whos looking after the U.K ??

[Alfred]

Its noticeable that with so many shops closing, as a result of I assume, the long over drawn closure of Brexit, 

which sadly is still being dragged along ,and the latest being mother care ,as the car industry has already begun to close down, moving to another country instead, ??

even as some politicians are still seeking ways to cause as much unrest and delays as much as they can, nit picking Brexit, instead of getting on with it,

regardless of the vast amounts of people being unemployed , which these politicians aren't or don't seem to be worrying about, at all, only interested  in them selves, and their party,??

so its not surprising that with the uncertainty of where our future is going to end up, and nobody has a clear idea of the out come either,

with so many shops closing its interesting to note that to date I don't seem to hear of any( betting shops closing down ,) I hope they don't,  but where will people find the money to gamble if they are out of work,?? and so in time they too will become another statistic,

so could the shop closing trend, affect the gambling trade as well, as food and paying utility bills must be of prior  importance, to many families , especially  those with young families,

Q; so  do you have any thoughts regarding where our economy is going to end up, can you see a way out of the current situation and what could be done to ease this situation of high un-employment,.

[em]

Brexit has removed all thought from my brain.I think it no longer functions.

[xetog]

I think that's what we all want to know Alfred.  I do not believe for a moment that many shops are closing because of Brexit.  Mothercare for instance has been going down the pan for years.  Their business model was good 40 years ago, but is pointless now.  The same goes for many other big names.  Shopping is really split into two areas; essentials like food and luxuries like clothing.  Food sellers have to compete on price or quality but those that sell luxuries have to provide an experience.  it's a bit like show business, if people don't like what you are offering, they will go elsewhere.  Even the great M&S is struggling to find a market strategy that pleases the consumer.  Firms like Debenhams are still trying to exist on a formula that suited customers 10 years ago.  The firms that have it licked are those that provide, not just goods, but a pleasurable experience whilst in-store. 

Shopping is evolving.  50 years ago baby products were sold by small shops and when Mothercare came along it was a revelation, every baby product under one roof.  Mothercare didn't worry about the small shops they displaced.  Now supermarkets and the internet have taken over that business and won't care that they are ruining the Mothercare business model.  If business fails to evolve its business model to please the customer by being family friendly their death warrant is signed it's all about entertainment.  Meanwhile just getting to the town centre and parking is a costly business, so out of town centres are king but they too will pass in a couple of decades.  When you can get almost anything you want within 24 hours why bother to go out in the rain?

The car industry is affected by Brexit, but also in the last few years cars have become much more long lasting, rust has been beaten and it is the rare vehicle that will not last 100,000 miles whereas in my younger day if it wasn't rusted through by 20,000 miles it was clapped out by 30,000.  It will take the car industry a long time to wake up to the fact that people are not going to swap a £20,000 car for an electric one costing £30,000 without a fight and many still don't trust electric cars to get them where they want to go and back.  Manufacturers will eventually come to realise that they have a home market larger than the export market they currently sell into if they will produce the right vehicles, but it will come.

On the whole it does not result at the moment in vast numbers unemployed because unemployment is historically low and the job market soon soaks up the excess pretty quickly, but the time will come when that system breaks Brexit or no Brexit.

I do not know what the future holds, but I do disagree that there is high unemployment when the numbers out of work are the lowest in a generation.

Mike.X

[firenze]

Shops and changes have always been, my own business began to struggle in the Late 60s when stores began to sell in a field only the smaller shops did.   My own business labels were successful till the "big boys" joined in.  The footfall was bigger in town centres so the shadow fell!

[Diasi]

Its noticeable that with so many shops closing, as a result of I assume, the long over drawn closure of Brexit, 

Yes, Brexit has a lot to answer for.

Rumblelows 1995
Freeman, Hardy & Willis 1996
Tandy 2001
The Gadget Shop 2005
Dewhurst 2006
Woolworths 2008
MFI 2008
Zavvy 2008
Principles 2009
Focus 2011
C&A 2011
Borders 2011
Comet 2012
JJB Sports 2012
Past Time 2012
Tie Rack 2013
Barratts 2013
Blockbuster 2013
Athena 2014
Phones4U 2014

Once Brexit is done & dusted there'll no longer be an easy, but totally irrelevant, excuse.

[xetog]

As I said the world moves on and nowhere faster than in retail.  You always have to be implementing tomorrows ideas and thinking about the day after.  Companies that strike a successful formula and stick to it are in the greatest danger.  They become complacent and think that their current ideas will last forever whilst others are planning for next year and the next decade.  Even then, get the plan wrong and your business is a dead duck.  M&S is a good example.  They relied on the same customer base for too long, they were a British institution after all, but knickers aren't what they used to be (so I am told) and other companies caught up and passed them with apparel so cheap it could simply be worn and thrown away. They began to rely on high end food, but lost out because they could not deliver.  They have now plugged this gap with the purchase of Ocado, but Waitrose is already doing it and has years of experience of the pitfalls, so who knows if someone else's idea will work for them? Talking of Waitrose, they are part of John Lewis who are relying on a strategy decades old.  It still works, but only just and have they a plan for tomorrow?  there is scant evidence to be seen. Primark is now the king of cheap knickers (cheap everything) but their strategy is buy foreign, buy cheap, use plastics and don't worry about the environment.  They are profitable today, but for how long once Greta Thunberg and millions like her get picky about where she buys her underwear and what it means to the environment?  Those businesses that fall behind the curve are failing businesses and nobody gets it right all the time.

