The Retail Apocalypse (Incorporating Casual Dining Closures)

I've seen Jack Wills in quite a few towns & cities, never shopped there though.

Which is the shop that's a bit like Jack Wills but they can't be arsed to turn the lights on properly so you basically have to go around in the dark deciding whether or not you like clothes that you can't actually strawberry floating see! :fp:

That needs to close pronto.

Jenuall wrote:Which is the shop that's a bit like Jack Wills but they can't be arsed to turn the lights on properly so you basically have to go around in the dark deciding whether or not you like clothes that you can't actually strawberry floating see!

That needs to close pronto.

Hollister? The one with the seagull logo and the stupid beach house decking outside their shops?

Yeah strawberry float them.

Chocolate-Milk wrote:
Jenuall wrote:Which is the shop that's a bit like Jack Wills but they can't be arsed to turn the lights on properly so you basically have to go around in the dark deciding whether or not you like clothes that you can't actually strawberry floating see!

That needs to close pronto.

Hollister? The one with the seagull logo and the stupid beach house decking outside their shops?

Yeah strawberry float them.

Weren't they the store which also had giant screens showing surfers instead of window displays?

It's abercrombie and fitch that I've never understood, all their clothes look like they've been worn for about three years when they're new.

Aren't Abercrombie the ones with the half naked models hanging around outside their shops as well? :dread:

Jenuall wrote:Aren't Abercrombie the ones with the half naked models hanging around outside their shops as well?

Yeah and inside, they turn the lights down so it's more like a nightclub than a shop.

They also don't let people not deemed attractive into their shops, so the rumour goes.

Lex-Man wrote:
Jenuall wrote:Aren't Abercrombie the ones with the half naked models hanging around outside their shops as well?

Yeah and inside, they turn the lights down so it's more like a nightclub than a shop.

I don't know, I've never been into one.

Lex-Man wrote:
Jenuall wrote:Aren't Abercrombie the ones with the half naked models hanging around outside their shops as well?

Yeah and inside, they turn the lights down so it's more like a nightclub than a shop.

Drumstick » Tue Aug 06, 2019 10:43 pm

They also don't let people not deemed attractive into their shops, so the rumour goes.

stupid selling point isnt it if that is true so unless you look like a Love Island twat or have a man bag roadman look

floydfreak wrote:
Lex-Man wrote:
Jenuall wrote:Aren't Abercrombie the ones with the half naked models hanging around outside their shops as well?

Yeah and inside, they turn the lights down so it's more like a nightclub than a shop.

Drumstick » Tue Aug 06, 2019 10:43 pm

They also don't let people not deemed attractive into their shops, so the rumour goes.

stupid selling point isnt it if that is true so unless you look like a Love Island twat or have a man bag roadman look

They've let me into their shops so it's probably not true. I think they've paid people not to wear their clothes though.

My friend worked for A&F at uni. They hired people based almost entirely on looks and got around discrimination laws by classifying all shop assistant roles as 'modeling'.

Drumstick wrote:Jack Wills is massively overpriced for a fairly basic range of clothing. Nothing special about them whatever, simple hoodie with the letters JW on.

"That'll be £65 please."

Or a plain t-shirt with the same JW letters on for (only) £25.

I think it appeals to a certain demographic but it’s seen as a ‘wealthier’ brand. Now Mike Ashley’s taken over and if it’s anything like House of Fraser it’ll start turning into sports direct inside stores, JW in Sports Direct stores and completely losing its audience.

That said when I looked on their website last week I thought all their designs were ugly. Was like a times new Roman font on a t shirt as well

Mike Ashley wants to 'eliminate Debenhams as a competitor', court hears

Sports Direct boss funds lawsuit to overturn the deal that rescued Debenhams

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ourt-hears

Legit scumbag.

Saint of Killers wrote:
Mike Ashley wants to 'eliminate Debenhams as a competitor', court hears

Sports Direct boss funds lawsuit to overturn the deal that rescued Debenhams

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ourt-hears

Legit scumbag.

Wasn't he demanding the exact same thing for some of his own stores, or for Debenhams if he had managed to gain ownership of it?

I was watching a Mike Ashley documentary on Channel 5 last week and he was at least responsible for breaking up the cartel on football shirts (various shops got together to fix their prices. They also invited Ashley along to the meeting who then, for his own gain of course, reported them all).

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... p-wagamama

The Restaurant Group will close at least 124 of its Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito branches over the next six years, after it tumbled to a £79m first-half loss.

Sales at Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito continued to fall, despite improvements to the menus, along with the benefit of comparison against a weak trading period last year during a period of “extreme weather” and the men’s football World Cup.

About half of the group’s 352 original casual dining sites, mainly Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito as well as Garfunkel’s and Coast to Coast, are expected to be closed as their leases expire or they reach a contractual break period, or even earlier if possible.

I’ve eaten at F&Bs a couple of times over the last year or so, and I went to Chiquitos a few weeks ago - the food at both is pretty poor.

F&Bs , despite having a reasonable-looking menu, just smacks of low effort and poor quality, as well as being over-priced.
Chiquitos was just like they didn’t care. We had issues with the drinks we ordered, most of the dishes we ordered were pretty bad, and the staff didn’t really seem bothered either.

It’s no wonder these places are struggling when they don’t even seem to be trying to get the basics right.

Most of these sort of chain places don't even "cook" the food, it's just re-heated from frozen or microwaved. I'm neither surprised nor saddened by their demise, nothing of value will be lost to the culinary landscape.

Also in the news today - M&S are most likely going to be relegated from the FTSE100 tomorrow and will drop into the FTSE250 - quite the fall from grace considering they've been ever-present on the index since it was created.

Dark times for everyone on the high street, it seems.

My favourite chain restaurant/definitely money laundering front is Tony Macaroni's.

The Retail Apocalypse (Incorporating Casual Dining Closures)

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