Cath Kidston is in trouble

[Gingernaut]

According to Sky and BBC Radio 4, the administrators are being called in.

news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-vintage-retailer-cath-kidston-lines-up-administrators-11968548

Their prices are bonkers, completely over what you'd expect to pay for similar products. I like some of their stuff but just can't justify the pricing.

I think The White Company and WHSmiths will fall soon

I was wondering does anyone no if they will be closed or bought. I have £130 in vouchers. I am not a fan really so nothing I want I was keeping for when move house or kids start school. Don’t want to order during lockdown but don’t want to loose them to the creditors.

Cath Kidston is a one trick pony that has managed to drag out a living from a pretty limited range of designs for a lot longer than natural justice would dictate. I’m sad for the staff, but anyone who likes CK probably owns everything they want from the range.

Sea salt is very different to CK IMO, as they offer more wardrobe staples that people would be more likely to buy every season and have a much wider market.

Sea salt are doing ok from what I hear. And although they got good press for shutting shops, they had terrible press for the conditions in their online packing areas.

Will be gutted if fat face goes.

@flopseyR72

I would be careful about ordering. I ordered from Laura Ashley at the same stage, and it has never turned up, and no one can tell me if it ever will.

I use the CK outlet store in London's O2 arena. I am happy with those prices. I'd never go to one to their full-price stores. Once bought Mum a handbag reduced from £65 to £28. I think it was worth £28 tbh. I buy my travelcard holders from CK as they do last a long time.

If you’ve got vouchers I’d spend them now rather than risk losing the value.

Nearly all businesses are going to go bust. This will be the killer, not the 'virus'.

I think the market is totally over-stretched. Too many shops and too many of particular shops. Greedy corporate owners. Lots of stuff in clothing shops is just cheap 'pile it high' tat that will end up as landfill within months. The mid-range is often over-priced and rarely has much quality to it. The top end is silly money and Kings New Clothes.

We have built hideous blot on the landscape out of town shopping parks and killed our high streets with that and online shopping.

Within a 10 miles radius of our house there are 12 Next stores, 10 Marks and Spencer, 26 Sainburys, 8 H&M, 5 Sports Direct, 4 White Stuff, 5 Fat Face, 9 Argos. Almost all are big out of town stores and take business from the high street and sell 'pile em high' tat- often presented as not that.

@flopseyR72 their foldaway shopping bags for £10 are really good quality and larger than normal. I would buy them and that is everyone's Christmas and birthday presents sorted...

They are all too expensive ! I never understand how fat face keep going with their prices and Kath C !! Sad but they are making too much money on each item and it doesn't work in the high street these days !

Oh dear, I've got over £100 worth of FatFace vouchers for Christmas, I wonder if I should spend online. Was putting off as non essential atm.

RandomMess
Those bags are a prime example. I bet they buy those in bulk for 25p each max. The mark-up is huge.

I think The White Company and WHSmiths will fall soon
WH Smith is stupidly overpriced for literally everything (apart from newspapers and magazines obviously) even the staff in our local one have told customers that printer ink is much cheaper in sainsbury 2 doors away! Stationery items I would go to wilkos and buy at half the price, cards are cheaper to buy in supermarket or moonpig! But they house a lot of post offices which might go in their favour and have a presence at all the mainline stations, airports and service stations where they hike the prices up even more!!!

WH Smiths stores are dire - drab, untidy and depressing. But their presence in train stations and airports has been the only thing keeping them afloat for years and years. I wonder if this could finally be it for them?

Thanks I’m trying to find something now. I like plain and black ... struggling here. I’m looking at Fresno tote or small leather bag. The on,y plain things are navy not black. The house stuff is ok but ver6 expensive as I’m one of these people who tend to end up breaking crockery by mistake. I didn’t really want to buy non essential in lockdown but going to order today in case

@flopseyR72
Why not advance buy b day / Xmas presents for later on in the year .. if you don’t like anything for yourself ,, then at least you won’t waste the voucher , and when pre bought b day comes round buy something for yourself then

Does anyone think the large kids backpacks are good for school bags. My dd is starting tough wood September age 5 do you think the larger ones are good. She gas a small one for nursery but do reception kids need bigger bag for pencil case books etc.?

At least this is a distraction from reading coronavirus updates for today,

Sorry typos * starting school in September

I could get Dino clothes for ds 2 years but they are so expensive for t shirts etc,

What do people think of these

www.cathkidston.com/en-gb/sale/bags-and-accessories/bags/400548504136DRK_NAV.html

www.cathkidston.com/en-gb/bags/shop-by-style/crossbody-bags/400253505240DRK_NAV.html

@LuluJakey1 I don't think 25p tbh the fabric and quality is far better then all the other packaway bags I've used/looked at.

Probably cost 50p 😂

Cath kidston had already started closing stores before covid 19 hit the U.K. so I think they have been in trouble for a while.