British Home Stores

[Harrowby Hall]

So, another familiar name may disappear.

Does anyone else remember that a dozen years ago, Philip Green tried to buy Marks & Spencer which he planned to integrate it into BHS, which he had acquired a couple of years earlier? He claimed he could run the company more profitably than its then management.

M&S, it would seem, had a lucky escape.

[Rhiannon]

I don't think I've been in a BHS store for the best part of twenty five years. Anything that I might want to get in there I can find elsewhere, and usually better. It's one of those shops that doesn't seem to know who it's for.

There was a time when I thought M&S could end up solely as a food retailer; maybe it will still happen. When I used to post on Mumsnet every now and then a thread would start up just to point the finger and laugh at the latest collection. They definitely lost their way from the days when their reputation was for producing high quality basics at reasonable prices. And their delivery service is rubbish. i tried buying some school uniform from them and got a two week delivery time; Next delivered the next day. I suspect it's the loyalty of my parents generation that's kept them going. Where that leaves them in ten, twenty years I've no idea.

[Ricky Spanish]

Another victim of Gidiots policies...

[Brownie]

Following on from Rhiannon's comments above, I bought some stuff online from BHS  three or four years ago and the delivery was late, wrong, and something was broken!  I was really surprised.  Agree Next are very efficient, I ordered something on Saturday and it was delivered on Sunday.

When I worked up in town I liked the BHS in Oxford Street very much, I also thought the one in Bromley was very fresh and pretty but I am talking about a few years ago, they've obviously 'gone off' somewhat judging by all the comments I heard on the radio today.  It's a shame but there it is.

[Nearly Sane]

Not really sure this can be laid at the doors of Osbourne. Yes, Green did a bit of asset stripping but he put in money well before Osbourne was about. And yes, the tax issue is there but it doesn't look to be the cause here, or entirely blameable on Osbourne. It wasn't the first and it won't be the last.

[Rhiannon]

I'm afraid Newsthump has it about right.

http://newsthump.com/2016/04/25/shock-as-awful-shop-closes/

[Shaker]

Harsh!

[Rhiannon]

Possibly. 

Woolworths going shocked me far, far more but that was down to stupidity on the part of the management. Selling their real estate? Really? Now that is one I do miss. One great joy of my teenage years was popping into Woolies on a Saturday to buy some of the latest sounds and a Rimmel lippy.

[Nearly Sane]

There is a bit of devil take the hindmost that is inherent in capitalism, and also the change in retail engagement makes that much harsher than it was. It may not all be good, but it's certainly not all to do with this govt or the last one.

[Nearly Sane]

Possibly. 

Woolworths going shocked me far, far more but that was down to stupidity on the part of the management. Selling their real estate? Really? Now that is one I do miss. One great joy of my teenage years was popping into Woolies on a Saturday to buy some of the latest sounds and a Rimmel lippy.

Real estate can be problematic if it is in the wrong place. But yes, I nearly wrote something about Woolies, which maintained an odd groove but that also lead to it holding ridiculous amounts of stock of things that would never sell.


And yet, as I was just noting a couple of weeks ago,it was once the power behind this
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolworth_Building

[Shaker]

Possibly. 

Woolworths going shocked me far, far more but that was down to stupidity on the part of the management. Selling their real estate? Really? Now that is one I do miss. One great joy of my teenage years was popping into Woolies on a Saturday to buy some of the latest sounds and a Rimmel lippy.

Same here!






... apart from the lippy. Mostly.

[L.A.]

There is a bit of devil take the hindmost that is inherent in capitalism, and also the change in retail engagement makes that much harsher than it was. It may not all be good, but it's certainly not all to do with this govt or the last one.

I expect Corbyn will want to nationalise them

[Nearly Sane]

I expect Corbyn will want to nationalise them

as opposed to doing the same for the banks, which George and Dave supported? You can argue there is a sound reason for doing one and not the other, not that it's principle.

[L.A.]

as opposed to doing the same for the banks, which George and Dave supported? You can argue there is a sound reason for doing one and not the other, not that it's principle.

Sadly, we need the banks - but we seem to have quite a lot of clothing outlets.

[Nearly Sane]

Sadly, we need the banks - but we seem to have quite a lot of clothing outlets.

We have quite a lot of banks. As I said you can make the argument, but pretending it's principle is ludicrous.

[L.A.]

We have quite a lot of banks. As I said you can make the argument, but pretending it's principle is ludicrous.

OK, we can't afford to prop-up failing clothing retailers - but we can't afford to let major banks fail.

Not a good situation I agree, but it's the way things are today.

[Nearly Sane]

OK, we can't afford to prop-up failing clothing retailers - but we can't afford to let major banks fail.

Not a good situation I agree, but it's the way things are today.

Have you got evidence then to suggest that Jeremy Cornyn supports nationalizing BHS? Or was that just about say a possibility of supporting something else, and given you have accepted it has to be on a case by case basis, dependent on the effect, there is no principles objection?

[L.A.]

Have you got evidence then to suggest that Jeremy Cornyn supports nationalizing BHS? Or was that just about say a possibility of supporting something else, and given you have accepted it has to be on a case by case basis, dependent on the effect, there is no principles objection?

I have to confess that my initial posting was slightly 'tongue in cheek', but given his track record,I suspect that nationalising BHS would make perfect sense to Corbyn.

[Nearly Sane]

I have to confess that my initial posting was slightly 'tongue in cheek', but given his track record,I suspect that nationalising BHS would make perfect sense to Corbyn.

Why? Do you have actual evidence of this, or just indulging in a caricature?

[L.A.]

Why? Do you have actual evidence of this, or just indulging in a caricature?

Anyone who would propose nationalising Tara Steel would nationalise anything!

[Nearly Sane]

Anyone who would propose nationalising Tara Steel would nationalise anything!

Except he didn't argue for that but for the plant. (I know Tara is a typo but it sounds like an Avengers character). We have already established that the principle is not an issue. There's a reasonable argument that being able to build heavy industry requirements is a bit more significant than a clothes store.

[L.A.]

Except he didn't argue for that but for the plant. (I know Tara is a typo but it sounds like an Avengers character). We have already established that the principle is not an issue. There's a reasonable argument that being able to build heavy industry requirements is a bit more significant than a clothes store.

Had it been a high-tech specialised steel plant, there might be something to that argument, but it was just basic steel. The same stuff that most countries in the world can produce, most cheaper than we can.

[Nearly Sane]

Had it been a high-tech specialised steel plant, there might be something to that argument, but it was just basic steel. The same stuff that most countries in the world can produce, most cheaper than we can.

Missing the question about not having steel producing available. As I have said, the concept is a given and you accept that, it just does not allow you to argue the caricature

[L.A.]

Missing the question about not having steel producing available.

Basic (not-specialist) steel is a commodity. If we can't produce it at a competitive price, why would anyone even think about propping-up a failing industry?

As I have said, the concept is a given and you accept that, it just does not allow you to argue the caricature

Corbyn lives up to the caricature perfectly - the Right love him because be validates all the Lefty Stereotypes.

[Harrowby Hall]

  ...   Yes, Green did a bit of asset stripping  ....

If I correctly understood comments I heard on the BBC1 Business News Review this morning at 5.45 (yes, I agree) Green took about £400m out of the BHS, let it fail and then sold it for £1 to another group of asset strippers who also found removable wealth locked in to the business.

These people then just walk away leaving 11,000 out of work and HM Treasury patching up the hole in the pension fund.

If losing his knighthood was good enough for Fred the Shred then I think its might also be good enough for a resident of Monaco.