Metropol

WillPS wrote:

Whataday wrote:TK Maxx is part of the US giant TJ Maxx so I doubt they'll be going anywhere.

By that logic Borders and Best Buy should have been safe and sound - not that I reckon TKMaxx is at risk at this stage.

Borders UK was no longer owned by it's US namesake when it closed. It was sold in 2007, closed in 2009. The US company also closed in 2011, so Borders UK would've still closed down anyway!

JAS84 wrote:

WillPS wrote:

Whataday wrote:TK Maxx is part of the US giant TJ Maxx so I doubt they'll be going anywhere.

By that logic Borders and Best Buy should have been safe and sound - not that I reckon TKMaxx is at risk at this stage.

Borders UK was no longer owned by it's US namesake when it closed. It was sold in 2007, closed in 2009. The US company also closed in 2011, so Borders UK would've still closed down anyway!

You're making too many presumptions. One could have said "Borders [UK]" is safe in 2006, on the grounds that they had a well known American parent. Remember there's nothing to stop TJX selling off their UK division.

Also, the fortunes of an American former parent don't necessarily impact on the former child operation, as Woolworth proved. (Although the American parent is sort of still about with Foot Locker.)

Considering Woolworths UK is gone too, at least on the high street, that probably wasn't the best example?

JAS84 wrote:Considering Woolworths UK is gone too, at least on the high street, that probably wasn't the best example?

They went over a decade apart, so there was no direct correlation. That said they'd been totally separate entities for much longer.

wells wrote:

JAS84 wrote:Considering Woolworths UK is gone too, at least on the high street, that probably wasn't the best example?

They went over a decade apart, so there was no direct correlation. That said they'd been totally separate entities for much longer.

Indeed. And there is still the former German division trading independently.

If anything it proves that health of an American parent has nothing to do with it.

WillPS wrote:

wells wrote:

JAS84 wrote:Considering Woolworths UK is gone too, at least on the high street, that probably wasn't the best example?

They went over a decade apart, so there was no direct correlation. That said they'd been totally separate entities for much longer.

Indeed. And there is still the former German division trading independently.

If anything it proves that health of an American parent has nothing to do with it.

It does if both the parent and child are doing remarkably well. TJX is highly profitable in the US, and TJX Europe increased profits last year by 127%, with plans to open many more stores in the UK over the next year.

It was the rationale rather than the fact I objected to. I agree TK Maxx is safe.

Does anyone know how Argos are doing in the Amazon/Tesco Direct age?

Last year, they closed our nearest branch down and I noticed the other day that another nearly central Manchester branch has also closed.

They've been restructuring, with some recent success: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25755889

Cheers for that link.

Several still open in my part of the world.