BHS administration

Looks as if British Home Stores could go into administration today. That’s 11K jobs, and yet another retail outfit that was once near ubiquitous disappearing from our high streets.

The other high profile case was of course, Woolworths. Has the British shopper fallen out of love with just these “generalist” kind of stores, or does retail have a much bigger problem?

It is a classic case of a retailer losing its way - what exactly is the point of BHS. Debehams is next.

Department stores can get it right - John Lewis, and marks and spencer to a certain degree

Also the fact that Phillip Green trousered £1bn in dividends hasn’t helped

Apparently a 571m pension deficit, which puts that billion pound payment to his wife in even dodgier territory.

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BHS has been a leach on the Arcadia Group for years, in all honesty this should have happened 10 years ago. The only reason the company was still going was due to the fact that the Group would bail it out every year.

Could the business have changed more, been more relevant? Of course. Others have done and still do ok.

But we the consumer are the main cause of failure. Huge chunks of their business have been lost to the online stores with vastly cheaper structures and hence cheaper prices.

As well as jobs and pension deficits for the staff, this will be over 100 big empty units on the High St which affects all sorts of pension funds that we may all be relying on.

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I’ve never been in a BHS. I’ve never seen BHS advert on telly. I’ve only got a vague comprehension of what they do. They have therefore missed out on the crucial bear dollar, so it’s No Wonder they’re in trouble RIP.

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The company that administer my pension are a bunch of useless cunts, so I wouldn’t be suprised to learn that they have gambled all my hard earned on a BHS turnaround.

This used to be one of those stores that I only went in to if I couldnt find what I wanted elsewhere, which I usually could. Will not miss it (or Debenhams when that goes) but feel sorry for the staff. I dont know if anyone remembers C & A? I used to have a Saturday job there in the 70s. Another chain that didnt keep up with the times and went under.

Failure to adapt to retail changes might cover it.

To be fair BHS tried to change, they brought in DP, Wallis, Buttons, Miss Selfridge and Evans in store, but then never advertised it so no-one knew…

Originally posted by @Chertsey-Saint

To be fair BHS tried to change, they brought in DP, Wallis, Buttons, Miss Selfridge and Evans in store, but then never advertised it so no-one knew…

Still, why would a shopper visit BHS for all of those things? Most BHS stores I’ve seen are smack bang in the middle of traditional city centres. All these shops (and more) are usually within footfall.

Traditionally they are yes, however all these type of stores have tended to move into the next generation of retail which tends to exist in large shopping centres, that generally aren’t where BHS’s tend to be.

What has really screwed BHS is that when it was taken over the large property portfolio was moved over to the Arcadia property group, and large rents charged to BHS. It was as if they wanted it to go under…

The minute that shops start bringing in concessions, you know they are chasing short term cash without a thought to the long term damage to brand.

I remember HMW started selling clothing and thought that was the beginning of the end for them

Originally posted by @CB-Saint

The minute that shops start bringing in concessions, you know they are chasing short term cash without a thought to the long term damage to brand.

I remember HMW started selling clothing and thought that was the beginning of the end for them

Concessions suit certain places, but not others. No-one has got an issue with seeing a chemist in a supermarket, or a Subway in a garage.

Utterly counterproductive in other places though, for the reasons you mention.

My girlfriend years ago bought some knickers from C & A.

“How can I tell the front from the back,” she asked.

Make up your own punchline.

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I used to really like the jumpers that C&A sold, at least I must have, the wife kept buying me them for Birthday and Christmas presents…

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C&A still exist and sell quite good kit across Europe.

A particularly good store of theirs at the Outlet Mall in Krakow

Just you Brits don’t lilke shops obviously - keep losing them

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What’s the thought on the Government stepping in to stop this happening?

They are also still in Brazil