To ask which shops are on the verge of failure

[curiousbeak]

I'm so depressed with the uk high street. Specifically British companies. The likes of Arcadia group, new look (already on its way out), next, oasis , Debenhams etc etc

The clothes are just terrible quality and most stores and staff and just tired, uninspiring and lacking any kind of chicness.

The wave of European brands seem to be killing our home grown business with their beautiful stores and chic offerings.

Who do you think is on the way out?

As a young professional mother I am their target customer but have absolutely zero desire to shop there again

Why has being a professional got anything to do with it? Surely Mothercare have a target audience of just Mums?

Primark will always do well. Decent clothing, wide range, great prices - they also sell a huge range of accessories, make up, shoes etc so feasibly you could go in and buy a whole outfit. They don't even need an online presence as they seem to have got the balance right. It's a winning formula that other shops just don't seem to 'get'.

M&S seems to have a death wish. Awful, frumpy clothes. New Look - too many clothes jammed onto rails, I can never be bothered to look through. H&M is ok but too many 'samey' clothes. A shelf of various white t shirts isn't inspiring.

I think shops like Next, H&M, River Island will keep going. There will always be people who like to go out and shop/browse. I prefer online for convenience but I don't want to buy everything online. & if I do shop online it's hardly ever for chain store stuff.

Argos seems very empty these days. Sometimes I wonder if they'll move to delivery only. Or just have high Street collection only points, with fewer staff.

I'd understand Boots going, too, and agree with others that the continued survival of W.H. Smiths is a mystery. Maybe there's scope for a link up or merger ?

W.H. Boots ?
Re:Booted ?
Alas, Smith & Boots ?

Gap overpriced and everything covered in "Gap"
Next overpriced and everything covered in "next"
WhSmith overpriced
Argos can get the same from Amazon but don't have to leave the house
New look never have any sizes in and charge for click and collect.
Any sport shop other than sports direct overpriced

I love Primark. The way my kids grow and ruin clothes it suits me to pay £10 for an outfit I can throw away. I just wish there was one nearer where I live.

When you look at the ASOS/ Boohoo growth stories it’s hard to see the less profitable high street brands surviving without a large fall in lease costs and tax or tax on web deliveries needs to rise to level the playing field.

Primark will always do well. Decent clothing, wide range, great prices

^My local Primark is one, big jumble sale. Wouldn’t dare go into one

The last time I went to Boots it had EIGHT STANDS for photo albums. What the heck?!

If you’re boggled by WHSmith, may I suggest looking at the @WHS_Carpet twitter? It’s just amazing.

W H Smiths do well at train stations and airports - i dont think they will go anywhere yet.
Debenhams is just one big place for concessions - so i think they may survive somehow,
m and s do better with food i read somewhere - i used to love their clothes, but not much these days.
Primark in town is hot and stuffy and filled to the rafters with things, yet it is always very busy and well used. they are doing something right clearly.

Argos seems very empty these days.

They have gambled on sharing space with Sainsburys ...

In a vague strategy planning moment a few years ago (my job), I did call the footfall draw of supermarkets, plus their love of a low wage culture coupled with reduced need for floorspace as being a possible driver for entering it link-ups (like Sainsburys/Argos) where an element of the non-core business (tech, fashion being obvious) was sub contracted to another Brand.

I still think that could be where we are going.

If that's the case, there may be a possibility that we could see a renaissance of smaller, really niche offerings inside the huge supermarket barns. Things like home brew, craft (cf Hobbycraft in some garden centres) and of course online pickup points (like Amazon lockers are already in some supermarkets).

The main problem with a vision like that is a lot of "we've never done it that way" people need to buy into it. Probably easier to go bust.

The problem is people want cheap. You have got your Primarks, Poundlands , pound stretchers, B&M, TKMaxx, Asda, Greggs etc. Considering that a large part of the population is on benefits or low income / council houses. It’s a no brainier. And then you get department stores like Debenhams trying to compete with them by selling over priced tat. At the end of the day, you still have to pay shop rents ( which are sky high in shopping centres for little shops let alone the big stores) electricity, cleaners, security, staff etc. And even if they are importing from China, there are still all the importing costs. They need to recoup all that plus make a profit. So how realistically can a store be expected to sell well made quality items when Primark wearing, Gregg pie loving shoppers want them at the discounted prices they are used to?

There is very little I buy on high street, due to the poor quality. The clothing styles are aweful. I much prefer buying online.

Our Tesco has a bizarre brand new Holland and Barrett concession. I've never seen anyone use it other than as a cut through to get to the pharmacy

That WHS carpet Twitter is fantastic - thanks Dry Heave.

