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07-09-2020, 12:32 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-09-2020, 12:33 PM by Kit Kat Chunky.)
(07-09-2020, 10:32 AM)UCEbaggie Wrote: The flagship Birmingham store has been losing money since it opened. It was an enormous white elephant designed to aid Andy Street's Mayoral ambitions. Hugely embarassing for him now.
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Solihull is always busy, but Grand Central is always quiet. I wonder around it if I have 20 mins to kill before a train. Hardly ever buy anything.
It needs to morph into convenience stores (like the Tesco Extra that is already there) novelty stores, and restaurants. It needs to concentrate on it's footfall, which is train passengers. You don't go to Grand Central to buy a sofa.
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(07-09-2020, 12:32 PM)Kit Kat Chunky Wrote: (07-09-2020, 10:32 AM)UCEbaggie Wrote: The flagship Birmingham store has been losing money since it opened. It was an enormous white elephant designed to aid Andy Street's Mayoral ambitions. Hugely embarassing for him now.
This ↑
Solihull is always busy, but Grand Central is always quiet. I wonder around it if I have 20 mins to kill before a train. Hardly ever buy anything.
It needs to morph into convenience stores (like the Tesco Extra that is already there) novelty stores, and restaurants. It needs to concentrate on it's footfall, which is train passengers. You don't go to Grand Central to buy a sofa.
True.
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I loved wondering around Rackham's and Lewis's toy departments in Corporation Street as a kid, particularly at Christmas. But the concept of having people standing around all day tidying up clothes racks in an empty store, as well as having to stock a huge range of stuff on several floors of high cost real estate, finished with Grace Brothers.
Compare that with the comparatively low cost of a huge warehouse on an industrial estate, where a few robots and half a dozen people can do the same job, and deliver it to your front door.
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John Lewis in Reading still open. For the time being.
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(07-09-2020, 12:51 PM)Offside Wrote: I loved wondering around Rackham's and Lewis's toy departments in Corporation Street as a kid, particularly at Christmas. But the concept of having people standing around all day tidying up clothes racks in an empty store, as well as having to stock a huge range of stuff on several floors of high cost real estate, finished with Grace Brothers.
Compare that with the comparatively low cost of a huge warehouse on an industrial estate, where a few robots and half a dozen people can do the same job, and deliver it to your front door.
Digital and analogue shopping need to merge... the goal needs to be somewhere like John Lewis with minimal staff, a tiny range of products to allow you to try and then the capability to have it delivered to your home by the time you return from the shopping trip... unfortunately with rents and rates being what they are, it doesn’t make sense to pay all this cash for a showroom.
Councils and governments need to take some very tough decisions to ensure our city centres aren’t left to die further.
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(07-09-2020, 01:11 PM)Cunninghamismagic Wrote: John Lewis in Reading still open. For the time being.
Lots of MCWs in that part of the world.
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(07-09-2020, 01:11 PM)Cunninghamismagic Wrote: John Lewis in Reading still open. For the time being.
Until it starts snowing.
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(07-09-2020, 01:11 PM)Cunninghamismagic Wrote: John Lewis in Reading still open. For the time being. It will probably survive then. Think those established beforehand are ok- hence Solihull's.
What FF said earlier about shopping habits makes sense.
I worked in Brum for a decade when I left school and many a time I'd find myself in Top Man, Paul Kerry(remember that) and wondering around the Oasis market looking at the weirdos. In those years many random purchases were made due to filling up an hour's lunch break.
I really wonder how the hell Grand Central is going to adapt with a monster store gone, as soon as it arrived.
Very strange times.
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Like KKC I'll occasionally have a mooch around Grand Central but, apart from Foyles bookshop, I don't recall ever buying anything.
My son bought a Go-Pro camera from John Lewis, back when they were pretty much the same price wherever you went, but there's not much now that you can't pick up more easily from elsewhere and at better prices. It's a pity, and Covid has undoubtedly accelerated things, but it was probably coming anyway.
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(07-09-2020, 10:26 AM)billybassett Wrote: (07-09-2020, 10:26 AM)Super_Slav Wrote: A massive body blow to the flagship store at Grand Central.
I worry for Birmingham.
What replaces it?
Primark probably moves no doubt
It would be a downgrade, Primarni have built their own huge and quite high end store which only opened 6 months ago.
(07-09-2020, 11:10 AM)Ossian Wrote: Does John Lewis pull a lot of people across from The Bullring? Or is it more the eating places that do that?
FF is right about the high dependancy on shoppers travelling into Birmingham by public transport, and those numbers will have gone through the floor in recent months.
Even the Bullring is suffering. Bus routes have been pushed out of the city centre and dropping off much further away. Its a good walk for older people to get from snow hill to st martins market.
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