Gabriella Coscia
Recent activity
Comments (33)
-
Comment on: Woolies Watch: What happened to your local Woolworths?
Chichester is now a branch of Boots, Crowborough a branch of WH Smith that recently opened, Uckfield a branch of WH Smith, Newhaven a branch of Alworths. Sevenoaks is Waitrose albeit on a temporary basis. Maidstone is split in to half Poundland and I think half Deichmann Shoes someone local needs to verify if the latter is Deichmann
-
Comment on: Heart of the high street
@Graham There is a reason why M and S didn't modernise the stores, why modernise a store that your set to close. I can think of countless others like Dover and Barrow in Furness. High Streets can survive without M and S, Folkestone has survived without them and lost BHS recently to a Primark opening soon. Chatham got TK Maxx in place of M and S and Next so there is life even if M and S choose to go. I don't believe that M and S are not interested in small towns, touch wood Deal in Kent isn't somewhere you would expect to find a M and S branch this one has been here since 1935 and this one is modernised in the new M and S colours why, because it makes a lot of money for them - M and S need justification that they make money. Grantham is closing because the lease is up and the landlord is greedy. Scunthorpe the landlord there wants a 70 per cent hike in rent but won't allow m and s to upgrade the store - I would walk away too if a property company behaved in that way. M and S's mistake all to often is to sell and lease back stores. I am sure Grantham will survive without M and s , they do have Next and Laura Ashley after all, there is life after Marks and Spencer's on the high street and they are not the pull they once were.
-
Comment on: Heart of the high street
Unfortunately there is no surprise here. M and S are now under a new CEO Mr Bolland and are planning new stores where there is a potential to make money. The stores closing are those unmodernised and where sales and the high street in general is failing. Scunthorpe lost a House of Fraser and BHS as well as now M and S. 12 years ago Scunthorpe was going to get a larger m and s that was then this is now. Scunthrope is an area where value retailers like Peacocks, Primark and other cheap value chains are replacing the medium and quality retailers like M and S - High Streets are developing in to value and quality high streets depending on the demographics and income of the area. I suspect not only will these closures go ahead but more unmodernised M and S stores will close in failing shopping centres, possibly Barrow, Dover, possibly Aylesbury and M and S will certainly be reviewing leases when the rent review is due as they have in Grantham. Grantham has been hit by closures Burton is another name leaving or to have left this town With the current economy M and S could easily shed 15 per cent of it's store portfolio reducing to 430 core stores across Britain from the current 583 odd. It will happen, where M and S choose not to expand or relocate new cheaper anchors will come in like TK Makk M and S are likely to expand where the sales figures are rising and there is the demographics for their stores. This includes more out of town stores to take advantage of cheap rents caused by the collapse of other chains like the furniture chains and the conversion of poorly performing stores to food and Outlet with a limited range of food on offer where the alternative is a branch closure. Personally , I think M and S could redeem perhaps one of the potential stores in Lincolnshire from closure. It would make sense to make Scunthorpe an outlet store with a small food section given it's closeness to Skegness which is also closing and Grantham could be trialled for the M and S simply food format only in a smaller location or renegotiating the rent with the council subsidising a cheaper rent from the landlord but may be they covered that. I actually see M and S growing with the potential for second stores in certain locations where m and s do well like Tunbridge Wells which opens in October Home and Food, places like Brighton could accommodate a Home and Food in addition to the existing main store, Canterbury could accommodate a Simply Food or Home and Food in addition to the city store as could Maidstone. Other places like Lincoln also spring to mind Overall store numbers will be down due to a combination of recession, higher vat, changing demographics in certain areas that are moving towards value only chains now too poor to sustain an m and s store and due to the growth of the internet. That unfortunately is life
