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[Andy J]

So,



No more pick 'n mix and the jumble sale that was Woolworths for the last 99 years has ended, well almost. 

When I look back to 30 years ago when I was 12 (yes I'm only 42  )I remember Woolies just as it was only yesteday, the business never really moved on and in my opinion only survived by staying on the high street.

For me it signals another blow to our high street shopping forcing us further up the arses of the giants like Asda and Tesco etc.

It's an awful smack in the face for the whole country with the potential of 24,000 jobs being ended, although I'm sure someone will save many of them hopefully 


And another institution MFI has gone today too, only a 1,000 jobs but it only takes the loss of one to cause pain to a family.


Yes there are more jobs out there but what an awful year it is in the economy 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7751064.stm

[doug_zx10r]

My memories of Woolies will be of cold, empty stores, where the staff outnumbered the customers.  I can't believe it didn't close years ago.

[r1ninja]

And another institution MFI has gone today too, only a 1,000 jobs but it only takes the loss of one to cause pain to a family.

Repercussions will be much greater than that. Lots of delivery companies haven't been paid for 2 weeks by MFI and many may well go to the wall.

[Andy J]

yes,

Doug ,I completely agree that the Woolworths model never moved on and got stuck in 1977 

Andy, yes huge implications leading from both 

The effect on the high street with be a massive blow, there are over 800 Woolworth branches and without the temptation to shoppers on the highstreet the smaller businesses will suffer terribly too. Ok you could say that there's an opportunity for the smaller retailers to fill the void but you have to get the shoppers there in the first place and the high street is dying for certain.

When businesses fail like this the debts built have a massive impact on the smaller supplying businesses and with these potential 25,000 job losses I would broadly guess that it can be doubled given the effect on suppliers too.


Of course I/we can sit here and say that times have to move on, but where does it all end ?
Shall we just have one large shop for every town that sells everything whilst we all sit on the dole or in call centres earning a minimum wage. It concerns me at times like these that we move further towards a society of people measuring each others performance for work with few people actually making any difference. 

[HammyUK]

Do a little digging and that 1 big shop is already here

[r1ninja]

I've been to the Trafford Centre and Blue Water. Fuckin hated the places.

[chriswillis]

The biggeest shop in the world is what we are talking to each other on now - the internet! That is a massive factor why a lot of retail shops are now mising out - everything is cheaper on line - FACT!

[fido]

Havent been in Woolies for years so dont give a toss

[r1ninja]

Havent been in Woolies for years so dont give a toss

Hope you don't lose your job then

[fido]

Got made redundant in '07 mate.......Best thing that ever happened to me

[andicog]

Just another slap in the face for this country, blame poor management (same story for the long lost British car/truck and bus industries)  , this country is being screwed into the ground , not helped by the great British work ethic of doing as little as possible whilst wanting top money. So many service industries are crap ( bike dealers ?? car dealers ?? crap unless your buying new) roads not repaired, builders and plumbers who dont give a toss, turn up late do sod all and charge top dollar. Good luck to the polish etc who come here and work hard, Asian people too.
Total travesty that Rolls Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, TVR, ERF, etc etc have been allowed to fall into other countries hands (Land Rover Indian . . . wake up ! ) Why is it that while Rover went to the wall my local Police force (farce ?) are using Mercedes vans,( Why no Triumph Police bikes ? )  local council gritters are MAN trucks , bin lorries are Mercedes ! . Go to Germany or France and see what thier Police or local council use . . . see what make thier buses are (Mercedes London buses WTF ! ) . Dont think I dont realise that a Mercedes van will probably be more reliable than some leyland Daf warmed over 70's Sherpa upgrade but yet again its bad management and poor investment thats got it to that stage.
As Adolf Hitler said " The next war would be won using the banks"

Seem to have wandered a little off topic so I'll step down off my soap box , just off to listen to  Jerusalem . . . on my Japanese stereo whilst sitting on my Swedish sofa sipping French coffee . . . . . . Damn.