Must be all that half price chocolate they bang on about every time you approach the till to try and pay for something. It stopped me going in there, the nagging. If I'd have wanted chocolate I'd have picked it up already, I don't need someone to tell me!

Anyway, basically I think their airport and railway station branches keep them going because they have a captive audience in those kind of locations.

That didn't last long,I thought they only started up in this country a couple of years ago?

WH Smiths is also a supplier as I know a few other general stores around were I live get their newspapers and magazines delivered by WH Smiths vans.

Also I have just read that Our Services sectors output dropped by 1.2% for April, even through it rose by 0.8% in March. I can't understand how is this happening wasn't the retail sector spending on the up when Labour left office and since the Coalition got in and but the VAT 20% the country have been on a steady decline. Am I right or Wrong.

There is a few things that I blame for this.

1) The shop not supplying the products we need

2) Business Rates set by the local Councils

3) The Landlords for been greedy and charging stupid prices the rent.

4) VAT being to high. When the coalition got in instead of putting VAT up, they should have reduced it to say 10% that would give us some money in our pockets and then we could have spent it and get the confidence back into the retail sector.

Indeed. That part of the business is doing brilliantly, especially combined with the low-cost rental deals which go back decades, and gives them prime spots in train staions.

Combine this with their Post Office deal, and I think you'll find that they're actually quite strong atm.

http://publishingperspectives.com/20...st-bookseller/

Yeah god even the staff look fed up having to ask, you know it's coming, sometimes if you just look in a bad mood or glare at them then they don't ask lol

Yeah train stations and airports service areas etc must do well but wouldn't think alot of high st ones do though ?

Great idea, but less money for them though.

I wonder how much the 20% rate has helped alleviate the effects of the recession.

I'm thinking WHSmiths will be next to go into administration of the high-street names.
ETA - just read above posts, perhaps not

I have just read on Sky News website that the list at the moment for companies in the high street who look to be on verge or dangerously heading that way are as follows:-

Carpetright - lost 70% of profits

Thorntons -

HMV - looking to close some shops

Game - looking to close some shops

JJB Sports

Mothercare - closing 110 shops and concentrating on out of town shops

Not suprised about Game. Why use them when you can buy computer games in supermarkets, or over the internet...

Other places do them either more convinient, or cheaper, or both.

I have also heard that Comet could be also on the verge of going under as well.

I would certainly expect to see some more PC World / Currys stores, but given that development, im not sure they will close just yet.

HMV look safe for the next two years. They completed the sale of Waterstones today.

Comet are closing high rent shops which will see them out for a while until they find a buyer for the company.

It's bad news if any of these shops go under. The high street is already very depleted for choice less you like bargain cheap junk.

I can see WH Smiths shutting some town centre stores in the future. They get more and more jumble-saley every time I go in - it's as if they don't care any more.

My nearest Thorntons has just had a refit. They are really pushing their ice cream in the main unit now.

It amazes me the ignorance of people who say "this shop should close, it's too expensive" and it's only a middle of Market retailer. The usual names crop up here HMV, Waterstones, WH Smith...

Should Apple shut retail outlets next? Maybe Burberry? GStar? Monsoon? Cadbury? Fred Perry?

It's all snobby I can get this product cheaper online so this shop must close. WH Smith is quite a successful model they operate rail stores, Airport and other locations and have the Post Office deal. They also cut back DVD stock so the business model is quite good and they only took a few ex Woolies units so they never made the mistake of over expanding.

They are expensive for gift cards, sweets, drinks but they cater for a niche magazine audience, they have excellent stationary and sometimes good offers on books. People forget retailers have to pay rent, heating, electric, staffing costs so not everything can be cheaper online.

However if you want no high street names keep buying online. I buy online but I continue to support other retailers on the high street.

Bu t MV, Waterstones and WH Smith are commodity retailers and unfortunately for them their commodities can be bought just as easily and far cheaper online.

Apple, Burberry, GStar etc are brands and aspirational brands at that. There are lots of Chinese knock-off iPods, iPads an iPhones yet people are prepared to pay a premium for the real thing either for the quality or simply for the name (you decide!).

So your saying if you found something in WH Smiths or HMV for £16 then found it on Amazon for £10 with free p&p you would go to HMV

I don't think WH Smiths will go they make a few bob from the Post Office and tbh the ones round here did have massive stores and have moved into much smaller units.

Went for a look in Habitat today since they've gone under too. Lot of lovely stuff but will wait 'til its even cheaper!

^^This. (completely agree with all points made)

Quite a good summary of all the events on the high st. so far this year:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...ty-high-street

It's not just retail outfits facing the squeeze, The UK's biggest nightclub operator, Luminar Leisure could also be hitting the wall come August!

http://www.eatoutmagazine.co.uk/onli...business/13627

So reading through that article it sounds like the government have not been able to get any growth in the economy from September 2010 until April 2011 as it has been stuck at zero for that amount of time. All we need is another negative growth and then the country would double dip and go back into recession.

Even The owners of Dixons are saying that the government cuts are cause for concern for the retail sector.

I still think VAT should have been reduced instead of increased.

The Woolworths shop is still empty in Peterlee (although Argos are moving into it). We are getting two new supermarkets to compete with ASDA; we also have Aldi and Lidl. I often debate whether all these big shops are taking trade away from local shops; afterall the local butchers has gone from the town centre. Peterlee got excited when building work started on a new shop which turned out to be a B&M as if we need it since we already had a Wilkinson's, Pound shop and Home Bargains.

I think all town and city centres are losing their identities due to the same shops openings and others closing. Peterlee consists of:

> Cafes
> Clothes shops mainly for women since Officers Club has closed. Mainly Next, Select and Peacocks
> Shoe shops
> Hairdressers
> Iceland, Herring Frozen Foods and Farm Foods
> Quite a number of card shops
> Several charity shops
> We have one fruit shop that sells some local produce

There is no inspriring shops these days, nothing quirky or indeed anything that is local.

http://www.aegeanflights.com/

Aegean Flights just bit the dust!

Laura Ashley still going strong.....

WH Smiths on the other hand, every time I go in there they it seems to get darker and darker, as if they're turning the lights down to try and save a bit of money, it's a bit like shopping in a cave.

Interesting name! But that list more or less sums up South Shields too, and I'm sure many more town centres.

Try their online shop. Not only can you have it as light or as dark as you wish........all the prices are cheaper!