The Retail Apocalypse (Incorporating Casual Dining Closures)

I haven't been to the marina in bloody ages.

But drive through coffee. Nobody is going to recycle those coffee cups and just chuck them out of the car / bin so they bloody better well start using something actually compostable.

Same thing pisses me off about m&s, strawberry floating everything is practically in blister packaging. At least pret a manger uses some cardboard.

Green Gecko wrote:I haven't been to the marina in bloody ages.

But drive through coffee. Nobody is going to recycle those coffee cups and just chuck them out of the car / bin so they bloody better well start using something actually compostable.

Same thing pisses me off about m&s, strawberry floating everything is practically in blister packaging. At least pret a manger uses some cardboard.

What really confuses me about M&S is that some of their food that previously used cardboard packaging with a plastic film has recently switched to plastic boxes with a plastic film instead. Surely that's the opposite of what should be happening.

Lagamorph wrote:What really confuses me about M&S is that some of their food that previously used cardboard packaging with a plastic film has recently switched to plastic boxes with a plastic film instead. Surely that's the opposite of what should be happening.

Their deli stuff used to come in a wooden tray you cooked it in. Now it's a plastic box that you have to take it out of so it doesn't keep its shape when cooking.

I'm would have thought there'd have been plenty of people complaining that this is changed back.

Some shops may have closed the gap on M&S food but it still has a certain margin over the usual suspects in my view. Tesco's "finest" range is particularly rank for example.

Waitrose is the true king for picking up your posh bits though.

NickSCFC wrote:

Drumstick wrote:Brighton Marina recently developed a new area for 5 restaurants. Those plots ended up being taken by TGI Fridays, Five Guys, Bella Italia, Las Iguanas and a Brazilian restaurant that I can't remember the name of which has already closed down.

This frustrates me a little because the restaurant area already caters for Italian and American food with Zizzy and Prezzo, American with Coast to Coast and Frankie and Benny's. There's also a Wetherspoons, an Indian joint and a Cafe Rouge. Couldn't one of the plots have been a Caribbean place, or Thai cuisine? You know, stuff that isn't already catered for.

Did this actually get built then?



We have a new Coast2Coast and Frankie & Benny's and neither seem to struggle for customers.

The unit that closed down was Mod Pizza. Which was a shame as it was lovely. A cross between Five guys and Subway but for pizza.

They haven't constructed the stuff that's in that image yet. Just the first phase. It all seems to have gone quiet on the major redevelopment side.

I'm surprised this wasn't picked up on at the time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45707529

Basically shopping centres are properly strawberry floated.

Favourite quote: "It's a downward spiral and you can't fill shopping centres with nail bars and vape shops."

To be honest, this kind of makes me glad, job losses notwithstanding. Shopping centres are boring because they offer all the same things with many very similar shops.

Boutiques, independent retail chains, customisable shopping experiences, should all do better, where they have a solid online business as the core. If the high street is less desirable to investors, and customers looking for boxed items and stuff they can get on the Internet easily for faster and cheaper, then they should become more affordable to businesspeople who are actually offering something worth going outside to get.

There will always be massive chains like Costa etc. that can afford to populate expensive retail property. But it will never make sense to have 5 of those shops in the same location, and will reach a saturation point. If this means that in say 10-15 years I can actually have a shop (if I even want one) to work out if, then that is good for me.

Used to enjoy a trip to Cribs Causeway (Bristol). It used to have quite an eclectic selection of shops. Not on my last visit 12 months or so ago. A boring stream of clothes shops all selling the same guff.

Gemini73 wrote:Used to enjoy a trip to Cribs Causeway (Bristol). It used to have quite an eclectic selection of shops. Not on my last visit 12 months or so ago.

They still have an Aardman Animations shop though.

Vermilion wrote:

Gemini73 wrote:Used to enjoy a trip to Cribs Causeway (Bristol). It used to have quite an eclectic selection of shops. Not on my last visit 12 months or so ago.

They still have an Aardman Animations shop though.

It's still there? Cool.

