Metropol

BBC TV Centre wrote: Sat 06 Sep, 2025 18.20 I put TG Jones on the endangered list, just down to the fact that it's the not particularly profitable part of what was WH Smith and the fact the rebrand as a result of the divestment was just so naff.

WH Smith had some provenance in the name, this was just made up by a bunch of people in a meeting room in a branding agency...

I agree, I had a look in a fairly large store yesterday and it’s like a jumble sale. Back in the 1990s, it was where you went to get your fountain pen and supplies for school, get your special interest mag, and buy and listen to CDs etc, now all of that core business has been eaten by supermarkets, Amazon and streaming.

It’s more like Woolworths now, selling lots of stuff, but nothing in particular so if suddenly need an X, I don’t think “ah, yes I can run into Jones’ and grab it”

Didn’t see too many customers, few old folks buying a paper, not much else.

Dr Lobster* wrote: Sun 07 Sep, 2025 10.26

BBC TV Centre wrote: Sat 06 Sep, 2025 18.20 I put TG Jones on the endangered list, just down to the fact that it's the not particularly profitable part of what was WH Smith and the fact the rebrand as a result of the divestment was just so naff.

WH Smith had some provenance in the name, this was just made up by a bunch of people in a meeting room in a branding agency...

I agree, I had a look in a fairly large store yesterday and it’s like a jumble sale. Back in the 1990s, it was where you went to get your fountain pen and supplies for school, get your special interest mag, and buy and listen to CDs etc, now all of that core business has been eaten by supermarkets, Amazon and streaming.

It’s more like Woolworths now, selling lots of stuff, but nothing in particular so if suddenly need an X, I don’t think “ah, yes I can run into Jones’ and grab it”

Didn’t see too many customers, few old folks buying a paper, not much else.

I've only ever been to TGJ twice in recent years, once to try and source some sturdy card for work to print some event brochures on - they had none in stock and the prices they were asking were crazy on the empty shelf. Even for normal copier paper, 8 quid or something, it's cheaper to just nick it from the office (!). What they had on offer was shabby and had been opened and thumbed through, and even at the premium they were offering and buying it for work it was a no-go.

Secondly, was to try and find the post office to mail a parcel. The post office used to be in a central part of town near a nightclub (if you know Kingston you'll know where I mean) but the whole area recently got redeveloped for yet more offices and apartments - and probably the umpteenth Starbucks. Thinking perhaps the post office had been shoehorned into the back of WHS, since the shop occupies two floors in a karge shopping centre, it wasn't to be found.

Ironically, the PO was in an office temporarily in a unit right next to WHS but that closed a few years ago, madness to think a town with 160k pop doesn't even have a post office in the centre of town.

Ah yes, I remember those good old days of perusing the CDs and tapes, and heading to the listening stations after school to check out Now 37 or whatever it was.

TG Jones is just such a bland nothingness isn’t it? Appeals to no one. They could have had some fun with it to at least try and stand out.

It is naff and moribund. The non-Post Office locations will be gone within 18 months I suspect.

The one good thing you can say of the branding is that a few locations have at least had very old faded signage replaced in the process.

Sainsbury's were considering selling Argos to Chinese online retailer JD.com but talks have collapsed.

https://www.ft.com/content/85417cba-c22 ... cda5d44e25

Deepanshu74 wrote: Tue 16 Sep, 2025 11.31 With so many well-known retailers struggling lately, I thought it might be fun (in a dark humour way) to start a sweepstake: which big high street name do you think will be the next to go under?

Some have already disappeared (Wilko, Debenhams, BHS…), and others are constantly in the headlines with “store closures” or “restructuring.”

Wilko have reopened some stores under their new The Range ownership although not many so far...

The new Poundland format appears to be in place at one of the stores I visit. They haven't completely got rid of pricing that isn't £1, £2 or £3. Cadbury's chocolate was on sale for £1.75 for example still while the range of items is reducing.

The only biscuits I saw for example were the McVities Tasties range of traditional favourites such as Custard Creams and Bourbon while in toiletries, they had no men's deodorants at all.

Amazon is shutting all of its Amazon Fresh stores in the UK, with a handful being converted to Whole Foods.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... hole-foods

AJ wrote: Tue 23 Sep, 2025 16.24 Amazon is shutting all of its Amazon Fresh stores in the UK, with a handful being converted to Whole Foods.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... hole-foods

Not much of a surprise. Strange little shops, once they took away the pretend hi-tech overlay they might as well have just been well stocked Spars - almost zero synergy with the Amazon brand.

I can imagine it's curtains for the smaller Amazon Fresh stores as Whole Foods typically have fairly larger premises from what I have been into. Unless they're planning to relaunch a "little Whole Foods", along the lines of Tesco Express/Co-Op/Sainsbury's Local etc.

Very right about them having little footfall, I have always been one of few shoppers inside. I wonder why, the stores were always well-presented and not in dreadful locations. There could be some good deals to be had at normal prices, and the coffee and pastry for £2.80something was pretty good, seeing as a coffee on its own from one of the dedicated places would be at least £3-4 and a pastry min extra £2 on top.

The OG one was in the middle of Ealing Broadway, pretty much one of the busiest streets for people passing by, either on lunch, out shopping, getting the train/bus etc.

Alas, I guess business is business, and Jeff wants anoher trip to a far away planet, so someone's gotta pay for it.

My understanding is Amz Fresh stores didn't exist to make money but rather to sell the technology and that need has now passed.

Amazon have a habit of doing this, the other example is Amazon Salon which just exists to get a license to sell professional salon products online.