Companies you can't see ever going under.

[PollyPepper]

Yesterday DH and I got a McDonald's. What an absolute treat.

And I started wondering if McDonald's will ever go bust.

It seems so unlikely, though of course it is possible as with any other business.

Mcdonalsa are in 120 countries around the world and serve 68 million customers each day!!

I honestly think it could be exposed that they use human meat and people would still go there.

I suppose Amazon as well?

All it takes though is a better and bigger competitor to take them down, but at this stage I just don't see it ever happening.

AIBU?

McDonalds will survive, a poster above mentioned them not doing any decent veggie food, give it time and they will be and Vegan food.

McDonalds are very good at adapting to the new food craze and wont be missing out on the spending power of vegans. Wont be long before we see plant based burgers on the menu.

Business that can change and adapt to new trends/consumers preferences will survive, but some dont see that. If Kodak has embraced the digital era instead of seeing it as a flash in the pan they might still be a huge company.

@LemmysAceCard

McDonalds will survive, a poster above mentioned them not doing any decent veggie food, give it time and they will be and Vegan food.

McDonalds are very good at adapting to the new food craze and wont be missing out on the spending power of vegans. Wont be long before we see plant based burgers on the menu.

Business that can change and adapt to new trends/consumers preferences will survive, but some dont see that. If Kodak has embraced the digital era instead of seeing it as a flash in the pan they might still be a huge company.

Thing is, Kodak did "try" to embrace digital, but they screwed up. New tech needs new ways of thinking and that's where they fell down.

It's easier to start with a "clean sheet" rather than try to pidgeon-hole new ways into old ways. They had decades of "legacy" to contend with, whether it was existing staff/designers, existing products, etc.

I think the same will happen with some of the major car manufacturers with the switch to electric. Some of them are simply using the same cars but putting batteries and electric motors rather than a IC engine, and really struggling to come up with an affordable car that works well enough. The "new" electric car makers don't have the "legacy" and so aren't weighed down by history and practice. They can start with the "clean sheet". The old car makers are putting in the money and the effort but some will still fall by the wayside.

@Thatisnotwhatisaid

I loved WH Smith as a child. Regularly went in to buy new stationery, magazines, books and pencil cases. I only tend to go in now to use the post office, everything else is way too overpriced.

I can’t imagine Amazon, fast food chains (with the exception of Burger King because I don’t really know anyone who likes BK), IKEA, supermarkets, home bargains, B&M and primark going bust.

I far prefer Burger King over McD's any day.

@JoeMaplin

Wh Smiths. Surely they should have gone years ago but no. So maybe they won't ever go under? The shops are dire, expensive and the staff are grumpy and unhelpful (may just be my one regarding the staff, granted).

WHS have adapted over the years. Rather than do what other chains have done and limp along with loss making stores until the whole chain is dragged down (Woolworths etc), WHS regularly close under-performing stores - a few every year. They've also benefitted enormously by taking in the post office counters. They're also the "last man standing" in many town centres re newspapers & magazines as most small newsagents have closed down, so will always have the market for shopper/commuter buys and all the "niche" news/mags that the supermarkets don't stock. They tend not to have expensive leases in prime locations either - many of their shops are owned by them, and many town centre stores are in slightly "out of the way" locations rather than the prime shopping centres. They've also reduced staffing numbers which are one of the main costs of retail. Also, they've put in "food on the go" in their town centre stores, i.e. sandwiches, meal deals, etc. All in all, they've adapted pretty well over the years, hence why they're still here.

Their accounts show the town centre stores and their "travel hub" stores (airports, train stations etc) separately and both areas are still profitable, so it's wrong to say that the airports etc subsidise the town centre stores - they don't.

Having said all that, I don't think they'll survive another 10-20 years. The post office counters will eventually die out as people get older and fewer send letters, pay bills over the counter, etc., and Royal Mail is losing market share for parcels to other firms who have a better service (i.e. delivery timeslots, live parcel tracking etc). The news/mag market is slowing going more online as people get older, so that market will also continue to decline over many years. Rather than a "big bang" collapse, they'll probably just continue to close branches as they become unprofitable and just fade away.

@user1497207191 that is very true also. Some business leaders see the model they have and it has always been successful they dont see the need to change and believe the model they operate under will last forever. They dont take into account new technologies and changes in customers habits. It can be like trying to turn a huge cumbersome ship around and some companies down want to or dont see the benefits till its too late.

Every company has to adapt and change to survive, its not how it used to be, they need to be on the ball and keep a look out for the new technology coming onto the market.

Dealing with legacy is also another complicated factor "but we have always done it like this".

Sometimes is pays not to strike too quickly, Thomas Cook bought up a lot of internet holiday firms which helped in its huge losses and eventual downfall.