.... 23 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 As early as tomorrow according to some sources. Hot on the tail of Jessops, Comet et al. A couple of years ago I went to a talk by Graham Jones, a man who has worked around record retailing for most of his life and wrote the book 'Last Shop Standing' detailing the huge loss of independent record stores. Seem to recall that the summer before last he was saying that HMV was definitely on shaky ground and that when they went through it might pretty well herald the final end of the CD. Interesting stuff. Sad too when you think of great record stores such as our own Selectadisc and their history flogging vinyl and on.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Shop-St...8206828&sr=1-1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
banjo48 928 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Stu Did you infer that Jessops and Comet have gone into receivership too ? My missus worked for Jessops for years in Nottm and gets a small pension from them, but we have heard nothing. Her brother only retired last year from Jessops, he was in soft furnishings, fitter installer. Sorry to go OT. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Jessops of Leicester is the one gone under, (Not the shop in the Vic centre) they were a very good camera retailers, with branches nationwide. Comet went under not long before Christmas. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 I used Jessops in my 'photography nut' days,and Jacobs just down the road.The only niggle I had with them when I was after a second hand lens was they would NEVER answer the soddin' phone.On more than one occasion I had to go down town to enquire about something,just to find I'd made a wasted journey as it had already gone..... The good side being that at least you could park on Market street for half an hour... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Thanks for explaining to Banjo that it was the camera store chain I was referring to, Beefy. Pleased to report that John Lewis in the Victoria Centre appears in rude-ish health. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Have the rival Leicester Store 'Jacobs' gone as well? Jessop's was a major camera Discounter in the 1970's. Would often drive down to their Leicester warehouse and buy stuff. They also used to run courses and lectures. Bought my first and second cameras from there. Canon AE1 then the Canon A1, long before Digital. I am still awaiting someone marketing as Digital back for the Canon SLR's Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 I bought a digital SLR from them (Still have it , it's only taken just over one hunded exposures too !!) I then bought a Canon 400 D , with the kit zoom lens, bag, flash gun, memory card etc, from them, at what seemed a reasonable price. I then discovered 'Shopping on line' ! As for HMV , I only ever went into the Nott'm branch once,( bumped into (Literally) Jayne Torville,) and found them to be expensive compared with Virgin. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,486 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Jacobs the camera people went into receivership last year (2012). I hadn't realised that they - like Jessops - had also started in Leicester. What was it with Leicester and photographers? The newspaper reports all make the point that companies like them had been stuffed by the growth in cheap camera technology. People who only want a basic camera now use the one in their phone/tablet etc; and the serious photographers are more inclined to go online to buy cheaper. So the traditional shop was left stranded in the middle. And HMV have always been more expensive than anywhere else. They've been living on the edge for years. I'm surprised they've survived this long. What will be interesting is to see what happens to Fopp. When they folded a few years ago, some of their stores (eg Nottingham) were bought by HMV to operate indepedently under the HMV wing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 I bought my latest 60d and two lenses either from Digitalrev or Digigood, via eBay. Miles cheaper than Jessops, thats the answer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gibbo 04 188 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 I was looking for a hood for my zoom lens just after Christmas. I looked on Jessops website and in store, when I was in town and found one for about £20, I then looked on Amazon and found the exact same one for £6.49!!! No comparison.....that's why the high street firms are struggling, unfortunately. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
katyjay 5,091 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Went in HMV in Brighton the other week, to see which CD's were on offer. The selection was tiny, just one small stand basically, everything else was DVD etc. I was surprised at that, now after reading the first posting on this thread, not surprised anymore. Actually thinking about it, the shop had a feeling of being half empty, ready to close. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MELTONSTILTON 452 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Another big name soon to go.................. I was in Germany last weekend in a large town Called Freiburg, not far from me, and on a closed record shop window was written............ closed due to the internet and illegal downloading................... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 If anyone has any Gift Vouchers for any high street store. Spend them Now, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 What surprised me is that HMV's business didn't adapt. Anyone could see where the industry was leading. With HMVs market presence and brand they would have been ideally placed to be at the vanguard of online sales and downloads. They needed to be prepared to move with the times, invest in new technologies and business concepts. Businesses are struggling manfully in the current recession but HMV's business model was already failing - whatever the economic climate. The Mp3 itself killed HMV. When vinyl moved to CD, sales were driven every year by people upgrading their collections to the new format. Of the wider music-buying public, how many pay cash to update their CDs to Mp3 - apart from those with a scant knowledge of how to do so? Rightly or wrongly, that's the way it is. Mp3's have made compilation albums redundant. Why buy an expensive compilation when you can simply make a make a playlist of your favourite songs with no 'duds'? Similarly many don't buy a 'Best Of' CD because they already have the entire back catalogue of songs and can arrange them in any way they like. I'm a little more sorry about HMV-owned Fopp I have to say who had an interesting business. The 'big guns' ripped music lovers off for years with their pricing, particularly in the UK. Of course though we all feel greatly for those who lost their jobs. A good example of a company employing change might be Argos and it will be interesting to see what happens to them. They are making quite bold changes some of their business practices - some of which that have served them well up to now. As we see the decimation of the High Street and catalogue shopping they are more and more aligning themselves as an online trader.It's the same for all nowadays sadly - adapt or perish. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Braddy 160 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Is it because Amazon/Google and the rest do not pay the same tax as those based in the UK . Starbucks and others who have shops in the UK but still don't pay their fair share off tax, and that's why Comet/Jessops closed? companies registered in the UK have too pay all the taxes.those outside UK don't. Make all companies pay the same taxes in the UK even if they are registered outside the UK , I have shopped on line[like small items] and shopped at the retail shops like comet and Currys, i like to see and touch tv's, washers ect. One last point they are not breaking any laws it's the governments fault, alter the law to stop it, make it level pegging for all. Well thats got it off my chest now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Think the Government may have already changed that law, Braddy. Not sure how it has filtered through to all yet. Play.com closes retail business as VAT loophole closed http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/mar/15/vat-loophole-on-cds-closed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 I was looking for a hood for my zoom lens just after Christmas. I looked on Jessops website and in store, when I was in town and found one for about £20, I then looked on Amazon and found the exact same one for £6.49!!! No comparison.....that's why the high street firms are struggling, unfortunately. It's staff, shops and business rates - all has to be off-loaded somewhere. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Limey 242 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Agree with Stu - retailers large and small need to adapt to current retail methods. That said, it is amazing how many small shops have an online presence and can sell all over the world via the internet - not just to locals walking down the street. I sell my products exclusively through the internet and have made sales in all sorts of places - including the OAE, and India! I also buy a lot of my supplies from a source in Sandiacre! I buy tea, Marmite, Bovril and other British stuff from an online store in England. Recently I have found I can also buy British model railway items from stores in Liverpool and Sheffield - both of which have actual shops you can walk in to! Putting together a web site to sell stuff is easy. PayPal make it simple to collect the cash (for a fee of course, but no worse than credit card processing) and they offer a great method to build a "shopping basket" system to help buyers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Shopping Basket software is free and can be installed on any site including this one from the hosting control panel. Many stores now sell on eBay. The reason I buy from China is that my purchase is protected via Paypal Unlike the poor folks with worthless gift vouchers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zab 47 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 It's sad to see the demise of HMV but it's been on the cards for some time - to be honest, I've not been a regular visitor to their shops, I think they're cds are overpriced (and have been for years) and they sell a lot of tosh that isn't music related. The music racks are now confined to one corner of the shop at Victoria Centre. I have, however, bought a lot of cd's online; they sell a lot of back catalogue items for a fiver and that's been very beneficial in updating some of my vinyl collection. I just hope Fopp survives - the best record shop since Selectadisc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Blockbuster's employees look likely to join HMV's in the dole queue according to the news today. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21047652 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 I suspect many high street travel agents will go under. Internet holidays are cheaper and lower overheads with booking online. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 ....And the quieter the high street the more pubs,cafes, and other businesses will disappear. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Please sir - what is a high street? Just asking... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Its now a generic term Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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