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?

WH Smith high street is a separate business to the travel side, one is making money and the other isn’t.

Thorntons will close stores that aren’t in the right locations but are revamping others. They are owned by a billionaire who is investing in them long term so they aren’t going anywhere.

Poundland have moved away from the single price point model to £1, £2, £5 and £10 but their owners, Steinhoff, are in trouble and causing them problems. They would be a decent proposition for someone with the money to buy them.

The Next clothes store we have is very dull. Maybe they’re clothing is better online but in store very uninspiring.

They have nice homewear things in an out of town Next at home store but again, I think they should have a word with themselves about the cost of some of it.

...and Bodyshop in Manchester Arndale! I went in looking for shampoo and there was none to be seen amongst the rows and rows of body butter and hemp handcream. When I asked I was told hair products were kept in the back and if I let the assistant know which one I wanted she'd bring it out. How the fuck do I know which one I'd want if I can't see and compare the products?

I know someone high up in WH Smith, apparently everything is okay there because of the train stations/hospital shops. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some of the high street shops shut though,

Monsoon, Claire's, Mothercare are my guesses on who'll go next. Tesco is doing less well than it appears due to mismanagement, I reckon that one will be the big shocker when a lot of night opening hours go. Chiquitos isn't doing great either.

We had a brand new ToysRus open in my local shopping centre in November. I thought they must be in trouble in other countries seeing as they'd opened a new store, but nope. Have a closing down sale on right now.

Our monsoon closed over a year ago too..first said refurb, then accessorize moved into a smaller unit in the shopping centre and monsoon became some got awful tourist tat shop.

It was a big unit that they had. But I never got on with their sizing and when stuff went in to the sale I would just but if they happened to have something at 70% off.

Clearly I'm not their target customer if that's my spending power, but with quite a few branches closing from the looks of this thread, it makes you wonder who is?

If all the shops on here were to close, the shopping centre and retail park in my town/city would be empty.

I was reading a report on Scottish shopping centres for work recently, rates was the thing that retailers said was their biggest problem - from here it's their inability to understand what the customer wants!

The Next stuff is a bit dull and a lot of the fabrics are horrible but they do have a tall section which I buy from online, so I get quite a bit from there as I don't have so much choice in stores and rarely look in store at the clothes.

Waterstones are surely hanging on by a thread? Sad as I love a root round a bookshop but with the competition from Amazon and charity shops, surely their days are numbered? Mine is always dead and when I went in there the other day they were flogging boxes of 100 postcards (which I use for my hobby) rrp £14:99 such as Puffin and Faber were down to just a £1!! Needless to say I bought as many as I could carry!

I think shops just haven't moved with the times
I was in tk maxx yesterday at lunchtime and there was one person on the till you would think they didn't want you to buy anything! I think if there was a better service in shops so many people woukdnt buy online- I want to be sold to!

i always found new look clothing quality very poor, worse than primark, although when my dc were around 10-13 the 9-15generation was very popular with them and all their friends but i think now with places like primark doing size 4 and 6s many people just go there as it is cheap and they will be growing out of items soon
Im suprised argos is still going with likes of amazon but our local is always popular
matalan is always quiet as is select

The main shops I go to are Primark, TKMaxx, and Next. Sometimes H&M.

I like Primark- yes it’s cheap and a LOT of the stuff in there is tat, but I’ve got Primark basic tops in my drawer that are getting on for 10 years old! Lots of stuff doesn’t last that long, but at least with Primark clothes if a hole appears after a few months it’s not going to break the bank to replace it. I’ve had tshirts from M&S that shrink awfully after a few washes, but they cost 10 times the Primark ones and at the end of the day I can’t afford to keep throwing £30 tshirts away (they’d shrunk so badly you couldn’t even give them to charity shops!).

I’m all for quality, long lasting clothing, and I’m prepared to spend more money on it, but until I can find a high street store that actually offers that I’ll keep buying the cheap stuff.

I think Next is a bit of an exception - I always get my jeans from there and they’ve had some really lovely clothes the last few years. I hope Next keeps going!