Round here (East Mids) we have a fashion chain called Select. It has alway been revolting (think Peacocks excerpt not as nice) and like the Marie Celeste in their stores but still it carries on.

Primark isn’t going anywhere. I clothe our family exclusively with primark, sainsburys tu and boden. I would love to be able to be exclusively sainsburys/boden but I simply cannot justify that sort of price line for pants, socks, kids jeans (that they rip no matter what) etc. In fact everything I’m wearing now is primark - the cardigan I have on has been going for 5 years, it was about £10/15? I wear this and the other one that I have (same style, different colours) every day. They’re flattering, comfy and look the same as they did when I bought them. Nothing from Next/Sains lasts like that these days!

My eldest DS has a few GAP pieces he’s been handed down that were bought in the states and the quality is fantastic. I’m not popping over just for that though

Claire’s will go this year (US end going already), which is a shame. I also can’t see boots, smiths, Debenhams or HOF making it very far into the next decade. What do they even offer?

For the love of all things Holy, please someone reassure me that my beloved shop The White Company won't be going?

Leeds city centre GAP closed over a year ago. Laura Ashley, Millets, Jones shoeshop went ages back. Fossil is now NYX makeup. Since we got John Lewis HoF seems to be very quiet and having more sales and promos. Boots always seems busy and gets crazy at lunchtime in the food department. Debenhams here always seems to have a fair number of shoppers around. Signs of struggle around Monsoon, French Connection, Jigsaw, Dorothy P which are all very quiet indeed whenever I’ve been in. Whittards and Anne Summers amaze me. No idea how they keep going. Next, fat face, white stuff all overpriced and dowdy in the main. Love nexts kids stuff but it’s pricey and so only get a few nice bits there a few times a year for DGD.

Hobbs and Phase Eight seem to be doing 20% sales constantly, as well as the occasional 50%. I wonder about their stability.

No idea how Laura Ashley haven't gone bust. Their clothes in the last few years are hideous beyond belief and I can't imagine who would buy them. Their homeware is very nice but expensive.

Boots really do need to up their game for their small stores, because they are often grubby and inefficient.

My local one is dreadful. There are 3 check-outs, but there only seems to be one person working them at any time. If they then have to go and get anything, everyone just has to wait.

Last time I was in there, I needed to buy something from the pharmacy counter. It was unstaffed, but there were 4 staff chatting in the pharmacy itself. By the time someone actually came and served, there were 14 people in the queue and I'd been waiting 10 minutes.

And it's grubby and shabby. I think they only spend money on their big stores, the one in Brighton is fine.

A lot of shops like Hobbs and Phase 8 could probably ditch their shops as they always seem practically empty and just concentrate on their concessions in John Lewis.

I used to like new look but I don’t think I’m in their demographic anymore and I’m only 29!

I love oasis. In our nearest city it’s inside Debenhams so I hope Debenhams doesn’t close or I’ll lose that, I do buy online from them but love browsing the shop it’s self. I also go to the benefit counter inside Debenhams for my eyebrows waxed as it is the only place that does them how I want them

The big city I live near has a shiny fancy shopping centre full of designer stores that go bust within a couple of years. Considering well over half the city live in low income deprived areas, it's hardly surprising.

Our local Argos was a pain because the parking area outside was also the market (so Wed/Fri/Sat you can't park there)
One a bit further has parking.

Main things I'd buy in Argos are bulky so I need to park near.
Now its in Sainsburys so I can use a trolley.

Sainsburys will definately not go (IMO) I use it far more than Tesco or Waitrose and it's always busy.
Downside is they reduced the Nectar points but there are always Binus Points so meh

I was very upset yesterday to see my local East was closing down. Apparently they went into administration about a month ago. Can't afford the full price but if you bypass the increasingly slightly mumsy stuff in the sales, they've got some lovely ethnic/bohemian style tunics etc. Hmm.. Think I may have just answered my own question about why it's in trouble .

Further down the same high street, Benetton is still chugging along. How did that happen? Its always empty and I don't know anyone who's bought anything there since the 80s.

Boots really do need to up their game for their small stores, because they are often grubby and inefficient.

Popped into one a few weeks back looking for pads for a TENS machine. No joy (although I could have bought make-up, sandwiches, crisps, and hair colour). Next stop was a Lloyds - a third the size - that had a massive range of pads, machines, and accessories.

There are at least 3 Boots stores in Oxford St and they are tiny, multi level with stairs to manage (elevator up/stairs down) and have bugger all.
Why?

Same with the Oxford St M&S , always seems dark and grubby , jumble sale like.
The Marble Arch one is miles better .

Cerseilannisterinthesnow I get almost all of my clothing from new look and I'm thirty.

Age should have no bearing on what you wear if you like it and feel good in it!