Mike.X

[eegrek]

Neither of those examples I believe is due to Brexit. You would have to ask yourself if Brexit did not happen would it affect the closure of the car manufacturers, or would Mothercare still be open.
Both Honda and Nissan have already admitted that the car plants although relatively successful, have not actually met the Target expectations in terms of annual numbers of vehicles manufactured. So it is not surprising the foreign owned businesses, when the vehicle demand is contracting, choose to bring back the work to their own country. The massive change that electric vehicles will have on the industry is not being managed too well by both these organisations despite the Nissan Leaf early success story. The latest offering by Nissan will not stand up very well when VW and the new PSA(Peugeot/Citoen & others) come on line.
The Town Centre is also undergoing a massive change from Retail to a more service economy. So more coffee shops, perhaps day centres for young and old, learning centres and other activities will be the norm. On line shopping is said to be the cause and to some extent this must be true, but I must say that in my case online shopping has not been very successful as I have spent about £500 and found the items I have chosen were not suitable for me despite trying to be careful what I have ordered. We have also, by the way been stung by two contractors chosen on line to carry out work on the house. The internet it seems to me to be where the cowboys hang out. A local building service advice shop in town with experience of contractors would be a great success.

[biglouis]

Providing an "experience" is also true for those of us who run internet shops. Its no longer sufficient to post a couple of dark and gloomy uncropped photos of something. Yes - of course you can take a photo with your crappy phone camera and dump it on Ebay. It may even sell - for a low price. Most likely to someone like me who knows their field inside out. I will then clean it up, flip it onto a high end antiques site and present it in 10-15 beautifully shot photos with a description that suggests how and where you can wear it.
Also internet selling for luxuries is moving from market places onto social media. There are hundreds and hundreds of private buying and selling groups on Facebook etc for every thing you can imagine.

[eegrek]

Yes exactly - I was beguiled by the professional aspect of the contractors Website, and it was only later that some more investigation of their main office that it turned out to be a warehouse complex which no doubt was bogus. I asked for a VAT document and have not heard from them since.

[xetog]

Biglouis.  I was tempted to go on to say that internet sellers had to move on as well.  My experience is only of the mainstream sites, but I can see that what we view now as leading edge selling will move on before long and unless companies like Amazon up their game they will start on the long slide down.  Maybe they are already, who knows, but what works today is yesterdays news tomorrow.  What you describe is certainly a way of getting your products to the right market and social media is certainly an untapped area as yet.  I do have visions of the future of web-based selling, but do not know enough to put forward a cogent plan.

Mike.X

[Goingtoseed]

The car industry is affected by Brexit, but also in the last few years cars have become much more long lasting, rust has been beaten and it is the rare vehicle that will not last 100,000 miles whereas in my younger day if it wasn't rusted through by 20,000 miles it was clapped out by 30,000.  It will take the car industry a long time to wake up to the fact that people are not going to swap a £20,000 car for an electric one costing £30,000 without a fight and many still don't trust electric cars to get them where they want to go and back.  Manufacturers will eventually come to realise that they have a home market larger than the export market they currently sell into if they will produce the right vehicles, but it will come.
Mike.X

One of the few British car manufacturers (Landrover Jaguar) have decided that their vehicles (secondhand) are no longer worthy of the type of warranty that they used to give you. Up until the middle of this year all used cars bought from a main dealer and under 5 years old had a full manufacturers warranty lasting two years. This has now been reduced to 12 months.

[Diasi]

Biglouis.  I was tempted to go on to say that internet sellers had to move on as well.  My experience is only of the mainstream sites, but I can see that what we view now as leading edge selling will move on before long and unless companies like Amazon up their game they will start on the long slide down. Maybe they are already, who knows, but what works today is yesterdays news tomorrow.  What you describe is certainly a way of getting your products to the right market and social media is certainly an untapped area as yet.  I do have visions of the future of web-based selling, but do not know enough to put forward a cogent plan.

Mike.X

I can't see much room for Amazon to 'up it's game' & the only way the current Amazon model will fail is if shoppers abandon online shopping, which I can't see happening.

[digitalis]

The opportunities for biz have never bin greater. Another lorry IN from Europe today but caught carrying 15 of my brothers. Still,that's asylum claims in for the Vaz biz. At the same time the other x8 lorries x10  each escaped, he he! All will go to my many disparate houses wherein I cram 'em in 8 to a house. With the 'correct paperwork' they will work for Jeff of the Bazos or the Sports of the Direct(each brother paying me rent) But first the medical checks: I was pleased that the BMA/GMC have taken on board that my brothers and sisters get medical once-overs gratis(sorry about the longer queues folks!)
Anyways...all my peoples coming here puts extra demand into the economy...more food,more interpretors wanted(you get the picture!)
Thus,dont get down or worry folks. House prices up as there's more of us. And even better news: more of us is a-coming

[Diasi]

The opportunities for biz have never bin greater. Another lorry IN from Europe today but caught carrying 15 of my brothers. Still,that's asylum claims in for the Vaz biz.

For those who haven't made the Vaz immigration connection, here's all you need to know about Mrs Vaz-eline.

https://bit.ly/32nafTd