And I just LOVE TKMaxx I found a handbag in there for £25 that id been eyeing up in John Lewis for £90! Plus their cookware is nice :) I think some of the bargains are not as good as they make out, and I think they dress up a lot of high-street-ish brands as designer, but I always love having a look.

The New Look near me is always
rammed. Queues as long as Primark

I cannot see The Body Shop lasting much longer. They are so expensive for what they sell and their range is all very similar, just different overbearing smells. I popped in one last week to look for a specific product and was pounced on by three members of staff!

I got a new look voucher in my secret Santa. I bought pants.

Is Edinburgh Woollen Mill still going?

Also Top Shop and D Perkins will be ok due to being owned by Sir Philip

I hate the UK high street. Whatever town or shopping centre in the UK, you have the same combination of Dorothy Perkins, Debenhams, Primark, New Look, Boots, Claire's, Costa, Peacocks, M&S, Wilko's, GAME, etc etc. It;s so BORING.

I couldn't care less if most of these brands went to the wall. It would be amazing to get back to a different type of shopping with local, family owned businesses offering niche products and personalised service. Yes you might pay £200 for a work suit rather than getting one for £40 from Primark, but a more expensive one would fit you perfectly and be made by experts, not made from the cheapest polyester by a 6 year old in Bangladesh. And small, independent retailers would be free to offer facilities such as paying in installments.

I loathe the disposable fashion chains who churn out endless cheap shite which people wear once or twice and chuck in the bin. We need to get out of that mindset and have a longer-term approach to clothing for the sake of the planet. If that means no more Primark, then that's a good thing!

I do most of my shopping online as I'm tall with big feet. So I get a lot from Next not though choice.
I' ve just spent about £2000 ordering clothes and shoes from various companies. I think I've kept about £400 worth.
I miss Esprit shops....we had a fabulous one.

H&M is in trouble on the High Street - they are closing stores. Most of their profits are online and they are changing to focus on that.

I love H+M for my boys clothes, he's very skinny but have given up on my local branch. It's very small and doesn't carry much stock, recently I could only find one pair of trouser in DS's size. They have stopped stocking footwear altogether

I do think TK Maxx stores vary. There is a newish one opened nearer to me than my previous store, and the staff are just wonderful. They are so helpful and lovely.

I also love Homesense, I never manage to go in and come out with nothing! They really have it spot on, I love all my saucepans and frypans!

I used to buy the odd expensive thing from say Jaeger or Hobbs but the quality that you used to be able to rely on, is now crap! So I'd rather poke about in TK Maxx and get a bargain.

Oh that was supposed to say I bought pants due to the quality of everything else with being poor or basics have weird slogans, sparkles that wouldn't have been out of place round a lamp post or a frill that could've kicked off my line dancing career.

I don't know how Clinton Cards has managed to stay open when there are so many cheaper alternative places to shop for cards and similar tat!

I like TKMaxx home items and toiletries. It feels like you’ve picked up a bargain and sometimes something more original and nicely packaged. I buy gifts there quite a bit.

The clothes are a bit daunting to plough through but I will have a go if I’m in the mood and again it feels like you have dug out something more individual. I’d prefer the clothes to be better organised though.

House of Fraser is a weird one. I was given vouchers at Christmas and can't seem to spend them - after three trips to a local, flagship store I just can't find anything I want, or that is reasonably priced. To be fair, I bought a frying pan in the sale, but couldn't face the endless racks of clothes that seemed to be so randomly chosen.

All the PPs who mention buying clothes in supermarkets because it's convenient when you have children - you are so right. High streets are missing out on sales by not having seats around changing areas, simple things like that would make such a difference. That's one of the many reasons why I love John Lewis!

Agreeing with another PP, I would rather spend decent money and buy fewer clothes, eg from Cos. Primark is great for kids but for me it just looks like a sea of tat when it comes to daywear, although is great for pj's and sweats, tights etc. Next is overpriced but I guess has suitable office wear. Monoon used to sell lovely, special dresses but the design has gone awry these past few years.

I've always loved a good day shopping but increasingly I'm spending my money on lunch rather than on clothes.