John Lewis - Never Knowingly Having Retail Experience.

[MrPin]

Just now, Option5 said:

John Lewis is an "aspirational" retailer for those who want quality and bragging rights. Those people are dying off and the younger generations don't care. 

Purveyor of middle and upper class goods to well off middle and upper class customers. Unfortunately the well off middle classes have all but disappeared.

You usually get turned back at the door, I expect. I understand your bitterness, Mekon!

[Option5]

6 minutes ago, MrPin said:

You usually get turned back at the door, I expect. I understand your bitterness, Mekon!

I don't shop there as they don't sell clothes in dwarf's sizes.

[MrPin]

1 minute ago, Option5 said:

I don't shop there as they don't sell clothes in dwarf's sizes.

You won't get charged VAT, of which I am sure @Frank Hoviswill approve.

Anyway, like other DOSBOD braggers, you exaggerate your tiny size just to appear cute.

I can't wait to meet the other braggers, although a picture of an arse is enough proof to me @The XYY Man

 

[Option5]

1 hour ago, MrPin said:

Anyway, like other DOSBOD braggers, you exaggerate your tiny size just to appear cute.

You know how small I am 

And I am cute 

[MrPin]

1 minute ago, Option5 said:

You know how small I am 

And I am cute 

You look a bit like Nicolas Parsons, and you a re about 5'6. I am about 5'10 and look like Paul Whitehouse, being drunk..

I am going on cute lessons.

[spygirl]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56456170

Waitrose has said it will no longer sell children's magazines with plastic disposable toys to help tackle pollution.

The retailer said the free plastic toys have a short lifespan and cannot easily be recycled.

This comes amid calls from some of the children they are aimed at to stop giving away free plastic toys.

Excellent!

Now get rid of the car parks and make all the volvo driving smug fuckers walk there and back, carrying their shopping

Edited March 23, 2021 by spygirl

[MrPin]

8 minutes ago, spygirl said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56456170

Waitrose has said it will no longer sell children's magazines with plastic disposable toys to help tackle pollution.

The retailer said the free plastic toys have a short lifespan and cannot easily be recycled.

This comes amid calls from some of the children they are aimed at to stop giving away free plastic toys.

Excellent!

Now get rid of the car parks and make all the volvo driving smug fuckers walk their and back, carrying their shopping

I'm sure that will "save the planet" like charging 10p for a carrier bag. There are far bigger things to throw away. Around here, it looks like everyone has changed their fridges. Where do the old ones go?

If the supermarket is out of town, people drive there. Sometimes there is a special bus. Town centres are rather deserted at the moment, so I don't imagine those supermarkets are doing as well.

[eight]

4 minutes ago, MrPin said:

If the supermarket is out of town, people drive there. Sometimes there is a special bus. Town centres are rather deserted at the moment, so I don't imagine those supermarkets are doing as well.

Our town centre Iceland is closing.

[spygirl]

1 minute ago, eight said:

Our town centre Iceland is closing.

Global warming.

 

[eight]

2 minutes ago, spygirl said:

Global warming.

 

 "this is except for viewers in Darlington".

[deathfunk]

A few weeks ago I did a fairly large shop in Waitrose and realised two different offers had not come off at the till. 20 minutes later and the very stressed supervisor sorted it out. I wrote to Waitrose and commended the bloke and also told them to fix their crappy IT system.

I went in yesterday and saw the same bloke looking stressed out. I introduced myself and asked if he had been given any feedback. He said "no, no-one has any time to do anything and there is probably a massive backlog".

I continue to shop there and I make sure I always pick up premium products. The one near Nosebleed, Bucks has its own Sushi store which I use twice a week. Aside from poor management and ecommerce, JLP seem to be suffering from the hollowing out of the British middle class. Fewer and fewer people can afford to pay extra for premium brands when they are paying so much to support the unproductive from dwindling wages eaten up by increasing inflation. 

[Bornagain]

1 minute ago, deathfunk said:

JLP seem to be suffering from the hollowing out of the British middle class. Fewer and fewer people can afford to pay extra for premium brands when they are paying so much to support the unproductive from dwindling wages eaten up by increasing inflation. 

The phenomena you describe is slowly killing off their competitors and one can only assume that ultimately it will kill off JLP

[One percent]

4 hours ago, eight said:

Our town centre Iceland is closing.

We’re getting the warehouse version apparently. Didn’t know there was such a thing 

[Bedrag Justesen]

JL this morning claiming online sales have been growing in relation to their stores during the previous year.

