May, 2011 01.28

Patisserie Valerie staff claim they haven't been paid.

https://inews.co.uk/news/business/patis ... led-chain/
TVF's London Lite.
Alexia
Posts: 2999
Joined: Sat 01 Oct, 2005 17.50

Let them eat cake.
JAS84
Posts: 585
Joined: Fri 12 Aug, 2011 10.23
Location: Hull, UK

HMV has been bought by Sunrise Records, who already owned HMV Canada.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47127520
Charlie Wells
Posts: 354
Joined: Tue 02 Nov, 2004 16.23
Location: Cambridgeshire

JAS84 wrote: Tue 05 Feb, 2019 07.50 HMV has been bought by Sunrise Records, who already owned HMV Canada.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47127520
The list of HMV store closures has been released...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47132310

Interesting to note that four of the stores closing are the Fopp brand, which is quite considerable as glancing at wikipedia there is/was only about 9 Fopp stores. I wonder whether any of the remaining Fopp stores might get rebranded as HMV in the near future. Also worth noting the flagship Oxford Street store is also set to close.
"If ass holes could fly then this place would be an airport."
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