High Street chain collapse sweepstake

thegeek · Mon 01 Feb, 2021 18.47

My mental picture of Debenhams is still their Glasgow branch in the mid 90s, which had a confusing layout and was lacking in obvious exit signs. There's probably still people trying to leave now.

Martin Phillp · Tue 02 Feb, 2021 17.34

thegeek wrote: ↑Mon 01 Feb, 2021 18.47 My mental picture of Debenhams is still their Glasgow branch in the mid 90s, which had a confusing layout and was lacking in obvious exit signs. There's probably still people trying to leave now.

The glass lift at Debenhams Croydon is my childhood memory of the store. Even back in the 80s/90s I never bought anything from there.

WillPS · Tue 02 Feb, 2021 21.03

thegeek wrote: ↑Mon 01 Feb, 2021 18.47 My mental picture of Debenhams is still their Glasgow branch in the mid 90s, which had a confusing layout and was lacking in obvious exit signs. There's probably still people trying to leave now.

The Nottingham one is similarly disorienting, uneven levels with short sets of steps everywhere, quite easy to find that you're on a completely different floor to the one you thought you were on.

Beautiful exterior but not a pleasant shop at all. It'll make a great hotel I hope.

GeekyJames · Tue 02 Feb, 2021 22.29

There's some interesting ideas in this article on what might happen to some of the units, personally I'll miss Debenhams, I worked at their Southampton store for several months back in 2005...

https://www.standard.co.uk/business/lei ... r3z-addoor

Finn · Thu 04 Feb, 2021 19.51

WillPS wrote: ↑Tue 02 Feb, 2021 21.03 The Nottingham one is similarly disorienting, uneven levels with short sets of steps everywhere, quite easy to find that you're on a completely different floor to the one you thought you were on.

Beautiful exterior but not a pleasant shop at all. It'll make a great hotel I hope.

The Hotel California, presumably...

Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
"Relax," said the night man
"We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave!

Robinhood · Mon 15 Mar, 2021 17.32

Good bye Thorntons - all their stores to not reopen.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56407155

Jamesypoo · Mon 15 Mar, 2021 20.13

I did notice the last remaining one in Norwich had closed last year, leaving just one branch inside an independent card shop in the suburbs which I assume is some kind of franchise arrangement.

Jonwo · Mon 15 Mar, 2021 23.50

Thorntons were struggling even before the pandemic due to competition from the likes of Hotel Chocolat.

Martin Phillp · Tue 16 Mar, 2021 00.56

How Thorntons have affected their franchise partners.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56409641

JAS84 · Tue 16 Mar, 2021 14.49

So Wilko is selling those easter eggs at a loss? How can they charge £3 when it costs £5 to buy them from the manufacturer?

WillPS · Tue 16 Mar, 2021 15.51

JAS84 wrote: ↑Tue 16 Mar, 2021 14.49 So Wilko is selling those easter eggs at a loss? How can they charge £3 when it costs £5 to buy them from the manufacturer?

Wilko isn't a franchise partner. I think the conclusion is supposed to be that Wilko wouldn't sell them at a £2 a piece loss, so they must be on more favourable terms as a wholesaler than a franchise partner is, even though they don't have to commit to only selling their product and displaying them in a certain way or whatever.

Wilko could be selling them at a loss for all anyone knows, it certainly wouldn't be unheard of for Easter Eggs to be loss-leaders.