Is anybody in the media going to point out the stores were closed ?

 

 

[Bedrag Justesen]

Waitrose distribution centre to be outsourced and 439 staff will no longer be JL partners so will not receive annual bonus.

Appears the rebranded John Lewis & Partners should have been John Lewis & No Partners.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/24/john-lewis-to-close-eight-more-stores-putting-1500-jobs-at-risk

[Bedrag Justesen]

 

[Boglet]

Anyone want to make predictions about when in the future we see the first stories blaming JL's downturn on some kind of 'institutional racism' in the business against the CEO?

[Roger_Mellie]

14 minutes ago, Bedrag Justesen said:

Waitrose distribution centre to be outsourced and 439 staff will no longer be JL partners so will not receive annual bonus.

Appears the rebranded John Lewis & Partners should have been John Lewis & No Partners.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/24/john-lewis-to-close-eight-more-stores-putting-1500-jobs-at-risk

Wow! If I worked in that warehouse I'd be passively sabotaging everything I could. 

And what kind of strategic genius announces a move to online then pisses off the front line staff in the distribution center? 

Edited March 24, 2021 by Roger_Mellie

[Bedrag Justesen]

5 minutes ago, Boglet said:

Anyone want to make predictions about when in the future we see the first stories blaming JL's downturn on some kind of 'institutional racism' in the business against the CEO?

Systemic probs.

[Frank Hovis]

They don't publish full accounts that I can see but here are their debts:

Oddly in a year when they lost £500m their debts have reduced or rather their cash has increased.

I assume this means that some of their stores were freehold and they have been selling off the freehold.  They haven't been doing sale and leaseback as the lease liabilities have reduced.

[Yadda yadda yadda]

42 minutes ago, Boglet said:

Anyone want to make predictions about when in the future we see the first stories blaming JL's downturn on some kind of 'institutional racism' in the business against the CEO?

I was thinking that the black CEO is misusing her power to sack a load of largely white people and downgrade the terms and conditions of those remaining.

Why can't public sector people be ruthless in cutting public sector jobs?

[Yadda yadda yadda]

19 minutes ago, Frank Hovis said:

They don't publish full accounts that I can see but here are their debts:

Oddly in a year when they lost £500m their debts have reduced or rather their cash has increased.

I assume this means that some of their stores were freehold and they have been selling off the freehold.  They haven't been doing sale and leaseback as the lease liabilities have reduced.

How has their pension deficit rocketed when the stock markets have gone up massively?

[Frank Hovis]

6 minutes ago, Yadda yadda yadda said:

How has their pension deficit rocketed when the stock markets have gone up massively?

I couldn't find full accounts, this was an extract from the extended presentation.

Stocks haven't anyway gone up massively 31 Jan - 31 Jan; the FTSE100 is down over that period.

 

[spygirl]

1 hour ago, Bedrag Justesen said:

 

https://www.thestar.co.uk/whats-on/things-to-do/sheffield-council-paying-john-lewis-millions-under-new-deal-here-what-investigation-has-found-2974929

Sheffield Council is paying John Lewis millions under a new deal – here is what an investigation has found

Sheffield Council is paying John Lewis millions of pounds to buy out the retailer’s lease on its department store in the city centre as part of a new deal, an investigation by The Star has found.

 

Sep 2020.

I make that all of .... 7 months ago.

 

The agreement came shortly after members of the council’s cabinet committee approved proposals to keep John Lewis in Sheffield as part of the £480 million Heart of the City II scheme – allowing the authority to buy out John Lewis’ long-term ‘nominal’ lease on its premises in Barker’s Pool, enter into a new contract with a rent based on turnover, and give the retailer money towards the cost of improvements.

File under councils 'investing' in property ....

 

https://fashionunited.uk/news/retail/john-lewis-to-refurbish-sheffield-store-as-part-of-new-20-year-lease/2020082850607

John Lewis has agreed a new 20-year lease with Sheffield City Council which includes plans for a refurbishment of its store in the city.

Refurbishment is likely to begin in 2021 and the store will remain open throughout.

[JohnnyB]

Incompetent local councils go nuts for big stores, thinking having a John Lewis will de-shitholeify dying towns like magic. The wolves at the big companies absolutely screw them.

Preston kept publishing regeneration schemes around having a JL open in the crappy end. JL never did decide to open there.

Lancashire CC even did road changes to accommodate a proposed IKEA, who promptly dropped the plans as soon as the work was done and money spent. Only incompetent public sector spending other people's money would spend even a penny without any guarantees agreed.