Risso Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 How often do you go to Thorntons though? They should set up a dedicated stall in supermarkets like Donut King do. They'd get much more passing trade then. A lot of their business is like that. The problem is the downturn in the economy, primarily caused by the cuts and the raise in VAT etc, means that people are cutting back on their little treats such as Thorntons chocolate. As with all of these its not just the shops that are affected, the factory is losing staff which in turn affects the local economy. As this is in the North I suspect there will be little in the way of remorse from this Gvmt I think Thorntons, like Woolies before it, is just a fundamentally flawed business model. If I want to buy somebody some posh chocs I'll go to somewhere nicer than a Thorntons in the high street. If I want something cheap I'll go to a newsagent and buy a Twix or something. They should stick to manufacturing and distributing their stuff via supermarkets, and having small concessions in card shops and the like. Having big high street stores was always going to be a no no in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 How often do you go to Thorntons though? They should set up a dedicated stall in supermarkets like Donut King do. They'd get much more passing trade then. A lot of their business is like that. The problem is the downturn in the economy, primarily caused by the cuts and the raise in VAT etc, means that people are cutting back on their little treats such as Thorntons chocolate. As with all of these its not just the shops that are affected, the factory is losing staff which in turn affects the local economy. As this is in the North I suspect there will be little in the way of remorse from this Gvmt I'd like to see how other chocolate companies are doing before coming to that conclusion. I'd say their bigger problem is as Risso says and that dedicated chocolate stores will go the way of dedicated sweet shops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 The problem is the downturn in the economy, primarily caused by the cuts and the raise in VAT etc Good evening race goers in a slight change from your race card for tonight's meeting the horse drawn in trap 3 will be wearing blinkers ..... :winkold: Thorntons profits have been in decline since 2008 , rising cost of cocoa being one reason amongst a few.. but last time I checked the Tories weren't forcing cuts on anyone in 2008 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 The problem is the downturn in the economy, primarily caused by the cuts and the raise in VAT etc Good evening race goers in a slight change from your race card for tonight's meeting the horse drawn in trap 3 will be wearing blinkers ..... :winkold: Thorntons profits have been in decline since 2008 , rising cost of cocoa being one reason amongst a few.. but last time I checked the Tories weren't forcing cuts on anyone in 2008 ... Households have suffered the biggest fall in spending power for 34 years, official figures showed yesterday. And the outcome is: Austerity engulfs the high street. Retailers are taking trade from each other, because there's no growth. The weaker ones will go down first. At the moment, people are trying to repay debt, and their lack of confidence about the future also inhibits spending. The policy being followed by the government means more people losing their jobs, others facing pay cuts, and the rest cutting back their spending because they are worried about their own prospects. This can only make things worse. The fact of Thorntons being a weak firm, with a business model and market position which does them no favours, isn't the point. If it wasn't them cutting back it would be someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gringo Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 At the moment, people are trying to repay debt, and their lack of confidence about the future also inhibits spending. The policy being followed by the government means more people losing their jobs, others facing pay cuts, and the rest cutting back their spending because they are worried about their own prospects. You forgot about the other ones being encouraged to start their working life with £40k+ of debt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 You forgot about the other ones being encouraged to start their working life with £40k+ of debt. What I find so scary about that is that for many people of that generation, it normalises the idea of being in massive debt, because most people they know will be in the same boat. The banks grow fat from getting us to take on more and more debt, but in years gone by, people were quite wary of debt. Lumbering all those students with big debts seems not so much about spending cuts, but about habituating a whole group of people to the idea that debt is normal. It makes it easier for a culture of indebtedness to take root. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 but mainly no one would empty the bins, clean the schools, or look after us when we're old or ill. Not as long as we have Poland :winkold: Screw poland, I'll empty the bins, bin men can be on 35k and it's a piss easy job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Retailers are taking trade from each other, because there's no growth. The weaker ones will go down first. I think this is true but in combination with my view that people have worked out the high street just means high prices, high parking costs and pavements full of idiots getting in the way with their stupid screaming children in tow. The fact that they moan nobody comes to the high street yet they charge to park is a funny one, in reality it should be free valet parking or what is the benefit of going to pay higher prices ? It is cheaper and better for everyone to shop for most things on-line. The thought of spending a day shopping in a city centre somewhere makes me feel ill at the thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 The problem is the downturn in the economy, primarily caused by the cuts and the raise in VAT etc Good evening race goers in a slight change from your race card for tonight's meeting the horse drawn in trap 3 will be wearing blinkers ..... :winkold: Thorntons profits have been in decline since 2008 , rising cost of cocoa being one reason amongst a few.. but last time I checked the Tories weren't forcing cuts on anyone in 2008 ... :-) - and Tony would be with us but unfortunately he is paying someone to keep his head in his Tory supplied sand. So all of the recent High Street failures are caused by cocoa, ah I see. Maybe we should be blaming those damn fairtrade growers? As many are pointing out, items that people do not class as necessities are being cut in a big way and in turn that affects many organisations. Its a snowball effect, one that Gideon and the Tory party and its followers fail to see, because typically they are protected against its affect The return to the bad old days of Thatcher is here, those of us who had the misfortune to see it first time, are not going to enjoy it again this time. If I have any spare monies maybe I could invest them in a production of "Boys from the blackstuff" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 The problem is the downturn in the economy, primarily caused by the cuts and the raise in VAT etc Good evening race goers in a slight change from your race card for tonight's meeting the horse drawn in trap 3 will be wearing blinkers ..... :winkold: Thorntons profits have been in decline since 2008 , rising cost of cocoa being one reason amongst a few.. but last time I checked the Tories weren't forcing cuts on anyone in 2008 ... :-) - and Tony would be with us but unfortunately he is paying someone to keep his head in his Tory supplied sand. So all of the recent High Street failures are caused by cocoa, ah I see. Maybe we should be blaming those damn fairtrade growers? As many are pointing out, items that people do not class as necessities are being cut in a big way and in turn that affects many organisations. Its a snowball effect, one that Gideon and the Tory party and its followers fail to see, because typically they are protected against its affect The return to the bad old days of Thatcher is here, those of us who had the misfortune to see it first time, are not going to enjoy it again this time. If I have any spare monies maybe I could invest them in a production of "Boys from the blackstuff" You don't think online sales have had an impact? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 As many are pointing out, items that people do not class as necessities are being cut in a big way and in turn that affects many organisations. Its a snowball effect, one that Gideon and the Tory party and its followers fail to see, because typically they are protected against its affect You're not exactly cleaning McDonalds toilets for minimum wage yourself are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted June 30, 2011 Author Moderator Share Posted June 30, 2011 As many are pointing out, items that people do not class as necessities are being cut in a big way and in turn that affects many organisations. Its a snowball effect, one that Gideon and the Tory party and its followers fail to see, because typically they are protected against its affect You're not exactly cleaning McDonalds toilets for minimum wage yourself are you? Not sure what Drat is saying has to do with his own income. Is there a rule that says, you can only explain what is happening if you earn under £25k a year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 As many are pointing out, items that people do not class as necessities are being cut in a big way and in turn that affects many organisations. Its a snowball effect, one that Gideon and the Tory party and its followers fail to see, because typically they are protected against its affect You're not exactly cleaning McDonalds toilets for minimum wage yourself are you? Not sure what Drat is saying has to do with his own income. Is there a rule that says, you can only explain what is happening if you earn under £25k a year? Indeed. I think it is more than fair or acceptable to comment on the injustices of a society or government without having to experience those injustices for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 As many are pointing out, items that people do not class as necessities are being cut that's what happens when you enter a recession though , people tighten the belts a bit and stop luxury purchases .. in that regard someone like Thorntons business model is always flawed and why they are making plans to restructure the business model .... The shopping centre near me in Woking had dozens of empty spaces where shops went down the tube ...and guess what , that was happening before the Tories came to power as well .... Some of the outlets are filling up again though as new ventures decide they want to make a go of it ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 As many are pointing out, items that people do not class as necessities are being cut in a big way and in turn that affects many organisations. Its a snowball effect, one that Gideon and the Tory party and its followers fail to see, because typically they are protected against its affect You're not exactly cleaning McDonalds toilets for minimum wage yourself are you? Not sure what Drat is saying has to do with his own income. Is there a rule that says, you can only explain what is happening if you earn under £25k a year? Indeed. I think it is more than fair or acceptable to comment on the injustices of a society or government without having to experience those injustices for yourself. It isn't fair to accuse others of not seeing it though just because they earn a decent living. We're living in a period of extreme financial meltdown, all of which started before the present government took power. Why did you think was going to happen to people's spending? If Labour had got in, does anybody think that shops like Thorntons would be posting record profits buoyed by the lavish spending of the British public? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 As many are pointing out, items that people do not class as necessities are being cut in a big way and in turn that affects many organisations. Its a snowball effect, one that Gideon and the Tory party and its followers fail to see, because typically they are protected against its affect You're not exactly cleaning McDonalds toilets for minimum wage yourself are you? Not sure what Drat is saying has to do with his own income. Is there a rule that says, you can only explain what is happening if you earn under £25k a year? Indeed. I think it is more than fair or acceptable to comment on the injustices of a society or government without having to experience those injustices for yourself. It isn't fair to accuse others of not seeing it though just because they earn a decent living. Also very true. There is a difference though between seeing it and being bothered or minded to do much about it ... Ian sees such injustices and speaks out against them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Ian sees such injustices and speaks out against them. when he's not sunning himself on a beach in Aruba :winkold: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 It isn't fair to accuse others of not seeing it though just because they earn a decent living. We're living in a period of extreme financial meltdown, all of which started before the present government took power. Why did you think was going to happen to people's spending? If Labour had got in, does anybody think that shops like Thorntons would be posting record profits buoyed by the lavish spending of the British public? Mart, but you are just spouting the Tory party line there. No one has said that and deflection of blame is the only answer that you and the Tory party seem to have. Cameron and Gideon et al, have embarked on a massive attack on various sectors in the UK, the speed, size and targeting of certain areas were excessive and like many predicted any recovery will stagnate and we are in real danger of going back into recession. The better option would have clearly been to be more gradual, the UK economy and world economy would have allowed for that. But instead we have seen massive attacks not just as a result of deficit reduction but also ideologically led, attacking elements in UK society that totally abhorrent to the true Tory cause such as the NHS and the public sector. As for what I earn, spend etc, that has **** all to do with it. If you want to play silly I could say at least I pay ALL of my taxes in the UK :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Ian sees such injustices and speaks out against them. when he's not sunning himself on a beach in Aruba :winkold: Paid for by hard work, long hours and dipping into savings. Not many more of those trips on the horizon while we have this Thatcherite Gvmt in power Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 After 'careful consideration'.... News Corp moves closer to a takeover of BSkyB The government has said it is "minded to accept" News Corp's assurances about the spin-off of Sky News, but is to consult on some fresh conditions. The spin-off of Sky News is the key condition if News Corp is to be allowed to take full ownership of BSkyB. The conditions include having an independent editorial director at Sky News board meetings and for Sky News to continue to be promoted on other Sky channels. The consultation will run until 8 July. After that date, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt, will take a final decision on whether to allow the takeover or refer it to the Competition Commission. ...more on link I'm not a huge fan of Tom Watson but I do tend to agree with him when he says that he is sure Mr Hunt will be well rewarded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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