MFI and Woolworths in administration...
Discussion
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V8mate said:
youngsyr said:
I doubt shoppers will miss not being able to not buy their products, but Woolworths is a big part of (or at least a big store on) a lot of high streets, so if it goes, I imagine a lot of people will notice.
FFS - I didn't mean 'physically' missed.
With so many prominent branches on so many high streets, if the administrators wind Woolies up and try to let the stores out, I'd imagine they'd struggle, leaving a lot of pretty big empty stores in prominent places.My point is that that will more than likely have an important and negative psychological effect on shoppers whether they ever shopped in Woolworths or not.
Edited by youngsyr on Wednesday 26th November 18:14
MFI has been a walking disaster zone for years and "restructured" so many times that even I am losing track! Woolies has been up for sale for years and the owner group has been desperate to do something - however, everyone knows damn well that they are worth more dead than alive - its a sad indication of modern retail, but cut price general retail on the high street died MANY years ago and they have been merely clinging on....
Testament to current management teams to make them last so long, but as mentioned, well past their sell-by date and due for closure anyway. Yes its bad and I am sorry that people will loose their jobs - but other businesses will soak up pretty much all of the people and volumes, so its not a case that 30,000 people are out on the street overnight and are never to get a new job....
Testament to current management teams to make them last so long, but as mentioned, well past their sell-by date and due for closure anyway. Yes its bad and I am sorry that people will loose their jobs - but other businesses will soak up pretty much all of the people and volumes, so its not a case that 30,000 people are out on the street overnight and are never to get a new job....
V8mate said:
youngsyr said:
I doubt shoppers will miss not being able to not buy their products, but Woolworths is a big part of (or at least a big store on) a lot of high streets, so if it goes, I imagine a lot of people will notice.
FFS - I didn't mean 'physically' missed.
Sorry, the way it was written just made me laugh to myself.Can`t say I`ll miss them as they have always seemed to have poor a selection over priced goods. Like someone else has said, it`s not necessarily the credit crunch which has nearly killed them off. I agree.
youngsyr said:
V8mate said:
youngsyr said:
I doubt shoppers will miss not being able to not buy their products, but Woolworths is a big part of (or at least a big store on) a lot of high streets, so if it goes, I imagine a lot of people will notice.
FFS - I didn't mean 'physically' missed.
With so many prominent branches on so many high streets, if the administrators wind Woolies up and try to let the stores out, I'd imagine they'd struggle, leaving a lot of pretty big empty stores in prominent places.My point is, that will more than likely have an important and negative psychological effect on shoppers whether they ever shopped in Woolworths or not.
The units will either get snapped up by another large unit town centre retailer, e.g. TK Maxx, or will be divided into smaller units.
There's a reasonably big Woolworths store on Market St. about four doors away from my beauty salon.
Hardly anyone used to go in there. Recently a big Asda was opened on the site of an old cotton mill, just around the corner from Woolies.
I imagine most people (tomorrow) will claim (as they usually do when a shop shuts down) that "Asda have killed Woolies".
When actually, Woolies killed Woolies.
Closing will leave a big gap on the high street in this town. Shame.
Hardly anyone used to go in there. Recently a big Asda was opened on the site of an old cotton mill, just around the corner from Woolies.
I imagine most people (tomorrow) will claim (as they usually do when a shop shuts down) that "Asda have killed Woolies".
When actually, Woolies killed Woolies.
Closing will leave a big gap on the high street in this town. Shame.
Fittster said:
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I don't think anyone cares anymore, there are so many rants about the repost police that you now have several threads on the same topic on each page that don't get closed, they are allowed to run and run.http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...
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Ken Block excepted, the place was littered with padlocks, yet still they posted, again, and again, and again, and again.....

V8mate said:
youngsyr said:
V8mate said:
youngsyr said:
I doubt shoppers will miss not being able to not buy their products, but Woolworths is a big part of (or at least a big store on) a lot of high streets, so if it goes, I imagine a lot of people will notice.
FFS - I didn't mean 'physically' missed.
With so many prominent branches on so many high streets, if the administrators wind Woolies up and try to let the stores out, I'd imagine they'd struggle, leaving a lot of pretty big empty stores in prominent places.My point is, that will more than likely have an important and negative psychological effect on shoppers whether they ever shopped in Woolworths or not.
The units will either get snapped up by another large unit town centre retailer, e.g. TK Maxx, or will be divided into smaller units.
I guess I'm not as confident as you that they'll be quickly re-let, not least because expansion isn't at the top of most retailers' agenda at the moment.
Total group sales for Woolies is 1.1bn GBP. That's quite a lot.
