.... 23 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 You should meet my partner, Kev. She is undoubtedly the 'Orange Sticker Queen'. There are no challengers. Dinner tonight will probably consist of aubergine, fish fingers, kumquat, toothpaste, chilli chicken breasts, shaving foam and a free paper. (Kidding) Don't get me started on competition wins. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jackson 301 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 Here's to you Stu for the above posting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
katyjay 5,085 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 Did the closing of the big Co-op coincide with the opening of the 2 shopping centres in Nottingham? Everyone wanted to shop at these new venues and the Co-op was a long way out for a lot of folks. Not for me with my bus terminus right behind it, but all other bus stops weren't anywhere near the Co-op. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 Did the closing of the big Co-op coincide with the opening of the 2 shopping centres in Nottingham? . Not really as far as I remember, K. Stand to be corrected on that one but the newly built Broadmarsh Centre had a Co-op department store in it as it's flagship shop. Undoubtedly they were a factor though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 It started going downhill when the vans were repainted from red to light blue! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 Does anybody remember an infamous incident in the old Co-op on Upper Parliament Street featuring TV presenter Hughie Green of Opportunity Knocks? It was reported in the local media that Green, who could be famously obnoxious, started verbally laying into his interviewer on-air in the store, who was also Canadian (might have 'Kid' Jensen, then working for a local radio station). Some comment that Green took exception to with him beginning a rant about Torontonians or Montrealers at his young interviewer? It might have been around 1974 time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 the newly built Broadmarsh Centre had a Co-op department store in it as it's flagship shop. You're correct Stu, the early Broad Marsh did have a big Co-op as its main attraction; but that (in the mid 70s) might've been the beginning of the end for the Co-op. The big Co-op lasted until - I think - around the early 90s when that unit was taken over by Allders. They didn't stay long, and it was then occupied by TKMaxx for a few years. That unit has now been boarded up for at least two years. Apart from the early days, Broad Marsh Centre has never been a success; it now consists almost entirely of pound shops and sub-pound shops. The well-known names who were there in the beginning have all long since moved out; the only survivors in that category are Boots and BHS. When the Co-op left Broad Marsh, it was around the same time that they closed Parliament Street, so it seems they were getting out of the large store format and just concentrating on the smaller places. But a lot of those have also since closed. They don't seem to have gone the Sainsburys/Tesco/Asda way of having large stores with car parks in the suburbs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 I well remember in the 90s when the Co-op introduced the dividend card. Overnight you could see the prices rising to pay for the dividend ! Co-op management really thought the shopping public must have been really stupid not to notice. A great pity, the Co-op were a fine company for many years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 When the Co-op left Broad Marsh, it was around the same time that they closed Parliament Street, so it seems they were getting out of the large store format and just concentrating on the smaller places. But a lot of those have also since closed. They don't seem to have gone the Sainsburys/Tesco/Asda way of having large stores with car parks in the suburbs. It's noticeable how many small-ish Co-op stores you see dotted around local villages, suburbs and small towns and I had thought this is where the company saw themselves heading. They seem to have a flawed business plan and a serious lack of forethought at the top of the company though. It's notable that we're drowning in Tesco Expresses and the like - replacing the corner shops that they shut down with er corner shops - yet the Co-op didn't appear to see this market - and only applied it in smaller population areas, very generally speaking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jackson 301 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 Next time you're passing by the big, old Co-op (that was) at the top end of Parliament Street, take a look up at the building and you'll notice a set of wonderful relief sculptures - sadly an idiot has taken a pot of paint to some of them! Why is there this lack of pride in some of Nottingham's historical architecture and its features? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 The last large Coop store was at Toton, but I think it is now Tesco? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Braddy 160 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 yes its Tesco extra , extra what? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 There was also a new large Co-op on Clifton, built as recently as 1995-6, to replace the store which had been nearby since the 1950s. It only lasted as a Co-op for about 10 years before it became a Morrisons. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taxi ray 170 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 There is still a large co-op at Ilkeston. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 Ilkeston Coop is Still independant AFAIK? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 Think they made their profits by doing travel in a big way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 ....Oh - and car sales of course. I should have remembered that - we had a Citroen from their Grantham dealership (previously Southeringtons) - just over 11 years ago. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 I've just realised that so far in this thread we haven't had a picture of the subject, so to put that right............ 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jackson 301 Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 CONGRATS CLIFF TON: What an absolutely wonderful photograph; I'd say late 50's, early 60's - judging by the cars. Stunning can only be the word to describe the architecture of the Co-op building - what an immense building. PS: I could spend ages looking at a photograph as interesting as this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 What an absolutely wonderful photograph; I'd say late 50's, early 60's - judging by the cars. Full marks! According to where I got it from, it's 1958. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
katyjay 5,085 Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Smashing photo, brings back so many memories. Ah for the days when you could park wherever you wanted! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Smashing photo, brings back so many memories. Ah for the days when you could park wherever you wanted! Ah, but in those days most of us had nothing to park (unless it was a bike) ! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
katyjay 5,085 Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 So true! OK, I'll rephrase that, ah for the days when the hoity-toity could park their cars anywhere! [hoity toity is underlined so I looked at what the computer suggested instead, it was typhoid] Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 I love these Spell Check suggestions Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Smashing photo, brings back so many memories. Ah for the days when you could park wherever you wanted! Funnily enough I noticed the parking ! You wouldn't get away with that nowadays with the hired Gestapo on hand. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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