High Street chain collapse sweepstake

[Zimba]

Mind, the Iceland Swift we had at Four Lane Ends was terrible, just expensive and pointless. Now gone and not surprised at all, the Tesco Express along the road was just much better.

I've never understood the point of Iceland Swifts - well, not the one in Hounslow anyway.

Up the same stretch of road is a large Iceland store. I realise the Swift used to be an Iceland store, but to entirely refurb it cosmetically, and put in brand new fridges, tills, other gear in seemed a waste of money. Especially, given that less than a minutes' walk away is a Tesco Express and past the large Iceland there's an entire stret full of local independent stores selling pretty much everything you could want food-wise for all regions. And if you want to help Bezos to the moon, theres an Amazon Fresh next to the bus garage.

Pretty much my feelings about the one up here aswell. Similar, Tesco Express 10 doors down, another convenience store (who's Swift?) in the other direction. Not to mention Newcastle's flagship Sainsbury's a mile down the road where you can get everything. Unless you knew it was part of Iceland, it was just another Premier, Lifestyle, Happyshopper, McColls and so on which are generally expensive.

[thegeek]

Given it's no longer "Everything £1", maybe the Poundland name should be retired? Isn't it called Dealz in Ireland, where the currency is the Euro so the Poundland name wouldn't make sense? The Dealz name doesn't mention a specific price or currency, so it's futureproof.

In the days where everything was £1, the branch in Orkney was a Dealz, because most items were priced at £1.25. It became Poundland in 2018, then closed last year - looks like it's now a Poundstretcher.

[cwathen]

Given it's no longer "Everything £1", maybe the Poundland name should be retired? Isn't it called Dealz in Ireland, where the currency is the Euro so the Poundland name wouldn't make sense? The Dealz name doesn't mention a specific price or currency, so it's futureproof.

Even when they did have 'Everything £1' on their frontage, everything was not in fact £1. For years before there was a small amount of stock priced otherwise. When they took that claim down from their stores, they retconned the meaning of the name to mean 'round pound pricing' i.e. an exact number of pounds with no pence (although the majority of the stock was still £1), but even that has since been backtracked on too and now much (most?) of the stock is priced higher and with pence in the prices too.

However, mention Poundland and you might well hear 'it's not really Poundland any more because it's not all a pound', but does that matter? It might be a swipe but it does keep the name in the psyche as somewhere you can nevertheless go to look for your cheap tat. And even if your purchase will not in fact be a pound the name does imply it will still be low priced.

It might have become an inaccurate name, but I don't actually know that it's a liability for them at this stage.

Poundworld had already seen this problem coming before they closed down, they'd started rebranding as Bargain Buys.

A Bargain Buys in Bristol actually rebranded *to* Poundworld Plus only a year or so before they went bust.

[Pete]

Not to mention Newcastle's flagship Sainsbury's a mile down the road

which one is that?

Also I'll again bring up the bizarre Battle Hill shopping centre in North Shields where there's a large tesco express two doors down from a onestop

[Martin Phillp]

The quick Worcester conversion from Wilko to Poundland is slapping a Poundland logo where the Wilko sign was.

[WillPS]

Seems to be standard with what Poundland are doing - weirdly the Worcester one you mentioned has all new shelving installed with the exception of the Wilko Candyking (Pick & Mix) fittings, which they've kept even though they don't match the normal stuff Poundland use.

Did anyone get any bargains in the sale in the end? I went to the Nottingham store on Wednesday and Arnold yesterday, but it was pretty thin pickings by then in both.

[Zimba]

I'm not sure Wilko should have it's test server publically live but it 100% is - https://www.wilko-it.com/en-uk/.

Definitely not a scam site, just came across it accidently when looking for how to look after some seeds I got from Wilko and it keeps getting updated including having The Range head office now.

Not to mention Newcastle's flagship Sainsbury's a mile down the road

which one is that?

Also I'll again bring up the bizarre Battle Hill shopping centre in North Shields where there's a large tesco express two doors down from a onestop

The Heaton one, it's pretty much the only one but it always gets anything new like Habitat etc.

Aye it's weird the Battle Hill mind, One Stop is more expensive aswell which makes even less sense. Suppose it's better than letting your competitors in which no doubt is their argument.

No doubt why the little Sainsbury's stays open at Northumberland Park as there's never anyone in there barely.

[WillPS]

I'm not sure Wilko should have it's test server publically live but it 100% is - https://www.wilko-it.com/en-uk/.

Definitely not a scam site, just came across it accidently when looking for how to look after some seeds I got from Wilko and it keeps getting updated including having The Range head office now.

Can only imagine the catalogue is still running off a file from the old Wilko business, can't see The Range bringing back that much own brand stock straight away.

[Zimba]

I'm not sure Wilko should have it's test server publically live but it 100% is - https://www.wilko-it.com/en-uk/.

Definitely not a scam site, just came across it accidently when looking for how to look after some seeds I got from Wilko and it keeps getting updated including having The Range head office now.

Can only imagine the catalogue is still running off a file from the old Wilko business, can't see The Range bringing back that much own brand stock straight away.

Yeah that's what I was thinking, but weirdly some of the prices have changed as the wild pet food is all different.

Who knows.

[Martin Phillp]

Wilko's website reopened this afternoon.

I haven't found any Wilko branded items for sale, but there appears to be stock from The Range.

[WillPS]

None of it's in stock yet, but if just half of what's promised materialises then that is *a lot* of own brand GM lines to carry for an online retailer; unless they're planning to put all this Wilko branded stock in to The Range as well?