theblacksheeple Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 Saw this earlier http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/09/hmv-shares-plunge-sales-fall-snow Thought when Virgins Music chains went late 2008 early 2009 HMV were lucky to survive. Anybody else got any tips on who will go in 2011 with the VAT increases,Job Losses, Doom, Gloom and Bear Food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theblacksheeple Posted December 9, 2010 Author Share Posted December 9, 2010 Saw this earlier http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/09/hmv-shares-plunge-sales-fall-snow Thought when Virgins Music chains went late 2008 early 2009 HMV were lucky to survive. Anybody else got any tips on who will go in 2011 with the VAT increases,Job Losses, Doom, Gloom and Bear Food Things less than Rosey at Comet too http://business.scotsman.com/retail/Hefty-losses-at-Comet-spark.6654609.jp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 I was thinking only last night that we should start this kind of thread for the New Year. We proved pretty spot on with the firms that went bust in Jan 2010. I noticed Game announced a big sale today but within hours of them announcing their sale - xbox games didn't look cheaper when I looked on their site - I was having emails from Amazon, Tesco, Comet, etc, saying they had reduced their games also. There was a good article in one of the broadsheets today pointing out that loads of games only sold a few hundred copies each in the UK this year as opposed to previous versions selling millions. HMV seem to have got their act together. Perhaps it is Game's turn to go bust? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 There was a good article in one of the broadsheets today pointing out that loads of games only sold a few hundred copies each in the UK this year as opposed to previous versions selling millions. HMV seem to have got their act together. Perhaps it is Game's turn to go bust? Related to technology me thinks, remember the death of the high street post? Similar thing, why go to a town shopping centre when you can use a service like Steam to download things from the comfort of your own home? Same with amazon etc get it delivered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash4781 Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 That hmv interim update was bloody awful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cashinmattress Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 The high street has had its day. Why? Well, the levels of disposable income is dropping, and, energy is becoming more and more expensive. Purveyors of plastic tat including electronics, media, etc... will all be sent to the farm. I welcome the change. I have bought exactly NOTHING from the high street in almost 2 years, resorting to full online shopping, although I do go to the cloths shops now and then to try on sizes as somehow my waistline doesn't hold the same vigil as my wallet. And why not? I am getting the exact same products from anywhere between 10-50% less, or more, on line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilchardthecat Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 ... There was a good article in one of the broadsheets today pointing out that loads of games only sold a few hundred copies each in the UK this year as opposed to previous versions selling millions. ... Did it mention how there has been almost no innovation whatsoever in the games industry in the last 10 years, and that all they seem to do is recreate the same small number of game formats over and over again in various forms, with only sign of progress being incrementally better visuals and sounds each time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbonic Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 Saw this earlier http://www.guardian....sales-fall-snow Thought when Virgins Music chains went late 2008 early 2009 HMV were lucky to survive. Anybody else got any tips on who will go in 2011 with the VAT increases,Job Losses, Doom, Gloom and Bear Food I went into HMV today looking for a certain CD as an xmas present. It was £15 in HMV. I got it on the way back from work from Morrisons for £12. I'd class HMV as the last resort to get a DVD or CD. I wouldn't buy shares in them (assuming they're a quoted stock). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 Did it mention how there has been almost no innovation whatsoever in the games industry in the last 10 years, and that all they seem to do is recreate the same small number of game formats over and over again in various forms, with only sign of progress being incrementally better visuals and sounds each time? No, but your point is well made. In fact, I would argue that the gameplay of many modern games, including map creation, is not a patch on stuff produced 10 years ago. Graphics are much superior but that is all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
payback period Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 I noticed Game announced a big sale today Shoe shop Jones Bootmaker started its sale on 30 Nov. Normally it starts nearer to Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eek Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 No, but your point is well made. In fact, I would argue that the gameplay of many modern games, including map creation, is not a patch on stuff produced 10 years ago. Graphics are much superior but that is all. The problem with the entire industry is that costs have grown so high due to those graphics that anything vaguely risky (i.e. not a known successful title, or change in gameplay) has been junked. I know two people in the industry who celebrate the success of the iphone as it created a new market they could enjoy working on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilchardthecat Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 The problem with the entire industry is that costs have grown so high due to those graphics that anything vaguely risky (i.e. not a known successful title, or change in gameplay) has been junked. I know two people in the industry who celebrate the success of the iphone as it created a new market they could enjoy working on. The games industry needs a Pixar - a company with money behind it but prepared to follow the lead of the creative people rather than the bean counters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stay Beautiful Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 I will raise a toast the day JJB goes bust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reck B Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 I get a strong bust alert every time I go into La Senza. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abaxas Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 What about online? If we have an awful winter and people cant order (due to lack of delivery) who on earth can a business survive without selling much? Surely companies like amazon, play etc run JIT systems. Do they have the cashflow to live on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseBear Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 (edited) The high street has had its day. I was talking to my wife today about this and I don't think it has. I beleive that the high street will exist just to display products, do demonstrations, educate on new tech etc., they will then even supply online facilities where you can buy from anyone BUT you will pay to get into the shops and pay for advice - the coffee may be complementary. Edited December 10, 2010 by WiseBear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 No, but your point is well made. In fact, I would argue that the gameplay of many modern games, including map creation, is not a patch on stuff produced 10 years ago. Graphics are much superior but that is all. There is some good stuff out there, the problem is developers are super risk adverse, therefore they won't develop their own game engines. Nor will they take any substantial risks in trying a new genre. Take for example space RTS, there hasn't been one for a very very long time! Last one I can think of was either Homeworld 2 or Nexus. HW2 was incredibly stressful to play though due to the scaled difficulty. You warp in with 2 battlecruisers the enemy has 8, you warp in with 4 battle cruisers the enemy has 16. Thus they'll stick with what they know will sell, for example FIFA or Gran tourismo, all they do is increase the texture sizes of the skins and mesh smooth +.25 and whey a completely new game! The Fifa core engine hasn't been upgraded since the early 00s. But there are some gems out there. Deus Ex and the spiritual sucessor VTMB. Prototype was also exceptional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mugwump Boy Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 The games industry needs a Pixar - a company with money behind it but prepared to follow the lead of the creative people rather than the bean counters. It has one. They're called Valve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 What about online? If we have an awful winter and people cant order (due to lack of delivery) who on earth can a business survive without selling much? Surely companies like amazon, play etc run JIT systems. Do they have the cashflow to live on? You can download stuff now, kindle has got it for books,Mp3s have long been downloadable, as well as albums and games. I've noticed that much of Amazon's stock isn't sold by Amazon actually they use amazon as a portal to advertise. Anything older than 2 years on Amazon is usually sold by a 3rd party via the amazon system. Also there is something called drop shipping which Amazon do a lot of bar for the best sellers, therefore when amazon recieves an order they send the order to the manufacturers. The manufacturer gets paid a bit more for the P&P and it gets sent to your address with amazon packaging. Drop shipped items are incredibly easy to spot, since they don't contain a ton of junk adverts that the amazon parcels have. Therefore Amazon have minimal stock. I've seen their warehouse, its no bigger than your average Tesco or ASDA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikthe20 Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 I was talking to my wife today about this and I don't think it has. I beleive that the high street will exist just to display products, do demonstrations, educate on new tech etc., they will then even supply online facilities where you can buy from anyone  BUT you will pay to get into the shops and pay for advice - the coffee may be complementary. It ain't nothing but the rents and business rates. These will have to come down and the high street can survive. Landlords and councils are putting up quite a fight though, even though it's not in their long term interests. Our local butcher (only one on the high street) was told their rent going up, and they couldn't afford it so they left. That shop's been empty for almost 2 years now. Same goes for council public parking charges. It's amazing how pig-headed landloards can be - I've been looking at offices and those bastards refuse to lower their rents even though these are offices that have been empty since I looked at them 5 years ago!! How are Jessops doing these days? Passed one the other day and surprised they're still in business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Loblaw Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Past Times HMV BHS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Democorruptcy Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Do people still buy from HMV? A couple of weeks ago I ordered 2 CDs for £12 delivery free from Amazon. When in town the next day passing HMV I decided to check what they would have cost in there and it was £17. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blankster Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 I think the skids are under one of the newsagent chains which has been closing shops and kiosks in order to stay profitable. (not W.H. Smith) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeSeeking Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 It ain't nothing but the rents and business rates. These will have to come down and the high street can survive. Landlords and councils are putting up quite a fight though, even though it's not in their long term interests. Our local butcher (only one on the high street) was told their rent going up, and they couldn't afford it so they left. That shop's been empty for almost 2 years now. Same goes for council public parking charges. It's amazing how pig-headed landloards can be - I've been looking at offices and those bastards refuse to lower their rents even though these are offices that have been empty since I looked at them 5 years ago!! How are Jessops doing these days? Passed one the other day and surprised they're still in business. Agree on the rents. £500 per week for being on the high street here. Clearly not sustainable and hence why we have empty spaces locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stay Beautiful Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 It ain't nothing but the rents and business rates. These will have to come down and the high street can survive. Landlords and councils are putting up quite a fight though, even though it's not in their long term interests. Our local butcher (only one on the high street) was told their rent going up, and they couldn't afford it so they left. That shop's been empty for almost 2 years now. Same goes for council public parking charges. It's amazing how pig-headed landloards can be - I've been looking at offices and those bastards refuse to lower their rents even though these are offices that have been empty since I looked at them 5 years ago!! How are Jessops doing these days? Passed one the other day and surprised they're still in business. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8472538.stm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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