John Lewis - Never Knowingly Having Retail Experience.

[Battenberg]

Interesting read today about how John Lewis appear to be struggling. 

We’re seeing cutbacks from many of these large companies. House of Fraser in Cardiff, once a premium go to for the retired and wealthy, now houses a massive Sports Direct section. 

I expect to see Debenhams gone in the next 12 months.

I don’t think John Lewis have done themselves any favours employing a woman who is an ex civil servant and has no experience in the retail sector. They are wonderfully diverse though. 

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-7975307/John-Lewis-cut-jobs-survive-challenging-period-history-new-boss-warns.html

[Bedrag Justesen]

To increase staff diversity John Lewis could recruit fewer 50 something women.

[Frank Hovis]

It's not in OT but there's a thread running down below.

 

[TNS]

Debt based expansion and a snow flake CEO to keep the snow flakes happy, what could have gone wrong?...…… oh yeah......

[Battenberg]

1 hour ago, Frank Hovis said:

It's not in OT but there's a thread running down below.

 

Sorry I hadn’t realised. I never go down to the bowels of the forum 😀

@spunko

merge if it’s easier.

[SpectrumFX]

5 hours ago, Battenberg said:

Interesting read today about how John Lewis appear to be struggling. 

We’re seeing cutbacks from many of these large companies. House of Fraser in Cardiff, once a premium go to for the retired and wealthy, now houses a massive Sports Direct section. 

I expect to see Debenhams gone in the next 12 months.

I don’t think John Lewis have done themselves any favours employing a woman who is an ex civil servant and has no experience in the retail sector. They are wonderfully diverse though. 

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-7975307/John-Lewis-cut-jobs-survive-challenging-period-history-new-boss-warns.html

I can't help that feel that the demise of House of Fraser in Cardiff  had something to do with the massive John Lewis store living rent free as the flagship store in the fancy new St David's 2 shopping centre.

Having subsidised John Lewis long enough to kill the House of Fraser,  the John Lewis will likely close once the rent subsidy is finished, leaving everybody worse off.

Fucking clown world.

[Battenberg]

1 hour ago, SpectrumFX said:

I can't help that feel that the demise of House of Fraser in Cardiff  had something to do with the massive John Lewis store living rent free as the flagship store in the fancy new St David's 2 shopping centre.

Having subsidised John Lewis long enough to kill the House of Fraser,  the John Lewis will likely close once the rent subsidy is finished, leaving everybody worse off.

Fucking clown world.

I don’t think pedestrianising the Hayes helped either which I think was at the same time John Lewis landed. Not that that’s the reason for HOF failing.

I live near a crappy town centre that has been pedestrianised and is continuously losing business. I wonder if it can actually be more detrimental to footfall to remove vehicular access.

[SpectrumFX]

12 minutes ago, Battenberg said:

I don’t think pedestrianising the Hayes helped either which I think was at the same time John Lewis landed. Not that that’s the reason for HOF failing.

I live near a crappy town centre that has been pedestrianised and is continuously losing business. I wonder if it can actually be more detrimental to footfall to remove vehicular access.

Building a shitload of new retail capacity while at the same time making access mire difficult, all while retail is being decimated by the internet.

What could go wrong?

[goldbug9999]

8 hours ago, Rowley said:

random Asian retailer in Birmingham.

 

[wherebee]

John Lewis is fantastic if you have:

• no globalisation
• no online shopping
• a wealthy elderly demographic unburdened by mortgage debt
• a high trust society that will not take advantage of the 'return with no questions' ethos.

kind fucked then.

[steppensheep]

21 hours ago, Battenberg said:

...

I don’t think John Lewis have done themselves any favours employing a woman who is an ex civil servant and has no experience in the retail sector. They are wonderfully diverse though. 

...

They've doubled her salary though, so obviously she has hidden talent that went unrecognised during her three decades as a civil servant.

[spygirl]

21 hours ago, Battenberg said:

Interesting read today about how John Lewis appear to be struggling. 

We’re seeing cutbacks from many of these large companies. House of Fraser in Cardiff, once a premium go to for the retired and wealthy, now houses a massive Sports Direct section. 

I expect to see Debenhams gone in the next 12 months.

I don’t think John Lewis have done themselves any favours employing a woman who is an ex civil servant and has no experience in the retail sector. They are wonderfully diverse though. 

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-7975307/John-Lewis-cut-jobs-survive-challenging-period-history-new-boss-warns.html

My comments from Whats going to collapse next.....:

The fact that the chair is a black woman is minor to the big honking issue thats shes an ex civil servant.

Ill be honest, id be sceptical about any promoted minority or whatever in a job that requires a highly fuctioning person. But that goes for all CEOs too - you might want to look at the clusterfuck of Ford and its leadership as the good ole ceo types are having arse served to them.

JL problems are all down to tgat fuvking moron ex army type, another but of tge public sector id avoid recruiting from, tge majory colonel types, not the canon fodder.

