Another High Street Rebrand
'throwaway' <£10 PAYG phones.
I started this in another thread but it makes a bit more sense in here...
And also this photo of presumably what it will look like inside...
Meanwhile, leading on from the numerous posts I think I've made about my local Co-op society, and they're rolling out their lovely new branding to shops actually in my area now, and appear to have started with the big Co-op Supermarket at Rosehill, which is now branded as a 'Co-op Daily' and uses the nice serif font everywhere. I'm impressed they've updated all the external car park signage, including the 'Thanks for visiting, see you soon' board and the little signs about maximum stays in the car park. I don't have a photo of how it looks now but it previously looked like this...
They've had a shake up indoors too, with the tills now a row along the wall, meaning they have access to the cigarettes (before the conveyor belt one was a little island all alone), and everything has generally moved around. They've got rid of the manned deli counter in the refresh, with deli products on special shelving instead where the counter used to be - the amount of deli stuff they have continues to be pretty big though, so I imagine the only difference is that they've removed the customer-facing counter and now do it behind a false-wall. They appeared to have a little mobile Co-op which was about the size of a lorry trailer as the Co-op itself was closed for a few days for the refit.
Interestingly, they're having a little EoE Co-op Travel outlet opening up in some unused space indoors soon, which is different to usual as previously we've had a standalone 'Co-operative Travel' store in the town centre (now closed and directs you to Thomas Cook) and not a locally branded version. The EoE website shows that they've already opened one of these elsewhere, so I assume this is a thing they're doing now as they're making a fair bit of profit and can afford to expand. Saying that, they did close a Co-op down Norwich road this year as the new Tesco Express a few doors down appeared to be taking all the business - they re-opened it as a branch of their funeral care service instead.
I went to the retail park the Homebase in question is on today (I went to Sainsbury's if you're interested) and it appears to be a bit more than a new Argos. The Homebase is becoming a 'Homebase design centre', and new signage they'd been putting up whilst I was in Sainsbury's carries the Homebase logo, with 'design centre' underneath, and then also the Argos and Laura Ashley (?) logos. I'm not sure if the Laura Ashley logo is just referencing they stock the brand or if they're getting a little outlet in-store too. The Argos has it's own Facebook page and has posted this exciting photo of works in-store...Critique wrote:I've been hearing rumblings on the grapevine that our local Homebase is getting an Argos installed within it soon, and that it's allegedly being some sort of concept store, with iPads instead of catalogs and other such new things. Who knows, maybe they'll even have a plasma with the order numbers on instead of an ancient CRT with the colours all out? Previously Homebase and Argos have been run very separately (although possibly some Homebase lines have been sold in Argos?) so it'll be interesting to see if this is a way to consolidate the two if profits are falling?
Alternatively, these rumblings may be lies and there may be many Argos stores with iPads and plasmas in. We wouldn't know here, our local branch has the old logo on it still and those blue stockcheck machines.
And also this photo of presumably what it will look like inside...
Meanwhile, leading on from the numerous posts I think I've made about my local Co-op society, and they're rolling out their lovely new branding to shops actually in my area now, and appear to have started with the big Co-op Supermarket at Rosehill, which is now branded as a 'Co-op Daily' and uses the nice serif font everywhere. I'm impressed they've updated all the external car park signage, including the 'Thanks for visiting, see you soon' board and the little signs about maximum stays in the car park. I don't have a photo of how it looks now but it previously looked like this...
They've had a shake up indoors too, with the tills now a row along the wall, meaning they have access to the cigarettes (before the conveyor belt one was a little island all alone), and everything has generally moved around. They've got rid of the manned deli counter in the refresh, with deli products on special shelving instead where the counter used to be - the amount of deli stuff they have continues to be pretty big though, so I imagine the only difference is that they've removed the customer-facing counter and now do it behind a false-wall. They appeared to have a little mobile Co-op which was about the size of a lorry trailer as the Co-op itself was closed for a few days for the refit.
Interestingly, they're having a little EoE Co-op Travel outlet opening up in some unused space indoors soon, which is different to usual as previously we've had a standalone 'Co-operative Travel' store in the town centre (now closed and directs you to Thomas Cook) and not a locally branded version. The EoE website shows that they've already opened one of these elsewhere, so I assume this is a thing they're doing now as they're making a fair bit of profit and can afford to expand. Saying that, they did close a Co-op down Norwich road this year as the new Tesco Express a few doors down appeared to be taking all the business - they re-opened it as a branch of their funeral care service instead.
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madmusician
- Posts: 153
- Joined: Mon 11 Dec, 2006 19.11
- Location: Worcester, UK
I take it that this is the Warren Heath Homebase? I can't recall if it currently has a Laura Ashley store within it (I guess not, given what you've said) but back in the 90s, there used to be a Laura Ashley within. It was on the right just after you entered. Makes me feel very old that they are renovating the store again - barely seems any time at all since the last time it was extended, with the left-hand balcony section added. Must be about 10-12 years ago now, though, thinking about it.Critique wrote: I went to the retail park the Homebase in question is on today (I went to Sainsbury's if you're interested) and it appears to be a bit more than a new Argos. The Homebase is becoming a 'Homebase design centre', and new signage they'd been putting up whilst I was in Sainsbury's carries the Homebase logo, with 'design centre' underneath, and then also the Argos and Laura Ashley (?) logos. I'm not sure if the Laura Ashley logo is just referencing they stock the brand or if they're getting a little outlet in-store too. The Argos has it's own Facebook page and has posted this exciting photo of works in-store...
I haven't actually been in Homebase in years, but the Laura Ashley website has an address listing for a store inside it, so it might not be new and have been there for ages and they're only now referencing it on the sign. I can remember very little of what it was like inside to be honest - the photo I posted from Facebook above looks like the new Argos might be to the right hand side of the entrance though? I could be that out-of-touch with the store that those doors on the right in the image are to the outdoor bit of the garden centre, but the size of the windows beyond the doors makes me think it's the main entrance? When it opens I shall go in and report back on the geography of the place!madmusician wrote:I take it that this is the Warren Heath Homebase? I can't recall if it currently has a Laura Ashley store within it (I guess not, given what you've said) but back in the 90s, there used to be a Laura Ashley within. It was on the right just after you entered. Makes me feel very old that they are renovating the store again - barely seems any time at all since the last time it was extended, with the left-hand balcony section added. Must be about 10-12 years ago now, though, thinking about it.Critique wrote: I went to the retail park the Homebase in question is on today (I went to Sainsbury's if you're interested) and it appears to be a bit more than a new Argos. The Homebase is becoming a 'Homebase design centre', and new signage they'd been putting up whilst I was in Sainsbury's carries the Homebase logo, with 'design centre' underneath, and then also the Argos and Laura Ashley (?) logos. I'm not sure if the Laura Ashley logo is just referencing they stock the brand or if they're getting a little outlet in-store too. The Argos has it's own Facebook page and has posted this exciting photo of works in-store...
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Nick Harvey
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Is the orange chair an accident or to "compliment" the pink blind?
Because it's the sort of thing century old businesses do. I'm not sure age makes their coffee taste better than Starbucks' either. In fact, I know it doesn't.