The business doesn't just disappear. There was a drop of 3% in sales, but this effectively puts a big hole in the total retail figures and as a result it will be soaked up by other retailers. Yes, caution is the name of the game, but considering the numbers here, there will be plenty of other retailers willing to take the business.
The business doesn't just disappear. There was a drop of 3% in sales, but this effectively puts a big hole in the total retail figures and as a result it will be soaked up by other retailers. Yes, caution is the name of the game, but considering the numbers here, there will be plenty of other retailers willing to take the business.
off_again said:
Total group sales for Woolies is 1.1bn GBP. That's quite a lot.
The business doesn't just disappear. There was a drop of 3% in sales, but this effectively puts a big hole in the total retail figures and as a result it will be soaked up by other retailers. Yes, caution is the name of the game, but considering the numbers here, there will be plenty of other retailers willing to take the business.
I suspect that 1.1bn will almost completely end up in the supermarkets.The business doesn't just disappear. There was a drop of 3% in sales, but this effectively puts a big hole in the total retail figures and as a result it will be soaked up by other retailers. Yes, caution is the name of the game, but considering the numbers here, there will be plenty of other retailers willing to take the business.
G'kar said:
off_again said:
Total group sales for Woolies is 1.1bn GBP. That's quite a lot.
The business doesn't just disappear. There was a drop of 3% in sales, but this effectively puts a big hole in the total retail figures and as a result it will be soaked up by other retailers. Yes, caution is the name of the game, but considering the numbers here, there will be plenty of other retailers willing to take the business.
I suspect that 1.1bn has almost completely ended up in the supermarkets.The business doesn't just disappear. There was a drop of 3% in sales, but this effectively puts a big hole in the total retail figures and as a result it will be soaked up by other retailers. Yes, caution is the name of the game, but considering the numbers here, there will be plenty of other retailers willing to take the business.
off_again said:
MFI has been a walking disaster zone for years and "restructured" so many times that even I am losing track! Woolies has been up for sale for years and the owner group has been desperate to do something - however, everyone knows damn well that they are worth more dead than alive - its a sad indication of modern retail, but cut price general retail on the high street died MANY years ago and they have been merely clinging on....
Testament to current management teams to make them last so long, but as mentioned, well past their sell-by date and due for closure anyway. Yes its bad and I am sorry that people will loose their jobs - but other businesses will soak up pretty much all of the people and volumes, so its not a case that 30,000 people are out on the street overnight and are never to get a new job....
Don't MFI have 'closing down' sales every second month of the year anyway, so they'll be having a real one soon I guess?Testament to current management teams to make them last so long, but as mentioned, well past their sell-by date and due for closure anyway. Yes its bad and I am sorry that people will loose their jobs - but other businesses will soak up pretty much all of the people and volumes, so its not a case that 30,000 people are out on the street overnight and are never to get a new job....
Quinny said:
Some of the blame for high street shops dissapearing has to fall at the feet of the councils.
Ever more restrictive parking, council taxes, through the roof, and allowing out of town centres.
Why would I go into town, struggle to find a parking spot, and even when I do, pay through the nose for it??
When I can go to a retail park, Park for free, on the doorstep.
My local town is nothing but mobile phone shops, and naff wine bars.
All of the "traditional" shops that have been there for years have gone.
Business rates, rather than council tax, are set by central government, so big Gord even plays a part in ruining your pretty, local High Street. Retail landlords are equally culpable IMO.Ever more restrictive parking, council taxes, through the roof, and allowing out of town centres.
Why would I go into town, struggle to find a parking spot, and even when I do, pay through the nose for it??
When I can go to a retail park, Park for free, on the doorstep.
My local town is nothing but mobile phone shops, and naff wine bars.
All of the "traditional" shops that have been there for years have gone.
Quinny said:
Some of the blame for high street shops dissapearing has to fall at the feet of the councils.
Ever more restrictive parking, council taxes, through the roof, and allowing out of town centres.
Why would I go into town, struggle to find a parking spot, and even when I do, pay through the nose for it??
When I can go to a retail park, Park for free, on the doorstep.
My local town is nothing but mobile phone shops, and naff wine bars.
All of the "traditional" shops that have been there for years have gone.
Yep, our local council is trying to revitalise our highstreet, after spending years, possibly decades making it almost impossible to shop there....... Ever more restrictive parking, council taxes, through the roof, and allowing out of town centres.
Why would I go into town, struggle to find a parking spot, and even when I do, pay through the nose for it??
When I can go to a retail park, Park for free, on the doorstep.
My local town is nothing but mobile phone shops, and naff wine bars.
All of the "traditional" shops that have been there for years have gone.
If woolies does go, i suspect it will be a pretty major nail in the coffin of many small shops in small town centres.
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