Metropol

I noticed in the run up to Christmas that The Entertainer has started opening on Sundays for the first time. I assumed that might have been an indication that they might be on the rocks a bit but turns out the family that owned it transferred full control to an employee owned trust who then pretty much immediately scrapped the Sunday rule back in September. Supposedly it's a trial till Easter but can't imagine there's any going back.

As an aside I'm amazed Sunday trading laws continue under this government given the push for growth via any means they've pursued at various points.

gottago wrote: Sat 10 Jan, 2026 12.08 I noticed in the run up to Christmas that The Entertainer has started opening on Sundays for the first time. I assumed that might have been an indication that they might be on the rocks a bit but turns out the family that owned it transferred full control to an employee owned trust who then pretty much immediately scrapped the Sunday rule back in September. Supposedly it's a trial till Easter but can't imagine there's any going back.

I think they are in trouble, time will tell but the way the sale was orchestrated looks to me suspiciously like the owners realised the destination and figured out a way they could extract value as the chain descends down the doom loop without risking Wilkinson family style criticism about their failure to invest/greed. I could be wrong.

When I worked there (20 years ago now, crikey) the assumption was that the owner's children were being lined up to take over the mothership. I think one of them had been given the 'gadget shop' brand (purchased out of administration) to run.

Even then there was a real concern that the market for toys was shrinking - both because of population changes but moreso because junior school aged children, boys in particular, were increasingly not bothered about toys. More space was given over to girls toys but in the decades since I think the same largely applies to both genders; once they get a screen of their own that tends to cover their entertainment demands. And parents are often happy to not have the mess.

gottago wrote: Sat 10 Jan, 2026 12.08 As an aside I'm amazed Sunday trading laws continue under this government given the push for growth via any means they've pursued at various points.

Much as I would love to see Sunday trading abolished there's little demand for it from retailers. The current situation suits them as they essentially have all the trade they'd get in a day compressed in to 6 staff hours. Most of the Sunday enhancements went as minimum wage was hiked, so if Sunday trading was relaxed they'd end up with a higher wage bill with hardly any extra takings.

Recent movements have been toward reducing opening hours in general for the same reason. It wouldn't surprise me to see more shops moving towards Sunday-type hours all week; whenever I go shopping first thing anywhere it's always dead, even in the run up to Christmas.