Toys 'R' Us, Evans Cycles, Berwin and Berwin, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Patisserie Valerie, Gouchos, Santander, BHS, Homebase, Carluccio's - just a few of the businesses which have either left the High Street, or are experiencing difficulty on it.

At the same time, Amazon - only trading for about thirty years - is now the most valuable company on earth. Following my online order yesterday morning, they delivered my item to my doorstep at 9.09am this morning.

Having seen the item (a Samsonite case) I acquired in a High Street shop window - on sale for £86 - Amazon sold it to me for £51; 30% less. Delivery was free.

Even John Lewis announced a store closure today - perhaps the first ever - and local authorities seem to be turning a blind eye to the retail problems by continuing to increase business rates to balance their own budgets.

Retail needs help, if it's to survive - as 2019 will be extremely problematical for it. Bearing in the mind also, the huge uncertainties precipitated by the Brexit possibilities - and the Trump/China negotiations etc.


Many businesses are now very uncertain as to where they will even source their products/ingredients in three months time!

Don't use Amazon then.

Stupid comment; observations about the state of retail aren't moral instructions.

JK2006 wrote:
Stupid comment; observations about the state of retail aren't moral instructions.

Green man was winking, Mr King!

I suspect Green Man has vowel problems Honey.

JK2006 wrote:
I suspect Green Man has vowel problems Honey.

A bit rich from a man with a colourful past. (Whoops)

And his V should be a B.

JK2006 wrote:
And his V should be a B.



What a SJW you are.

Read this then..Rupert Murdoch couldn't put it down and highly recommends it

money is an artificial construct so a government could follow the formula laid out by author Rutger Bregman and the problems will soon be solved.

I agree retail is in difficulty although I also reckon once everyone has their guaranteed Universal Income it will bounce back (no need to save unless for something very expensive) .

People will always like personal shopping..it's an event and is generally great fun. But so is on-line shopping.

But the more guaranteed money people will have the more they'll shop in every way.
# not even a radical solution- some powerful US politicians were promoting this concept in the 1930s but today such "radical" theories mean the enmity of gutter tabloids.

## the other great problem as Barney pointed out maybe inadvertently : the lack of tax collecting via online shopping. That simply cannot keep happening.
It's unsupportable and eventually world economies could implode.

Politicians seem quite clueless these days or they are terrified of presenting obvious solutions having mired themselves in a ludicrous situations like Brexit no matter which you support..madness.

Of course greed is never ending problem and the Love of Money (read The Bible- spot on about this). Who needs more than $1Billion?

Barney wrote:
Toys 'R' Us, Evans Cycles, Berwin and Berwin, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Patisserie Valerie, Gouchos, Santander, BHS, Homebase, Carluccio's - just a few of the businesses which have either left the High Street, or are experiencing difficulty on it.

At the same time, Amazon - only trading for about thirty years - is now the most valuable company on earth. Following my online order yesterday morning, they delivered my item to my doorstep at 9.09am this morning.

Having seen the item (a Samsonite case) I acquired in a High Street shop window - on sale for £86 - Amazon sold it to me for £51; 30% less. Delivery was free.

Even John Lewis announced a store closure today - perhaps the first ever - and local authorities seem to be turning a blind eye to the retail problems by continuing to increase business rates to balance their own budgets.

Retail needs help, if it's to survive - as 2019 will be extremely problematical for it. Bearing in the mind also, the huge uncertainties precipitated by the Brexit possibilities - and the Trump/China negotiations etc.


Many businesses are now very uncertain as to where they will even source their products/ingredients in three months time


Successful companies aren't uncertain because they predict the future, accurately.

Watch AmazonFresh for your groceries soon. Hollywood has been replaced by Netflix - London taxis by Uber.

Convenience, simplicity and value are what people want.


The chore of shopping - the hobby and delight (often daily) of so many - is being replaced by tapping into devices.

