Chindie Posted January 15, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted January 15, 2013 HMVs entire model is not long for this world regardless of the mistakes made and other pressures. The market for physical media is only going to dwindle further. Even if you save the chain now, it has to become a fundamentally different beast to survive much beyond the next few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islingtonclaret Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I see Blockbuster is on the brink...shame, Harborne High St's one has given me good times growing up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I see Blockbuster is on the brink...shame, Harborne High St's one has given me good times growing up. The last time I went into Blockbuster (The Erdington one used to be my local one) I was renting movies on VHS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted January 16, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted January 16, 2013 Blockbusters have been going through a long, lingering death for years. Only slightly more surprising than HMV, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 The face of the High St is certainly changing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islingtonclaret Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 (edited) There is (or was). Unfortunately the cretins in charge didn't act years ago - except to give themselves 50% payrises, let lots of staff go, set up massive impractical loans (and leave before the account had to be settled - whilst having the gall to tell everyone he'd done a good job. Simon Fox, now head of Mirror Group, you are a prick) and come up with a variety of shit, shit ideas. Not opening the website to private sellers. Not nurturing the catalogue (simply merging the suppliers and stores database was an obvious but overlooked step). Insane pricing (£26 pounds for a single CD soundtrack - £4 for the nice new George Harrison book). Still no listening facilities - I mean FFS really? If they'd spent as much time looking at what customers wanted, rather than what they wanted to give to customers (fashion, warranties, points cards and that shit they always offer on the till), they wouldn't be in this crap. This country needs a suit cull. Just spotted this...amen sir. This is a spot on summary of Simon Douglas and the Zavvi Group . These people are consistantly **** shit at what they do, despite trotting out the stats (stats say what you want them to say) to "prove" their worth and performance. Simon Douglas saw his management buyout from Branson go down the bog as soon as he'd set it up, making woeful decisions left right and centre ("The Internet" had not been scouted and used as a prime source of sales and income, for instance). In the end E!UK going under caused the catastophe, as under Douglas's leadership at Virgin it turned out that the Zavvi Entertainment stores didn't own any of the stock they were selling, it was all on credit. Simon Douglas was appointed CEO of FoneHouse two months ago. Edited January 16, 2013 by islingtonclaret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted January 16, 2013 Author VT Supporter Share Posted January 16, 2013 I'm amazed that Blockbuster still existed, thought it had gone ages ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I'm amazed that Blockbuster still existed, thought it had gone ages ago. You need to get out more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunRickyRun Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Of all the high street chains to go down, I used blockbuster the most. Thought something was up as they were flogging their preowned stuff very cheaply, presumably to raise cash. The shop in Shirley was great and the staff were very friendly. If you went on a quiet day you'd get lots of recommendations and opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Milletts will be gone by the end of March. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC_Hitz Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Of all the high street chains to go down, I used blockbuster the most. Thought something was up as they were flogging their preowned stuff very cheaply, presumably to raise cash. The shop in Shirley was great and the staff were very friendly. If you went on a quiet day you'd get lots of recommendations and opinions. The Blockbusters in Kings Heath smelt like shit and BO mixed together with a spoon made of a Sunday morning eggy fart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted January 20, 2013 Moderator Share Posted January 20, 2013 Can't be too sad at the loss of Blockbuster tbh, never used it, not only that, they were quite happy to do over the small independent video rental outlet by signing exclusivity deals etc (An old mate of mines small chain of three shops was a victim) that they reap what they sow. Allowing internet rentals like love film to get such a jump on them was ludicrously stupid, they died when they allowed that to happen. Of course I feel sorry for the staff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 anyone know if the boxes of stock are out in blockbuster / HMV yet? and i agree with seat, im sure id read somewhere that millets and blacks was dragging JD sports down rather than them turning it around so they will be cut loose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qwpzxjor1 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 If Blockbusters had set up an equivalent of LoveFilm or Netflix then they'd have had the market, as it's a known and dependable chain. Instead they stuck with their failing business model and refused to believe that anything was going to change. I hear people blaming society for the death of these chains, but really it's the chains themselves for not shaping that future. The media world has gone fully digital because they allowed it too. When the video player first came out, people said it would be the death of cinemas. Cinemas still do pretty damn well, because they've put their focus onto the film 'experience' rather than the film itself. It's the same reason the High Street will never completely die, there's a social and enjoyable element to shopping. People also like to get ideas as they see things and they shop. The face of the high street will change, and maybe we'll see more of a return of small independent shops as the corporations are driven to large outlets in shopping parks and internet, which wouldn't be a bad thing for me. I always like a nice privately run shop over a conglomerate with staff who really don't give a toss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 who'd have thought that a good business model for 2013 was Argos! They'll sell you a sofa, or a dvd, or an mp3 or an angle grinder, you can go in the shop and queue, you can self serve, you can interweb click and collect, you can get it delivered, you can browse through a catalogue. Ten years ago I'd have put my house on them being gone before the rest on the current list, yet listening to them the other day, they are pre empting problems by closing poor stores rather than being dragged down by them and opening new ones where they see potential. Currently around 740 stores, the plan is to close about 50, open 20 or 30 and still have 700+ stores this time next year. Not 'booming' but they have a strategy in tough times. Just avoid the wardrobes and coffee tables made of sellotape and weetabix. I was listening to a guy that worked in HMV give a bit of info on the radio the other day. He said that whilst they hadn't had an official tip off that they were about to go bubble, the staff had worked it out for themselves when Head Office phoned two days running asking how much money was in the safe and what day was it being banked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted January 20, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'm still stunned that Blockbuster, to my knowledge, never moved into the online/postal markets when it became obvious that that was the way media rental was going. With their brand behind them you'd have thought they'd have dominated that market. Was it pure stubbornness that's put them under? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 HMV seem to have a few buyers interested, and not just asset strippers. Chatted to a bidder today, he thinks that the company that bought the Canadian stores is in pole position - they ditched the games and technology and went with music & film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LockStockVilla Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'm still stunned that Blockbuster, to my knowledge, never moved into the online/postal markets when it became obvious that that was the way media rental was going. With their brand behind them you'd have thought they'd have dominated that market. Was it pure stubbornness that's put them under? They tried in the US, i know. Not sure if it was all done a bit too late or what, but never really worked out and they were always second fiddle to companies like Netflix in that category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted January 20, 2013 Author VT Supporter Share Posted January 20, 2013 HMV seem to have a few buyers interested, and not just asset strippers. Chatted to a bidder today, he thinks that the company that bought the Canadian stores is in pole position - they ditched the games and technology and went with music & film. Gets my vote. They may as well aim for my demographic - older buyers tend to still like physical media, and have disposable income. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Went in HMV yesterday and it was absolutely heaving . Would be a sad loss if it went as its a well loved and useful shop. I like to buy a cd and I don't want to buy it in Tesco thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts