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17 minutes ago, sleepwello'nights said:

Not sure I enjoy the gloating over the recognition that another High Street retailer is in difficulty. There is no doubt that "The High Street" is facing structural change due to a number of factors, not least of which is online sales. 

The major retailers face a dilemma with online. They all have it as a sales channel now but they cant take advantage of its lower cost as they would be competing with themselves. They try to differentiate on service, but they are all reliant on the same delivery companies so there is no differentiation. One Christmas I placed an order with HoF at 19:30. Next morning at 10:00 the items were in my home. Fantastic. Returns would have been easy if I had needed to send anything back. They are also facing competition from their suppliers who also use online sales as another channel. Again no cost saving for consumers as the manufacturers do not want to compete with their major customers. It'll change.

The knock on effects are worth considering. Particularly on local authorities. Fewer shops in the high street will have an impact on their income. Less in business rates, less in parking charges, less in parking fines, less in littering fines. So no doubt council tax will be increase to make up the shortfall.

The commercial property business is also bound to be effected with lower demand for retail premises the large property businesses will have to respond with lower rents or face even more voids than they are currently experiencing.  

But the writing has been on the wall for years so it's hard to feel sympathy. Business is ruthless, there is always someone wanting to eat away at your profits and you have to be on your guard ALL the time.

If I were the MD of HoF or similar I'd go into online fully, shut 99% of the stores and invest in online infrastructure like Argos have tried, maybe with a click and collect model. If they had invested in ASOS or similar 10-15 years ago _when their share price was a fraction of what it is now) -  it was already obvious that the High Street is going to wither on the vine - they wouldn't be struggling now. Having to adapt is part of business and it's unfortunate that most company boards would rather slightly prolong the inevitable, rather than take a risk. That's the problem with not being nimble, having shareholders and thousands of staff.

Another company that I suspect will go bust fairly soon is BT. They have gorged on their monopoly and their board take it for granted. Billions of pounds wasted on football rights, when their golden goose is soon going to die once people switch away from landlines and into 4G/5G or some other technology not yet widespread. It's inevitable that people will not want to pay £18 a month for a copper phone line when they can pay £5 a month for a satellite or similar. Why haven't they realised this? They deserve to be decimated for failing to adapt.

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8 minutes ago, spunko2010 said:

But the writing has been on the wall for years so it's hard to feel sympathy. Business is ruthless, there is always someone wanting to eat away at your profits and you have to be on your guard ALL the time.

If I were the MD of HoF or similar I'd go into online fully, shut 99% of the stores and invest in online infrastructure like Argos have tried, maybe with a click and collect model. If they had invested in ASOS or similar 10-15 years ago _when their share price was a fraction of what it is now) -  it was already obvious that the High Street is going to wither on the vine - they wouldn't be struggling now. Having to adapt is part of business and it's unfortunate that most company boards would rather slightly prolong the inevitable, rather than take a risk. That's the problem with not being nimble, having shareholders and thousands of staff.

Another company that I suspect will go bust fairly soon is BT. They have gorged on their monopoly and their board take it for granted. Billions of pounds wasted on football rights, when their golden goose is soon going to die once people switch away from landlines and into 4G/5G or some other technology not yet widespread. It's inevitable that people will not want to pay £18 a month for a copper phone line when they can pay £5 a month for a satellite or similar. Why haven't they realised this? They deserve to be decimated for failing to adapt.

Why do you think BT bought EE?

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2 minutes ago, eek said:

Why do you think BT bought EE?

EE are another company who annoy me intensely though, and run on the same principles of BT of taking things for granted. You can get Plusnet Mobile for a third of their price, which is just a white label EE offering. I tried to get EE to match Plusnet's prices but they don't and just said "take up Plusnet's offer"... it's the same bloody network! Now admittedly Plusnet are owned by BT too, but it's just such a mindfuck.

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sleepwello'nights
7 minutes ago, spunko2010 said:

But the writing has been on the wall for years so it's hard to feel sympathy. Business is ruthless, there is always someone wanting to eat away at your profits and you have to be on your guard ALL the time.

 

Sure their behemoth stores were vulnerable and I'm sure they were aware of the structural changes occurring. Clothing, which I perceive as their largest volume isn't always suited to online sales. I remember in the late 90s as the internet was becoming more viable as a sales channel a paragraph or two copied from a newspaper article parodying a revolutionary sales concept where you went into a building selected some items of clothing tried them on to check if they fitted with mirrors so you could see how you looked in them. So much better than buying sight unseen online.

Its not even that we get the benefit of lower prices from buying clothing online. 

14 minutes ago, spunko2010 said:

Another company that I suspect will go bust fairly soon is BT. They have gorged on their monopoly and their board take it for granted. Billions of pounds wasted on football rights, when their golden goose is soon going to die once people switch away from landlines and into 4G/5G or some other technology not yet widespread. ..................….They deserve to be decimated for failing to adapt.

That's worrying, I agree with you, but its one of @DurhamBorn's recommendations for the coming downturn O.o

8 minutes ago, eek said:

Why do you think BT bought EE?

Why did BT sell O2?

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Just now, spunko2010 said:

EE are another company who annoy me intensely though, and run on the same principles of BT of taking things for granted. You can get Plusnet Mobile for a third of their price, which is just a white label EE offering. I tried to get EE to match Plusnet's prices but they don't and just said "take up Plusnet's offer"... it's the same bloody network! Now admittedly Plusnet are owned by BT too, but it's just such a mindfuck.

You are looking at EE as a consumer - you are far better looking at it as the network of masts that form BT's future infrastructure 4/5G infrastructure.

You then have BT selling "identical" products across a number of brands (EE, BT, Plusnet) to allow them to segment and target different customers.

Oh and EE have more expensive Sim only products as they need them to make their phone contracts look reasonable.

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11 minutes ago, sleepwello'nights said:

Why did BT sell O2?

Shareholder value back in 2002, the value of the companies separately was greater than their value together. And back then mobiles were just for phone calls, the screens we use all the time wasn't on the radar - Data required a fixed line which meant mobile was a sideline..

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sleepwello'nights
2 minutes ago, eek said:

Shareholder value back in 2002, the value of the companies separately was greater than their value together. And back then mobiles were just for phone calls, the screens we use all the time wasn't on the radar - Data required a fixed line which meant mobile was a sideline..

So lack of vision then.

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34 minutes ago, eek said:

You are looking at EE as a consumer - you are far better looking at it as the network of masts that form BT's future infrastructure 4/5G infrastructure.

 

I look at that from a point of worry and fear, I would love for a British telecoms company to do well for years to come, but they don't fill me with confidence. There are some huge potential competitors who don't treat their customers like shit, and they have the clout to enter the market quickly.

I don't think that masts are the future either, rather satellites.

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5 hours ago, spunko2010 said:

I look at that from a point of worry and fear, I would love for a British telecoms company to do well for years to come, but they don't fill me with confidence. There are some huge potential competitors who don't treat their customers like shit, and they have the clout to enter the market quickly.

I don't think that masts are the future either, rather satellites.

Satellites have no future in consumer telecoms.Even Inmarsat on their in flight wifi beam from ground receivers and the big telcos arent lining up to buy them out.4/5G is one part of the future of telecoms,the other is FTTH.BT have made lots of mistakes in the past,but they have a superb Chairman now.He knows how to create value,he has done it at every company he has ever gone to.He also stuck £1 million into shares as soon as he took over.He then sacked the chief exec.The risk to BT is a takeover by Deutsche Telecom not going out of business.Telecoms have had to invest massive amounts and thats tough in a deflation cycle when you cant push through price increases.However once depreciation is set and prices start to increase free cash starts to shoot higher.I think Vodafone would probably see 20% free cash uplifts per 7% price increase.

Deflation cycles favour lower capital investment/high goodwill asset light companies.Reflation cycles do the opposite.Many people confuse a company being crap when its really a disinflation cycle working against them.I much prefer Vodafone to BT for the lack of legacy issues like pensions,but they both will have a macro cycle working for them over the next decade.

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Hedge funds never been more net short gold,commercials only short by 25,000 contracts,1/10th of the usual level and above the 99th percentile of the usual range.I cant remember seeing numbers like this before,there has to be a state player involved holding gold down.Probably China due to having to force down commodity prices to protect their factories etc from a massive hit from tariffs as they devalue against the dollar.If they step back (if it is a state player) the snap back could be epic.Thats the most extreme traders commitments on the COMEX since it started in 1972.Ever.

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Democorruptcy
18 hours ago, DurhamBorn said:

Hedge funds never been more net short gold,commercials only short by 25,000 contracts,1/10th of the usual level and above the 99th percentile of the usual range.I cant remember seeing numbers like this before,there has to be a state player involved holding gold down.Probably China due to having to force down commodity prices to protect their factories etc from a massive hit from tariffs as they devalue against the dollar.If they step back (if it is a state player) the snap back could be epic.Thats the most extreme traders commitments on the COMEX since it started in 1972.Ever.

 

Wrong thread perhaps?

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44 minutes ago, Democorruptcy said:

Wrong thread perhaps?

I think there is a lot going on and its all coming from the loss of dollar liquidity.Those signals in the gold market are very telling.Lets see how things play out.

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3 minutes ago, The XYY Man said:

I'm calling bollocks on that statement double-oh-seven - and I'm nowhere near pissed yet...!

You tell us every now and again that take your mam shopping in Middlesbrough - and yet you've never been in HoF (formerly Binn's)...?

Fuck off you lying twat...!!!

Hof, BHS, Debenhams etc are standard "mam" fayre on any take the old boot shopping-trip - and you cannot possibly avoid these shops if you have a Northern mother.

Your mask is slipping Mr Bond...

;)

 

4221396001_5794650776001_5794653953001-v

 

XYY

 

I used to love that marble staircase in the corner. Right posh it is. :)

when did it stop doing binns?  

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1 minute ago, The XYY Man said:

I'm calling bollocks on that statement double-oh-seven - and I'm nowhere near pissed yet...!

You tell us every now and again that take your mam shopping in Middlesbrough - and yet you've never been in HoF (formerly Binn's)...?

Fuck off you lying twat...!!!

Hof, BHS, Debenhams etc are standard "mam" fayre on any take the old boot shopping-trip - and you cannot possibly avoid these shops if you have a Northern mother.

Your mask is slipping Mr Bond...

;)

 

4221396001_5794650776001_5794653953001-v

 

XYY

 

You middleclass cunt!

Nope. Never.

We were genuinely too poor to travel more than Scabby. And then it would be Coop clothes shop or some crap shop.

Mostly it was stuff from Whitbys vast array of clothes ... about 3.

At a push it was Anthony Gordon which, wierdly is still there and not owned by Mike ashley.

Shed have laughed her tits off if Id suggest going all the way to boro.

You dont want one of those expensive casual shirts from Pysche shed say (probably).

We cant afford to keep up wit hthe Xyys.

 

 

 

 

 

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7 minutes ago, One percent said:

I used to love that marble staircase in the corner. Right posh it is. :)

when did it stop doing binns?  

sometime around about 2006-8... I'm sure it's only Binns in Darlington because they can't remove the sign without expensive repair work..

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2 minutes ago, eek said:

sometime around about 2006-8... I'm sure it's only Binns in Darlington because they can't remove the sign without expensive repair work..

I love mouching round the one in smoggy land. Never buy anything mind, way too expensive. 

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15 minutes ago, The XYY Man said:

You tell us every now and again that you take your mam shopping in Middlesbrough - and yet you've never been in HoF (formerly Binn's)...?

 

If i was born a smoggy i'd be too embarrassed to leave the house, so wouldn't have been there either.

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1 minute ago, Banned said:

If i was born a smoggy i'd be too embarrassed to leave the house, so wouldn't have been there either.

You could go out in you post box and no one would recognise you. Also, you would blend in well. 

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1 hour ago, The XYY Man said:

:)

Gerraway and shite you lying get...!

I can't be arsed to search for your posts all about the fun you had with your mam in Middlesbrough bus-station on your last shopping trip to the 'Boro - but as I don't have a smartphone, you can trust that I possess a fully-functional memory, and an unusually long attention-span.

Any Venger types on here will totally assassinate you with quotes from those posts if you keep-up this sad pretence.

Quit while you're behind daft lad...

;)

 

XYY

Thats recently.

We went by train - 5 of my mum grandkids.

Id avoid boro bus station. Its full of wanking perverts.

We went to see tgphe Transporter. All 12 of us got off train, out back by umbungos and the boho area - which will look shit in a few years time.

Down back of gresham, by the abandoneded 80s houding, by the closed capt cook, by the hole that was to be a sainsbury .... and ... the fucking bridge, like the population, was not working.

Id not set foot in boro til i was 15ish, when i went up with some mates. Poor fuckers were boro fans and had gone to see if they could sslvage any item from the old ground. But they got funding so we came back.

2 hours ago, The XYY Man said:

Binns is a well famous store in the North-East as anyone from up here would know.

Even fucking Hartlepool used to have one...

binns-dept-store_large.jpg

 

 

Binns also allowed us to have our very own North-Eastern version of a popular UK-wide joke of the time.

 

The national one used Boots the chemist:

Gadgie 1:  I'm on a promise with that hot blonde in the snug - I need to get a myself a packet of johnnies fucking rapid mate...!

Gadgie 2: Have you tried Boots...?

Gadgie 1: I want to fuck her mate - not kick her head in...!

 

The North-East version goes as follows:

Gadgie 1:  I'm on a promise with that hot blonde in the snug - I need to get a myself a packet of johnnies fucking rapid mate...!

Gadgie 2: Have you tried Binns...?

Gadgie 1: Aye mate - but the cunts rattled too much...

;)

 

XYY

 

 

I used go eith my mum to the Boyes big shop in scabby.

It had a monkey called jacko. And a sign - no fucking west hartlepoolers.

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3 minutes ago, spygirl said:

Thats recently.

We went by train - 5 of my mum grandkids.

Id avoid boro bus station. Its full of wanking perverts.

We went to see tgphe Transporter. All 12 of us got off train, out back by umbungos and the boho area - which will look shit in a few years time.

Down back of gresham, by the abandoneded 80s houding, by the closed capt cook, by the hole that was to be a sainsbury .... and ... the fucking bridge, like the population, was not working.

Id not set foot in boro til i was 15ish, when i went up with some mates. Poor fuckers were boro fans and had gone to see if they could sslvage any item from the old ground. But they got funding so we came back.

I used go eith my mum to the Boyes big shop in scabby.

It had a monkey called jacko. And a sign - no fucking west hartlepoolers.

Did you go to see Father Christmas in Boyes?  Highlight of my year. :)

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1 minute ago, One percent said:

Did you go to see Father Christmas in Boyes?  Highlight of my year. :)

He comes in on a boat now.

Yes we dud.

The Queen street Boyes is a fantastic building. V posh. Tge peopke living near it now arnt.

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1 minute ago, spygirl said:

He comes in on a boat now.

Yes we dud.

The Queen street Boyes is a fantastic building. V posh. Tge peopke living near it now arnt.

I love going in there when in scabbie. All sorts of bargains and like stepping back in time. 

My mate lives up near the castle, brill views but crawling with druggies who are all housed on the road down towards peashome 

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1 minute ago, One percent said:

I love going in there when in scabbie. All sorts of bargains and like stepping back in time. 

My mate lives up near the castle, brill views but crawling with druggies who are all housed on the road down towards peashome 

Trafalgar square.

Thry need to kick fuckers to eastfield. Or back where they came from - Leeds.

Theres a massive hmo crackdown. About time.

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1 minute ago, spygirl said:

Trafalgar square.

Thry need to kick fuckers to eastfield. Or back where they came from - Leeds.

Theres a massive hmo crackdown. About time.

👍

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2 minutes ago, The XYY Man said:

:)

Me and my boss (at the time) were chatting away to each-other as we tried to walk into a pub in Blackpool during a trade-show we were attending in the late 1980s

"Sorry fellas," says the bouncer, "But your accents sound like you're from Hartlepool."

"What the fuck?" we asked.

He then pointed to a sign on the wall - "Absolutely no admittance to people from Scotland or Hartlepool".

Well let me tell you this.

I've never been so proud to be refused entry into a pub anywhere in the known universe more than in fucking Blackpool...!

Lancashire wankers...

 

XYY

The old scabby pubs used to have a strict couples policy - would only let in bloke and eoman. No dungle sex groups. Even the backstreet places down castle rd. Policy was still in place up til mid 80s.

Theyll let a coachload of homosexual dwarf smackheads now.

So if you are your 'experimenting for the weekend' friend ever fancy a visit....

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