My pocket fob paid for my fuel today, although I had to utilise the pump.

Electric cars now even eliminate that...

Brexit has proven a blessing for every incompetent executive in the UK. Any case of mismanagement that would previously have resulted in the humiliation of a boss is now blamed on Brexit. Debenhams, for example, a chain that has been allowed to grow increasingly old-fashioned, poorly organised and uncompetitive, with deteriorating standards of service, actually had the nerve to blame years of failure predating Brexit on Brexit.

Tom wrote:
Brexit has proven a blessing for every incompetent executive in the UK. Any case of mismanagement that would previously have resulted in the humiliation of a boss is now blamed on Brexit. Debenhams, for example, a chain that has been allowed to grow increasingly old-fashioned, poorly organised and uncompetitive, with deteriorating standards of service, actually had the nerve to blame years of failure predating Brexit on Brexit.

Ditto.

M&S great supermarket but the blokes clothes are drab.

Debenham's are very pricey and stores are very unorganised with layout.

Game are focusing more on tech than video games.

HMV very little choice these days - way too many compilations rather than albums in their stores.

Fast food chains are declining due to rising vegans.

Green Man wrote:
Tom wrote:
Brexit has proven a blessing for every incompetent executive in the UK. Any case of mismanagement that would previously have resulted in the humiliation of a boss is now blamed on Brexit. Debenhams, for example, a chain that has been allowed to grow increasingly old-fashioned, poorly organised and uncompetitive, with deteriorating standards of service, actually had the nerve to blame years of failure predating Brexit on Brexit.

Ditto.

M&S great supermarket but the blokes clothes are drab.

Debenham's are very pricey and stores are very unorganised with layout.

Game are focusing more on tech than video games.

HMV very little choice these days - way too many compilations rather than albums in their stores.

Fast food chains are declining due to rising vegans.

Can there really be that many vegans?
In Liverpool we have got vegan restaurants popping up but it seems to be in addition to the rest, not instead of.

HMV are in administration - and although I tend to agree about Debenhams' layout - the apparently disorganised concept has worked wonders for Sports Direct.

So it's no wonder Mike Ashley is interested. No doubt he'd bring the excellent Sports Direct point-of-sale service into Debenhams.

When you walk into an SD outlet, attention is immediately available from wired up staff - who are in direct contact with the stock room

If you ask whether they have a particular item in a different size to that on display - it'll be in your hand in a couple of minutes, or less. And at a decent price.

Maybe SD staff look drap too; does it matter if you get the right product fast and effectively - and almost as cheap as the internet, but with the ability to fit it on.


With regard to fast food chains - I can't see any downturn in the businesses of KFC and McDonald's, for example.

The latter seems to be rapidly expanding their drive-through outlets - some of which are also offering a delivery service.


Although the High Street retail market is tough - those who think out of the box, are innovative , adaptable and forward thinking - will survive and prosper.

For example, Little Chef and Wimpy didn't survive - largely because the waiter came to your table several times.

To take the orders, deliver them, then the bill - and lastly to obtain/process payment.


Efficiency requires only one interaction.

Barney wrote:
HMV are in administration - and although I tend to agree about Debenhams' layout - the apparently disorganised concept has worked wonders for Sports Direct.

So it's no wonder Mike Ashley is interested. No doubt he'd bring the excellent Sports Direct point-of-sale service into Debenhams.

When you walk into an SD outlet, attention is immediately available from wired up staff - who are in direct contact with the stock room

If you ask whether they have a particular item in a different size to that on display - it'll be in your hand in a couple of minutes, or less. And at a decent price.

Maybe SD staff look drap too; does it matter if you get the right product fast and effectively - and almost as cheap as the internet, but with the ability to fit it on.


With regard to fast food chains - I can't see any downturn in the businesses of KFC and McDonald's, for example.

The latter seems to be rapidly expanding their drive-through outlets - some of which are also offering a delivery service.