Gemini73 wrote:Used to enjoy a trip to Cribs Causeway (Bristol). It used to have quite an eclectic selection of shops. Not on my last visit 12 months or so ago. A boring stream of clothes shops all selling the same guff.

I didn't bother going there for a few years, but popped over there last year. It was shite and I haven't been back since.

Is there a Game still in there?

I have no idea, I don't remember seeing one last year.

Embattled high street retailers call for help as closures soar

The Guardian wrote:Retailers have called for “decisive action” from the government to support the UK’s battered high streets after new data showed the number of shops, pubs and restaurants lying empty has soared by more than 4,400 in the first six months of this year.

Closures increased by nearly 17% to 24,205 across 3,000 towns, cities, retail parks and shopping centres monitored by the Local Data Company. The number of new openings of shops, restaurants, pubs and other leisure destinations declined by 2.1% to 19,803 over the half year – leaving 4,402 more gaps on the high street. That total is more than double the number ever previously recorded over the first six months of a year since LDC began its research five years ago.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... sures-soar

Too long to post the whole thing here, but if you click through to the article there's some really shocking statistics, particularly for the North East.

Gemini73 wrote:Is there a Game still in there?

I went a few months ago. Pretty sure I saw Game (it's also one of their "online arena" locations with a named team and things)

Green Gecko wrote:To be honest, this kind of makes me glad, job losses withstanding. Shopping centres are boring because they offer all the same things with many very similar shops.

Boutiques, independent retail chains, customisable shopping experiences, should all do better, where they have a solid online business as the core. If the high street is less desirable to investors, and customers looking for boxed items and stuff they can get on the Internet easily for faster and cheaper, then they should become more affordable to businesspeople who are actually offering something worth going outside to get.

There will always be massive chains like Costa etc. that can afford to populate expensive retail property. But it will never make sense to have 5 of those shops in the same location, and will reach a saturation point. If this means that in say 10-15 years I can actually have a shop (if I even want one) to work out if, then that is good for me.

This is my problem with most UK towns and cities in that they are all beginning homogenised. I'm lucky to live near Cambridge such still has a lot of character and the reason I like going to London is the quirky shops and restaurants.

Winckle wrote:Embattled high street retailers call for help as closures soar

The Guardian wrote:Retailers have called for “decisive action” from the government to support the UK’s battered high streets after new data showed the number of shops, pubs and restaurants lying empty has soared by more than 4,400 in the first six months of this year.

Closures increased by nearly 17% to 24,205 across 3,000 towns, cities, retail parks and shopping centres monitored by the Local Data Company. The number of new openings of shops, restaurants, pubs and other leisure destinations declined by 2.1% to 19,803 over the half year – leaving 4,402 more gaps on the high street. That total is more than double the number ever previously recorded over the first six months of a year since LDC began its research five years ago.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... sures-soar

Too long to post the whole thing here, but if you click through to the article there's some really shocking statistics, particularly for the North East.

Isn't the population of the North East in decline?

Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough all show decline over a decade here, so this might explain the issues there.

NickSCFC wrote:

Winckle wrote:Embattled high street retailers call for help as closures soar

The Guardian wrote:Retailers have called for “decisive action” from the government to support the UK’s battered high streets after new data showed the number of shops, pubs and restaurants lying empty has soared by more than 4,400 in the first six months of this year.

What's the government going to do? Force people to go shopping?

These businesses need to adapt or die, they shouldn't be expecting a handout just to stay alive.

Retailers shut 2,700 shops in first half of the year. Clothes shops are dropping like flies, which is surprising.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46142025

Preezy wrote:

NickSCFC wrote:

Winckle wrote:Embattled high street retailers call for help as closures soar

The Guardian wrote:Retailers have called for “decisive action” from the government to support the UK’s battered high streets after new data showed the number of shops, pubs and restaurants lying empty has soared by more than 4,400 in the first six months of this year.

What's the government going to do? Force people to go shopping?

These businesses need to adapt or die, they shouldn't be expecting a handout just to stay alive.

Yep. Trouble is a lot of these retailers think the public owe them a living. Like you say though, adapt or die. It's not up to the public or the Government to save these businesses.