Retail is detail. JL should have gone thru the 40s-50s Morrisons leaders and pivked from that. And got a load siftware people - not ceos, people whove been developing n managing sw for 20 years. The latter are pretty much all orgs, be tgey public private or 3rd sector need. Fuck mbas n all that.

 

 

[dgul]

It is the MBA problem.

There is (amongst the 'leaders'*) a complete acceptance that what is required is someone very well trained at running a business.  it doesn't matter 'what business' -- it is a generic skill that applies everywhere.

Whereas in reality what is required is someone very good at running the business.  If you want someone to run a retail company you actually want someone who is excellent at running a retail business in that particular market segment.

Vast numbers of companies in the UK are ruined by the MBA mindset.

[* which are all people who are converts to the MBA mindset.  Funny that]

[Melchett]

40 minutes ago, dgul said:

It is the MBA problem.

There is (amongst the 'leaders'*) a complete acceptance that what is required is someone very well trained at running a business.  it doesn't matter 'what business' -- it is a generic skill that applies everywhere.

Whereas in reality what is required is someone very good at running the business.  If you want someone to run a retail company you actually want someone who is excellent at running a retail business in that particular market segment.

Vast numbers of companies in the UK are ruined by the MBA mindset.

[* which are all people who are converts to the MBA mindset.  Funny that]

And pandered to by the management consultants they bring in who apply the same models in every organisation, because it’s all baked beans to them.

[satch]

JL / Waitrose seem have lost the plot and consequently are losing their customers such as Mr Mrs Satch. We are I suppose typical JL customers being old, financially sound, own property, like decent stuff and willing to pay that bit extra but also tight with money. The Waitrose reduced section is now just 50p off a Bigham £8 meal for 2 instead of being half price, so we don’t buy and so also don’t buy milk, bread, cheese, etc. Most of our food now comes from Sainsbury and Aldi. JL household is also expensive and they have stopped giving the ‘free drink and cake’ vouchers … so we visit less, so buy less and tend to look elsewhere whereas before we would probably just look in JL.

Still what do I know? We have only shopped there for 30 years and now basically don’t anymore. Fickle things these customers.

[Bedrag Justesen]

23 minutes ago, satch said:

Still what do I know? We have only shopped there for 30 years and now basically don’t anymore. Fickle things these customers.

That's why JL&P are not likely to pay you or people like you £990k plus perks to help run their business.

You seem overly focused on out of date criteria such as the customer experience, meeting expectations, and making a profit.

You have not mentioned climate change, partner diversity, LGBTQI+ inclusion, or ensuring positive career progression initiatives to help women.

Tbh I doubt you even have experience within a public sector organisation.  

[SillyBilly]

Another woke and broke company then. If it was a PLC and I owned a decent number of shares I'd be extremely underwhelmed and indeed concerned with this appointment. Perhaps I'll be proven wrong...

[Ash4781b]

Was the opening speech to staff mentioning job cuts and store closures? Was there much talk of a vision ? 

[Errol]

They are finished. No chance. Will be dead in a matter of years.

[ashestoashes]

2 hours ago, satch said:

JL / Waitrose seem have lost the plot and consequently are losing their customers such as Mr Mrs Satch. We are I suppose typical JL customers being old, financially sound, own property, like decent stuff and willing to pay that bit extra but also tight with money. The Waitrose reduced section is now just 50p off a Bigham £8 meal for 2 instead of being half price, so we don’t buy and so also don’t buy milk, bread, cheese, etc. Most of our food now comes from Sainsbury and Aldi. JL household is also expensive and they have stopped giving the ‘free drink and cake’ vouchers … so we visit less, so buy less and tend to look elsewhere whereas before we would probably just look in JL.

Still what do I know? We have only shopped there for 30 years and now basically don’t anymore. Fickle things these customers.

the old spend less so maybe not their target

[Popuplights]

22 minutes ago, ashestoashes said:

the old spend less so maybe not their target

Who is their target demo then? Young people don't shop there because it's too expensive.

Middle class mummies? I don't know the answers, but its not my business. But they had better work it out quickly!!

 

[Uptherebels]

42 minutes ago, Errol said:

They are finished. No chance. Will be dead in a matter of years.

We all will.

[ashestoashes]

44 minutes ago, Popuplights said:

Who is their target demo then? Young people don't shop there because it's too expensive.

Middle class mummies? I don't know the answers, but its not my business. But they had better work it out quickly!!

 

people who are richer and better dressed than me, I have to dress up before shopping there to avoid the stares

[Bedrag Justesen]

35 minutes ago, ashestoashes said:

people who are richer and better dressed than me, I have to dress up before shopping there to avoid the stares

Try the escalators you can wear what you like.  

[Panther]

My household bits and pieces shopping tends to be split between John Lewis and Wilko! Used to be Ikea but rare these days.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Panther