Although the High Street retail market is tough - those who think out of the box, are innovative , adaptable and forward thinking - will survive and prosper.

For example, Little Chef and Wimpy didn't survive - largely because the waiter came to your table several times.

To take the orders, deliver them, then the bill - and lastly to obtain/process payment.


Efficiency requires only one interaction.





Lots of McDonald's and KFC are closing in the South of England.

Don't see too many McDonald's closing in London.

In fact, I can't think of any. Fast food places are increasing quickly in the UK - where McDonald's have about 1,300 restaurants.

The biggest chain, I believe, is Costa (1,700 branches) followed by Greggs (1,500).

One of the reasons why McD restaurants rarely close is the quality and amount of research they put into locations. They know the socioeconomic groups that their customers are in.

Then the areas these individuals live in are targeted; you'll find it hard to find a McD in Mayfair, Belgravia or Park Lane!

Also you'll rarely see a McD that's not near a station - bus/tube/train/tram.

Wetherspoons target the same market - so you'll almost always see their pubs near McD restaurants. This ploy save them having to do their own research!

Britain's largest pub group is catching up on the number of McD outlets; it has 1,000 venues.

Barney wrote:
The chore of shopping - the hobby and delight (often daily) of so many - is being replaced by tapping into devices.

My pocket fob paid for my fuel today, although I had to utilise the pump.

Electric cars now even eliminate that...



Depressing. People need human interaction. Hopefully humans will learn that not everything should be replaced with technology but that it should be used wisely and a healthy balance struck between it and human interaction and services. People should be controlling technology, not the other way round.

The thing that concerns me most about closures is the closure of banks. Not everyone wants to do online banking, me included.

Ah yes but if people wanted to bank in store they would. People drive the changes through choice...We are in control.

What we should do is embrace the new economy and changes and think creatively about what the centre of towns can be used for in the future...

We should think about what Amazon and others can do for artists now that the monolithic giants, Waterstones, HMV..are on the way out.

People have more control and potential not less.

[/quote] Lots of McDonald's and KFC are closing in the South of England.[/quote]

I believe McDonalds recently closed in Ramsgate...and Burger King in Margate....and KFC in Cliftonville Margate closed years ago...but Costa is all the rage...for now...

wyot wrote:
Ah yes but if people wanted to bank in store they would. People drive the changes through choice...We are in control.

What we should do is embrace the new economy and changes and think creatively about what the centre of towns can be used for in the future...

We should think about what Amazon and others can do for artists now that the monolithic giants, Waterstones, HMV..are on the way out.

People have more control and potential not less.

the first things politicians in all countries must tackle are the artificial taxation structures that allow these gigantic corporations to base themselves in tax havens (usually an office with a PC & fax machine) and avoid paying their fare share.

People claim buying off the net does not use infrastructure...it bloody well does.

Every single Brit (yes you Amazon Lover JK do too..but I love buying books on the net as you find titles you have looked for years)..they scrounge off our infrastructure because the customer does in the manner he earns his/her living.

The customer generally pays full tax on every aspect of UK life be it going on the bus to work etc etc and then when spend that money at Amazon who offer lower prices because Amazon don't pay their fair share.

THIS IS UNSUSTAINABLE. it cannot continue. It will implode at some stage.

One example: Rupert Murdoch's giant News Corp in Australia where he (and his Saudi partners) basically monoplise the media with newspapers and cable TV pay no tax on $SIX BILLION turnover.
(yes yes I know that's not profit but it does make $100Ms in profit)

Read Michael West .. a brilliant financial journalist..Top 40 Tax Avoiders in Australia alone..from VIRGIN to the FORD MOTOR company...paying no tax.

In the UK probably TOP 400..in the USA TOP 4000.

I can live nicely under Capitalism but it's a system that mist be strictly controlled or it spins out of control.

www.michaelwest.com.au/tax-dodgers/