Mary Portas take on dying High St's

Harry_Powell

fc123 wrote: »

So, how come you are so interested HP?

I'm not particularly, Dopester posted the link and I read it and asked a question, you replied and so I responded to your reply (just as I am now).

I'm slightly interested in pensions in as much as I know I should start one, but also know I can't afford to at the same time as trying to buy a house. I'm not adverse to learning a bit about them though. I've no real interest in the retail industry, except the bit that involves me doing the shopping.

Harry_Powell

fc123 wrote: »

Branded clothing and 'designed' are different. You refer to Branded clothing...many of those companes take initial direction from niche lables lower down the food chain anyway

I've no idea what we're discussing now, how we got here or where we are going.

lemonjelly

Mr_Mumble wrote: »

I shouldn't have called it a tip but its locale isn't ideal with a main road running through. Stourbridge is a far better centre (and yes it is having its own problems thanks to Merry Hill!)


For someone who lives some miles away the bus service to Brierley/Merry Hill is a far sight better than any other small town in the area. It is hard to think where such a shopping centre could be put "out of town", so not have such bad traffic problems, in this area. I agree with the general state of the transport infrastructure, heck, I remember the daft monorail that was supposed to be the future (for anyone still reading outside the locale imagine The Simpsons episode!)


It is but the area wouldn't have one if it wasn't for Merry Hill!


This is now a problem faced by Longbridge - it isn't a pretty sight (or site, they're still flattening it). Whether we little people like it or not much of the industrial, manufacturing and construction base has been shipped off to China or South Korea. The theory is that those folk are paid less so we can get the goods cheaper ourselves - they benefit from increased wages over time and technology transfer. Most of the western world is now service sector orientated, if it is short-term thinking we're stuffed.:eek:


So why doesn't everyone flood into Stourbridge, Dudley or Wolverhampton, why are there regular bus services from other strong retail centres such as Birmingham or Worcester? "We demanded", perhaps the locals in the very near vicinity but before the new Bull Ring... Merry Hill was the no.1 shopping destination in the West Midland afaik!


The fascia of Merry Hill is a little ugly because it was one of the first of these kinds of super malls but its nice enough underneath the rooves on a rainy day. Newer malls looks quite nice to me architecturally and I don't think they deserve the "Mc", they don't all look the same! Oh, I wished Britain had McMansions... three times the size of your average British homestead for half the price (call me a culture heretic, go on ).

Stourbridge needs to fight to hang on to it's character. But a great deal of closed shop fronts are existing there now.

I think the bus service to Merry Hill itself serves a purpose, but my feeling is that it doesn't serve the wider areas so well. I feel that locally, the traffic infrastructure has suffered since the centre was built. When I worked nearby, I used to experience horrendous delays getting home from October onwards - due to the hoardes of Christmas shoppers. Don't get me wrong, the hypocrite in me used to wander down there to do my shopping too. But mainly because I felt I may as well, rather than sit in traffic for 2 hours.

I remember the momorail!:D:D:D

I agree wholeheartedly in respect of Longbridge - a situation I can only see getting worse! Who in the current climate is going to attempt to build a whole new town/shopping centre? Worse, the first project to be going ahead there - the proposed relocation of a college (Bournville?) has been put on hold due to the learning skills council having vastly over-estimated its budget & having had to put almost every college construction project on indefinite hold. So the flagship of any potential development there now has no timescale whatsoever!

I agree that footfall is high at M Hill. I do think that a lot of that is kids/local yoof going there to hang about for the day (especially weekends/holidays). But the actual experience is still not great. There isn't the "bustle" that you have in Birmingham (not that I'm the greatest fan of there either). My experience is one of a sanitized sterile environment. When I go I rush about to get away as fast as humanly possible!;) But I think footfall is high because of a lack of options. In example I have a friend in Bham who loves the shopping centre in Redditch. Different Strokes I assume.

Stourbridge, Dudley (& I'd include Halesowen & B Hill) are dying towns. They're losing any sense of identity they have/had. Mainly due to neglect, lack of use, lack of investment, but mainly because the local people aren't using local services. IMO, this is due to local poverty issues (amongst many other things).

Wolverhamptons shopping still does pretty well, and continues to be quite busy. There was a plan for some significant regeneration there, which appears to have fallen through due to the availability of credit at the moment. A shame, as completion of such a project at a time when we "may" be coming out of this situation would have had significant local benefit. The ongoing work on the project may have been a useful distraction to the locals too. The only criticism I have of Wolverhampton is there are too many places in the centre selling alcohol. Perhaps we demanded that too?

