Wilsons Selling Up. The Lot. All 700 Houses.

carolt

I don't get this comparison of the Wilsons and Tesco's.

I buy stuff at Tesco's because it's cheap and convenient. That's how they make their money. I'm not aware of having ever bought anything off the Wilsons and nor am I aware of them helping anyone, other than themselves.

Tesco's make money from me personally, because they save me money. The Wilson's....no, I just can't get this comparison to work.

I'm more than happy to see the Wilson's reach the logical conclusion of their business model. Time will tell if that means cash in the bank for them and some new, better (well, can hardly be worse - re the recent court case) landlords for 700 lucky tenants, or bankruptcy for them and the opportunity to buy their own homes at greaty reduced prices for 700 lucky tenants.

Sounds good either way.

Cleaver

PasturesNew wrote: »

Can I please request that everybody goes back and makes sure they thank this informed and extensive post that gives more specific instances against this couple than I have ever seen in one coherent spot at any one time.

Thank you.

Just as a note, I did thank it as it was a great post. I just find it strange that Graham can draw no parallels between the business the Wilson's run, which he critiqued very succinctly and accurately, and a myriad of other businesses out there in the UK which fall in to many of the same ethical and moral pitfalls that he mentioned in his post.

Cleaver

carolt wrote: »

I don't get this comparison of the Wilsons and Tesco's.

I buy stuff at Tesco's because it's cheap and convenient. That's how they make their money. I'm not aware of having ever bought anything off the Wilsons and nor am I aware of them helping anyone, other than themselves.

Tesco's make money from me personally, because they save me money. The Wilson's....no, I just can't get this comparison to work.

My original post wasn't there to suggest that they are similar businesses in terms of what they do. My point was that many on here feel vitriol towards the Wilson's because they run a business without morals and ethics, have scant regard for communities in their local area and seem obsessed with greed, expanding their business and profit above all else.

I think that many common, large UK businesses that many of us on here use also run without morals and ethics, have scant regard for the communities in their local area and also seem absessed with greed, expanding their businsess and profit above all else.

My question was whether the people shouting 'scum' at the Wilsons feel the same towards other businesses or whether they just don't like them because they are obsessed with hating BTLers. It seems, unfortunately, that most in that camp are in the latter.

JonnyBravo

Cleaver wrote: »

My original post wasn't there to suggest that they are similar businesses in terms of what they do. My point was that many on here feel vitriol towards the Wilson's because they run a business without morals and ethics, have scant regard for communities in their local area and seem obsessed with greed, expanding their business and profit above all else.

I think that many common, large UK businesses that many of us on here use also run without morals and ethics, have scant regard for the communities in their local area and also seem absessed with greed, expanding their businsess and profit above all else.

My question was whether the people shouting 'scum' at the Wilsons feel the same towards other businesses or whether they just don't like them because they are obsessed with hating BTLers. It seems, unfortunately, that most in that camp are in the latter.

I admire your persistence.

carolt

But Tesco's do help the community - they may not help other businesses, I agree, but they blatantly provide cheap food that local people do want, or they wouldn't be making money hand over fist.

The Wilsons wealth, however, is based on rationing a scarce resource (as they themselves admitted) in one area, and helps no-one. Unless you're going to claim that Ashford was desperately in need of an extra 700 rented homes had house prices remained low.

No, Tesco actually do good as well as bad - and their business model is not merely reliant on a rising wave of HPI (without which, let's face, it, the Wilsons would never have made a penny. That, and lax lending regimes.). On the contrary, Tesco have continue to prosper in the recession.

Cleaver

JonnyBravo wrote: »

I admire your persistence.

Thanks.

I just really love the irony of basically "who cares if Tesco isn't ethical? It's cheap so I shop there. Who cares?"

Which is fine. But these people posting this and lambasting the Wilsons miss the irony that 99.9% of the population would say about the Wilsons, "they bought a load of houses to rent that people wanted to rent off them. Supply and demand. Who cares"?

It seems that people only care about the cause that they have a vested interest in.

I'm now officially giving up.

PasturesNew

What's the tax situation when they sell? Presumably everything's in a Ltd company... what would the tax implications be if they sold it as one lot?

baileysbattlebus

Well, back on topic - the Wilsons - whatever you may think of them and their methods - maybe aren't as stupid and set for a fall as people seem to think.

Didn't a high speed rail link from Ashford to St. Pancras open a couple of months ago - and I read house prices were already rising on the back of that - 37minute commute to London. I expect quite a few people in London who can't afford a property or anything bigger than a small flat might move.

I think it's only operational at peak times at the moment but set to be fully operational in December.

I also read that the properties they own in Ashford, about 200, are mainly in area called Park Farm (?), the rest I read were spread around Kent.

Cleaver

carolt wrote: »

But Tesco's do help the community - they may not help other businesses, I agree, but they blatantly provide cheap food that local people do want, or they wouldn't be making money hand over fist.

We can agree to disagree on this Carol, as I think the argument that because a company makes money 'hand over fist' it automatically means that people like them and want them to be there. It is no where near as simple as that.

With regard to the rest of the post I completely agree with you and Graham and the others about the Wilson's. Greedy people who seem to have no concept of risk and had a business plan based on nothing.

Edit: sorry I had to highlight that line in your post. That, to me, is probably like me posting to you "BTL landlords do help the community by buying new build flats for the young to live in and help local jobs". Which is completely true, but I think you would have something (rightly) to say about that.

Really2

Cleaver wrote: »

We can agree to disagree on this Carol, as I think the argument that because a company makes money 'hand over fist' it automatically means that people like them and want them to be there. It is no where near as simple as that.

With regard to the rest of the post I completely agree with you and Graham and the others about the Wilson's. Greedy people who seem to have no concept of risk and had a business plan based on nothing.

You can not argue against a religion with logic or reason.;)

Agree with you entirely