Comet Logo

[Nick Harvey]

The reason why the comet logo.

<Waves finger round head in anti-clockwise direction to indicate that previous poster shouldn't have been released into care in the communiity but left in his ward in the lunatic assylum.>

[cwathen]

Living and Homeworld (?) shops were closed when CWS decided to focus on food items only.

I used to work in the local Homeworld store, and we were supplied (or even belonged to? I never really understood how the Co-Op system worked even though I worked within it!) by CRS (Co-Operative Retail Services). As indeed were pretty much all Co-Op stores of every description near to me at that time.

I do remember that our stores closure had something to do with CWS (although we were always a CRS store), and at the same time all of the supermarkets no longer had their till receipts headed with the store name (at that time still Pioneer, Leos, etc) but instead were headed with 'CWS LTD'.

To make it even more confusing, even though the Homeworld/Living chains were largely closed down, a small number of stores apparently remained (don't know if they still do). Why were they left out? Were they part of a different Co-Op? And Derry's department store in Plymouth, essentially exactly what Homeworld used to be but in an in-town setting, is still going strong and is still a Co-Op store. Who supplies that?

And how did CWS get involved with CRS? To this day I never really understand why the closure of the Homeworld and Living chains happened - especially when they were apparently quite profitable (1998 was the most succesful christmas period in the history of the chain). The closure really did come totally out of the blue - one day it was business as usual, the next some outfit called CWS who none of us had ever heard of before were closing us down. There was even a new corporate logo for Homeworld in the early stages of being rolled out (by 'early stages', I mean that at our store it didn't get beyond posters and stationary coming with it) just a few months before the whole lot was closed down in 1999, which suggests that the closure came about in a very short space of time.

Anyone know what happened? It's always been something of a mystery to me.

[Ben]

And how did CWS get involved with CRS? ...just a few months before the whole lot was closed down in 1999, which suggests that the closure came about in a very short space of time.

Anyone know what happened? It's always been something of a mystery to me.

2000 - CWS and CRS merge, creating the world's largest consumer co-operative.

So prusumably they were closed down as part of the merger process.

[MarkN]

I never really understood how the Co-Op system worked even though I worked within it!

Prepare to become even more confused... for there is more than one Co-op - and the majority of them use the well-known Co-op logo, just to confuse people even more.

For example, in the South West, there are two Co-op societies:

The Plymouth and South West Co-operative Society (formerly known as Plymco) - http://www.psw.coop/ (no - this is not a mistake, the Co-op movement has its own TLD!) - who own supermarkets (former Plymco), convenience shops, Derry's Dept Store and "Homemaker" electrical and furniture shops.

The Co-operative Group (formerly known as CWS and CRS) - http://www.co-op.co.uk/ - who (in the SW AFAIK) own supermarkets (former Pioneer) and convenience shops.

To make it even more confusing, even though the Homeworld/Living chains were largely closed down, a small number of stores apparently remained (don't know if they still do). Why were they left out?

I should imagine that they were bought by Plymco and used as a basis for their "Homemaker" outlets, which opened up soon afterwards.

And Derry's department store in Plymouth, essentially exactly what Homeworld used to be but in an in-town setting, is still going strong and is still a Co-Op store. Who supplies that?

PSW Co-op owns Derry's, and always has done.

AFAIK, CWS supply all the PSW Co-op stores with food, electricals and other items (although in the past I believe that Plymco used Nisa-Today's as their food supplier).

[fusionlad]

The store in Plymouth (which also has to be a candidate for 'most grotty looking Comet store in the country', looking like something out of the 70's inside and out, and being adorned by a smattering of council towerblocks) still has the REALLY old logo with the red 'flashes' on the white lettering.

Well Plymouth has finally caught up with the new logo, the city centre store now has the shiny new logo. How many years was it behind?

Interesting to hear their new adverts, announcing that their staff are being trained to help us with all our queries! What have they been doing for last xx years?

And this week, the smaller Superdrug store in Plymouth finally got their new logo... totally missed out one generation of logos I think!!

[cwathen]

Well Plymouth has finally caught up with the new logo, the city centre store now has the shiny new logo. How many years was it behind?

Have they refitted the store or just changed the sign? Does it still have the teak stained wooden doors, the skanky light grey carpet and the moth-eaten suspended ceiling? I'm surprised that store managed to survive - it's on a road where you can't stop, drivers unfamiliar with the city centre will probably never work out how to get round the back of it where you can (and even then you have to park in an ajacent multistory car park and pay), and pedestrians aren't very likely to happen across it since it's not with the rest of the shops (which is what must keep the city centre Currys and Dixons stores going). I always assumed that the store wasn't being maintained because it was bound to be relocated (or just ditched - if I was buying from Comet I'd rather go to the much bigger and much nicer out of town store). If they've finally received the new sign, I presume it will be around for a while yet.

And this week, the smaller Superdrug store in Plymouth finally got their new logo... totally missed out one generation of logos I think!!

Ah yeah, it still had the early 90's yellow-on-navy look didn't it? I remember thinking that logo was quite classy and modern at the time, how things change.

Ah well, good old Armada Centre Sainsbury's still has it's 'J SAINSBURY' logos up outside, and doesn't seem to have been refitted inside since the late 80's.

[Pete]

oh i noticed the comet at Fort Kinnaird in Edinburgh has the new logo. Also Abbey in Galashiels now has the horrid new sign replacing the fab old faded edges one

[Sput]

Allow me to interject here for a moment. I'll only do it once, don't worry.

Why do you people give a shit about the FRICKIN' COMET LOGO?

It's the height of tedium! I mean do you people go round on your shopping trips thinking "is that a yellow star where there was a tiny man?! I MUST POST ABOUT THIS!"?

We've had had it all haven't we! Supermarket branding, corporate takeovers and now electronics shop signs. Is this the height of chic for so many of metropol's most self congratulatory members, or is it Aspies gone global?

Ok, I'm done. Let the "if you don't like what's posted don't read the thread" replies begin. I put it to those people though that if one doesn't peruse every thread that's alive on metropol, it's quite hard to understand the dynamics between members in other threads.

[cwathen]

Why do you people give a shit about the FRICKIN' COMET LOGO?

Being that most people on Metropol have come here from TV Forum, which is primarily concerned with TV presentation (of which branding is a large part), it naturally makes sense that many people on here will have a general interest in branding - that is why people give a shit about the frickin' Comet logo.

[babyben]

Allow me to interject here for a moment. I'll only do it once, don't worry.

Why do you people give a shit about the FRICKIN' COMET LOGO?

It's the height of tedium! I mean do you people go round on your shopping trips thinking "is that a yellow star where there was a tiny man?! I MUST POST ABOUT THIS!"?

We've had had it all haven't we! Supermarket branding, corporate takeovers and now electronics shop signs. Is this the height of chic for so many of metropol's most self congratulatory members, or is it Aspies gone global?

Ok, I'm done. Let the "if you don't like what's posted don't read the thread" replies begin. I put it to those people though that if one doesn't peruse every thread that's alive on metropol, it's quite hard to understand the dynamics between members in other threads.

Och, go on tell us what you really think Did someone not get laid then?

Personally I don't really care about the comet logo, got done by them a few years back and I'll never set foot in one again, but others are welcome to discuss the merits of the comet branding.

[Jamez]

I think Andy went on a site called 'Small Twinks' and found that even they had considerably larger penis' than him. Bless his northern socks.