A IBU to predict which shops will close next?

[muttimalzwei]

I am pretty sure I won't be allowed to name them on here but it seems to me that the places where customer service is poor or resting on its laurels are the shops that will be closing down before those where staff actually try to engage with their customers and find out how they can help them. In my town it seems to be well established high street stores (going since at least the 80s) who are just not doing what they could to offer good customer service. And they.ll be next to close....

Jones Bootmaker

Russell & Bromley

I'm surprised that so many jewellery shops manage to stay in business, how much jewellery does the average person buy?

birthday/xmas/any other special occasion is a time when jewellery is bought, and also gold and silver are a commodity that holds value too

I like the varied magazine selection, stamp collecting bits and other stationery for the girls, that sort of thing. But I do agree it's not so appealing lately, and the checkout queue aisle is lined with piled boxes of sweets all the way round.

WHSmiths is a disgrace of a shop now.

There is a small branch on our high street, which is a very small town. They stopped selling DVD's, CD's, hardly any stationary either, overpriced cards, overpriced books... and they are not even open on a Sunday.

I can now buy anything that they sell for half the price in the supermarket.

Hobbs profits increased by 130% last year and lk Bennett are opening shops around the world on the back of a good profit increase. Wh smiths is sup ores by strong sales in train stations and airports, but I do agree it is a dreadful shop.

Aye, what about Gap? The stock has improved imo but they have sales and promos all the time. I'd be v sad to see them go.

How Bhs remains in city centre locations I do not know. It looks like a jumble sale.

French Connection. I hope for their employees sake that they survive, but as a company I blooming detest them.

didn't WHS even stop doing a loyalty card? i know i used to have one, and never hear of one now. Maybe they stopped believing in themselves too?!

Space NK??! I know, I know, but....always pretty empty when I go in

I think the problem with wh smiths is they don't know what kind of shop they are, they sell bits of everything, but not enough of anything to make people shop there. Their shops are also in a dire state of untidyness

How about The Entertainer, seems to me like a shop destined to fail. They have gotten rid of all the playmobil too, they seem to rely on selling cheap end of line toys at knock down prices, which is good, but there is a reason they are end of line knock down toys (hardly any bugger wants them). Plus they are closed on Sunday which is a major pita, there are lots of times I have wanted to buy a toy from them and been forced into a mega trek to toys r us over the other side of town.

Toys r us are no great shakes either, they seemed to be better this Christmas, but half the time pretty much everything anyone would want seems to be out of stock (online).

I can't believe Argos would tbh, although we used to buy basically all our furniture there, we are now priced out and end up buying at the local furniture recycling place. There is an upside, we get much better quality furniture (slightly scuffed) for much less money rather than flimsy shite from Argos .

The entertainer is interesting, they had quite big expansion last year and although their stock is not great and their customer service is bad they are the only real toy shop left on the high street. Since woolies closed the only place to buy most toys is Argos, which is usually the last place anyone wants to go on a Saturday afternoon. I think the entertainer probably got very good rents in the new stores and their shop fit is cheap so they will probably do ok for a while.

I do worry about Waterstones. Book shops are amazing, I could spend all day in them. It would be awful if Waterstones closed.

Crew Clothing
Possibly Massimo Dutti, but only in UK

I'm in Canada. All our HMVs have gone and I think Body Shop is next on the chopping block although it's my go-to for end-of year teacher pressies . They are really pushing Boots #7 line in our Canadian "chemist", Shoppers Drug Mart. I'm a big fan of their stuff personally, there's nothing else like it and I'd dread the day they discontinue my beloved balancing gel moisturizer as there's no N. American equivalent .

Ryman.

Nooo don't say Wterstones. It's the only place that sells decent books and the staff are willing to order what you want

M&Co
The co-op, they just can't compete with the big 4 but are too pricy for the aldi/lidl shopper.
River island, far too bland now
Bhs
Holland barrett are so overpriced and staff are forced to up sell
Provident- online is taking over small lending
Timpson- I like them but how many people get shoes fixed these days?

I hate walking down the high street now. So many closed shops, especially little independent ones.

Our Dorothy Perkins has been closed down and moved to online only.

Otherwise...HMV (sadly) and I HATE to say this, but probably Waterstones. I was reading this thread thinking how I can happily spend hours in W'stones browsing and realised that there is a strong chance that DD (nearly 2) may never get to do that.

Cook

Miss Selfridge

Yes nancy on our high street they are the only toy shop, there is a large toys'r'us in the near industrial estate though. It all just seems a bit shabby, with the 75& off blah blah, quite often the stuff available there for £2.99 eventually appears in the pound shop.

The fact that they no longer sell playmobil was telling imo.

Also (this my be a Southern thing) Macolls, how the eff do they keep going, the one local to us has (an overpriced) Tesco express next to it, plus an independent mini-mart type place which is much cheaper.

Was in there the other day and ds2 wanted a fruit shoot erm £1.29 not on your fucking nelly.

I used to work for Body shop in the late 90's and it was a fantastic company to work for, The products were great and you really felt as though you were selling something you believed in.

I wonder what Anita Roddick would think of what it has turned into.

I thought Timpsons were all gone now except for here where i live!

I bought my Mum a shoe horn from them recently.