Metropol

WillPS wrote:

JAS84 wrote:

woah wrote:They've given one of the ASDA Supermarkets (ex-Netto) local to me a bit of a spruce up, which I imagine they plan to roll out across all of them.

The "ASDA Supermarket" logo has been replaced with the updated ASDA logo, with no Supermarket tagline.

The Asda Supermarket brand never made sense anyway - the normal stores are supermarkets. Good riddance.

That was exactly the point - that it was a full supermarket in terms of range.

Then it didn't need a separate brand.

JAS84 wrote:Then it didn't need a separate brand.

Which would create an unrealistic level of expectation, particularly when the stores were new. Small ASDA Superstores don't feel right to me - I'm thinking about Kings Lynn in particular. Unlike the other supermarkets, I expect Asda to have a 'full' range of clothing - (Mens, aswell as Womens and/or Childrens) and things like the Pizza Counters. The Supermarket moniker helped to manage that expectation.

Finally had the pleasure of using a BHS Foodhall the other day. I'm intrigued as to how they could possibly think this would be a success. Happy Shopper (or whatever brand it is) is the stuff that you buy when Tesco's closed on a Sunday. You don't buy it out of choice. It was full of reduced stock and no one was buying any of the in-date stuff either. They were offering try before you buy grapes. Grapes!

gottago wrote:Finally had the pleasure of using a BHS Foodhall the other day. I'm intrigued as to how they could possibly think this would be a success. Happy Shopper (or whatever brand it is) is the stuff that you buy when Tesco's closed on a Sunday. You don't buy it out of choice. It was full of reduced stock and no one was buying any of the in-date stuff either. They were offering try before you buy grapes. Grapes!

Nothing about BHS feels cohesive, sadly. They have 5 different store fascias in operation across their chain: http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/British_Home_Stores - and those using that ancient 80s/90s logo are by no means the exceptions.

Inside, the stores are all a mess of half baked concepts. The Meadowhall one, for example, was refitted to include ranges from Dorothy Perkins, Burton, Wallis - but all those brands already had full stores in the centre. More recently, a few chillers and a standing till were added near a till and they started a limited meal deal offering - but really, who is going to get a £3 meal deal from BHS, in a centre with a massive Boots, Superdrug, M&S not to mention a fuck off food court and about a million cafes. Who advised them that was what their store was calling out for?

Same with the Chart Entertainment ranges - what on earth are they thinking? In the Merry Hill store they've wedged this between lingerie and wedding stuff in a corner, in a store already clearly facing footfall problems. What is the likelihood of it ever being found? And aside from that - which buying genius thought this up? Did they not notice the downward spiral that segment is in, generally?

And as for the massive boxes of Surf piled up by tills... well I despair frankly.

I notice though that they don't seem to be doing their particularly cynical "Gift Sets" this year though; which were generally along the lines of Branded item + something vaguely relevant (e.g Heinz Ketchup and a pack of tomato seeds with a tiny little pot - £8) or pick and mix sweets packaged at a price that makes even a stall selling them at £1.99/100g look cheap.

BHS problem is that, aside from excellent value wedding/bridal stuff and cafes for pensioners, they are not known for anything - and to that extent wont be missed when they're gone.

I like BHS only for the fact it's a time capsule of whatever decade the store was first built. That and the fact that it somehow is still hanging on when, as WillPS says, it isn't particularly distinctive.

Two large white vans from Germany (forgot the name on the side) were at the newly rebuilt Lidl in Skegness, which is close to opening. Seems a bit extreme to bring over German shop/till system installers?

stu wrote:Two large white vans from Germany (forgot the name on the side) were at the newly rebuilt Lidl in Skegness, which is close to opening. Seems a bit extreme to bring over German shop/till system installers?

Is it one of the new "Lidl of the Future" concept stores like the one they've recently opened in Rushden? If so I wonder if they are using German firms (who presumably have been involved in designing the stores) to fit out the concept stores until they have a final design.

The new design does look much nicer. I have often wondered why Lidl stores continued to be fitted out to such a dated design - low cost doesn't have to mean an old-fashioned. Iceland seem to have caught on to this idea as well - they have always fitted out stores with bland beige panels with beige flooring, but I've noticed a couple of stores near me have closed for refurbishment. I'm yet to see the results but they've got to be better than before!

I notice the Tesco self service checkouts are now with christmassy sound effects. Annoying.

Square Eyes wrote:I notice the Tesco self service checkouts are now with christmassy sound effects. Annoying.

Not tried them yet.

Are they all: "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Unexpected Item in Bagging Area"?

Neil DG wrote:

Square Eyes wrote:I notice the Tesco self service checkouts are now with christmassy sound effects. Annoying.

Not tried them yet.

Are they all: "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Unexpected Item in Bagging Area"?

Or better: "Unexpected baubles in the bagging area!"