PS you're definately a culture heretic!;)

Pobby

Snooze wrote: »

I would imagine that having a physical shop (be it on the High Street on not) selling music would be financial suicide these days. As the older non-internet generation continues to dies off you're left with virtually everyone knowing their way round a computer and the internet, which quickly brings them to ebay, amazon, play, etc where they can get everything they want at the click of a button for ~ 50% less than physical shops and on their doormat the next day. The only time you'll see this 'new' generation out on the High Street is at 8pm on a Saturday night...

Times are a-changing.

Rob

I certainly think that as far as cds are concerned you are right. Maybe you want to buy a keyboard, again each model is the same. Into your local dealer, use his expertise to demo it and then off you go and trawl the net for the cheapest one available.

With guitars it is slightly different as each model can vary. However I think that the music shop is in for a bad time. Those that add repairs, hire and installation will stand a better chance but even so it is tough.

When we saw the stock in Johns shop a couple of things stood out. Firstly there was no really high price ticket items. The odd guitar or drum kit at a £1,000 plus can make the week. Also I noticed a lot of reduced price stock. Unlike many products, in general musical instruments don`t carry a high profit margin. However, I think his drop in turnover is fairly typical.

kennyboy66_2

Pobby wrote: »

I certainly think that as far as cds are concerned you are right. Maybe you want to buy a keyboard, again each model is the same. Into your local dealer, use his expertise to demo it and then off you go and trawl the net for the cheapest one available.

I just think its wrong & a bit dishonest to go to a small independent shop, use their expertise & time and then buy one off the net.

Would I try and drive the price down - yep.
Would I pay a little more in a shop than online - yep.

fc123

Harry_Powell wrote: »

I've no idea what we're discussing now, how we got here or where we are going.

Fashion and stuff..my speshiality.;)

I'm slightly interested in pensions in as much as I know I should start one, but also know I can't afford to at the same time as trying to buy a house. I'm not adverse to learning a bit about them though. I've no real interest in the retail industry, except the bit that involves me doing the shopping.

I am equally blank about pensions (and I am ashamed to confess that fact on this board) but I would definately say that a kids shoe shop in a small town premises is not the route to a care free, financially secure old age.


No, tell a lie, I am thinking of pensions and income when I am an old lady. Was thinking about living lots of different experiences within my sector, going on a pro writing course then flogging a 'How to' book or similar. Perhaps a novello instead?

fc123

Dopestar..are the depression quotes on brands etc from the book 'Animal Spirits'?

fc123

I'll update this in a few weeks time as am just about to embark on a Real Life experiment on footfall. I am sure I can post some detail/goosip in an ambiguous way.

I am overseeing something that came from a flash of an idea just before Xmas 08.
I was stood somewhere. I knew we should be 'In It'.

I 'phoned OH and asked our stores footfall figs for the same moment in time ..they were zero.

We were retailing the right product but now in the wrong location as it had changed so much in a decade. We knew the product was right as we were experiencing high sales 'elsewhere'.

And now I am going to find out in a day or 2's time as now I am 'In It.

If this new 'job' works, will be a good chapter in my pension fund project.

If it fails (and it could), then I am off to do something completely different as the sales per sq ft in this location, within our sector and sales demographic, are the highest in Europe.

Count_Dante

Take a read of this about Abercrombie & Fitch, in the news because some law student is taking them to court for discrimination:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8118941.stm

The clothing itself is very straightforward - "it's cheap cotton clothing made in the Far East, covered in American branding" - but the marketing and the staff make it look good.
But does it still sell? Greg Hodge, a retail analyst at Planet Retail, says it has had six quarters of poor like-for-like sales figures worldwide, culminating in drops of 25% in the last quarter of 2008 and 30% in the first quarter of 2009. "That is really, really bad. Consumer spending has been cut back severely. They have clearly lost appeal."

So Primark quality at princely prices. This place sounds like the arsiest clothes shop in the whole planet. Read what one of the commenters (Luke) had to say:

Every year we get an intake of models who have just come off of the program shipwrecked and every time the superiority complex was quick to kick in as the 'hotties' established themselves apart from the 'notties'.

Shipwrecked is a truly hateful program, filled with upper middle class big Big Brothers rejects. The very existence of these people is enough to incite class warfare.

People who shop in Abercrombie & Fitch deserve to be ripped off, and Abercrombie & Fitch deserves to go bust.

Pobby

kennyboy66 wrote: »

I just think its wrong & a bit dishonest to go to a small independent shop, use their expertise & time and then buy one off the net.

Would I try and drive the price down - yep.
Would I pay a little more in a shop than online - yep.

I agree. I used to hate when people would use my expertise, and then go and buy elsewhere. Glad I don`t retail now.