Retail Chiefs Warn Treasury Over Wave Of Shop Closures

[Realistbear]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8358028/Retail-chiefs-warn-Treasury-over-wave-of-shop-closures.html

Retail chiefs warn Treasury over wave of shop closures

The bosses of some of the UK's biggest high-street chains have warned the Treasury urgent action is needed to prevent a double-dip recession and the possible

closure of thousands of shops

..../

One retail chief, who was not at the meeting, said that household incomes are being squeezed so much that people are not spending in stores: "If it costs £20 more to fill up your car and £10 more to feed your family, of course you are not going to go clothes shopping."

..../

The answer seems to lie in the statement of the "One Retail Chief"--its not so much the anti-shopper parking policies in our towns of the online stores but the fact that people are skint. You can't lead a recovery by borrowing to spend more in the shops. You need a HPC to free money from non-producing assets into productive ones.

[OnlyMe]

Hey arseholes, you were the ones screaming for low rates and more QE. You got what you wanted now the public have to deal with the resulting inflation and buying shit is going to fall to the bottom of the pile.

[interestrateripoff]

Unintended consequences again?

Rates are too high and people have no money.

[Number79]

"retail-led recovery".

[exiges]

Rates are too high and people have no money.

Which explains why house prices are up this month

[Ash4781]

They are just worried they will have to take a hit on their margins. Oh I heard this morning on the bbc jjb sports will move to aim listing and shut more stores

[SarahBell]

They are just worried they will have to take a hit on their margins. Oh I heard this morning on the bbc jjb sports will move to aim listing and shut more stores

Pig farmers are getting less for their meat. Shop prices haven't gone down ... if anything pork/baonc etc is dearer... So where is the difference going?

IS it into the huge profits supermarkets are making?

[exiges]

Pig farmers are getting less for their meat. Shop prices haven't gone down ... if anything pork/baonc etc is dearer... So where is the difference going?

IS it into the huge profits supermarkets are making?

I don't think the farmers are getting less, they're making less.

Increased feed for animals

Increased transport costs

Edited March 3, 2011 by exiges

[needsleep]

jjb sports will move to aim listing and shut more stores

Excellent news

[SarahBell]

I don't think the farmers are getting less, they're making less.

Increased feed for animals

Increased transport costs

He actually said they used to get £1.50 and now they get £1.37 a kg and it costs him £1.80 to produce it.

From mysupermarket varies from £4 - £10 a kg.

(£5.97 / Kg)

Tesco British Pork Boneless Leg

(£5.80 / £4.83 / Kg)

Tesco British Pork Chops (690g)

(£9.21 / £7.89 / Kg)

Tesco Diced Pork (380g)

(£4.00 / Kg)

Tesco British Pork Shoulder Joint

(£14.97 / £10.00 / Kg)

Tesco Finest Norfolk Outdoor Bred Pork Fillet Medallions (300g)

[noodle doodle]

I've bought all my christmas/birthday presents off amazon...

when it's getting stuff for myself sometimes it's better to use the shops than have a box floating round the ether which usually ends up as a little card on the doormat inviting you to trail out to some parcel depot / sorting office (usually further away than the shops)

but if I'm getting stuff delivered to other people, well, that's their problem plus I don't have to arrange the posting myself, buy a bloody cardboard box, bubblewrap, queue at the post office for 20 minutes in my lunch break as they explain the latest krypton factor rules for pricing postage etc - genuinely more convenient, regardless of whether amazon is a bit cheaper or not

Edited March 3, 2011 by noodle doodle

[Realistbear]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1362374/Zara-Ralp-Lauren-Forever-21-push-prices-British-customers.html

The High Street fashion chains that push up their prices just for British customers

By Sean Poulter

Last updated at 1:46 AM on 3rd March 2011

Comments (39) Add to My Stories

Global fashion chains such as Zara, Ralph Lauren and Forever 21 are picking the pockets of British shoppers with huge price mark-ups.

The Spanish-owned and hugely successful label Zara is charging its British customers

as much as 45 per cent more

for its dresses, T-shirts, bags and shoes compared with other countries.

A snapshot survey of 15 items from its new collection, available across Europe, shows UK shoppers are paying much more than in Spain.

Bottom line: the shops are a rip off. The UK is a rip off. We need a HPC to sort it out.

[Jack's Creation]

He actually said they used to get £1.50 and now they get £1.37 a kg and it costs him £1.80 to produce it.

From mysupermarket varies from £4 - £10 a kg.

(£5.97 / Kg)

Tesco British Pork Boneless Leg

(£5.80 / £4.83 / Kg)

Tesco British Pork Chops (690g)

(£9.21 / £7.89 / Kg)

Tesco Diced Pork (380g)

(£4.00 / Kg)

Tesco British Pork Shoulder Joint

(£14.97 / £10.00 / Kg)

Tesco Finest Norfolk Outdoor Bred Pork Fillet Medallions (300g)

I also suspect there is a bit of gouging by the supermarkets as people switch from chicken/beef to cheaper alternatives.

[Realistbear]

There is a new Lidl opening near where I live and I find them to be considerably cheaper than the usual alternatives. Quality is good overall too.

As far as retail clothes go--just say no and wear your kit a bit longer. I visit the US every year or so and come back with a suitcase full of stuff that keeps me going. I don't think I have spent more than £50 on clothes/shoes in this country for the last 3 years!

Edited March 3, 2011 by Realistbear

[mikthe20]

I fail to see in what way retail is good for the economy. It seems to have required large debts in order to create jobs so an overall negative effect. More parasties threatening "if you don't give us what we want we're going to up sticks".

Retail chiefs try to prevent own staff from being able to afford to shop in their own stores. They've been at this a long time:

2010: http://www.retail-week.com/in-business/policy/brc-warns-of-minimum-wage-rise-impact/5017839.article?referrer=RSS

2006: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5366410.stm

[Guest eight]

He actually said they used to get £1.50 and now they get £1.37 a kg and it costs him £1.80 to produce it.

He should stop doing that then.

Don't worry, pork lovers. "The market" will allow a more efficient farm to step into the breach.

eight

[Guest eight]

There is a new Lidl openined near where I live and I find them to be considerably cheaper than the usual alternatives. Qulaity is good overall too.

As far as retail clothes go--just say no and wear your kit a bit longer. I visit the US every year or so and come back with a suitcase full of stuff that keeps me going. I don't think I have spent more than £50 on clothes/shoes in this country for the last 3 years!

The weird thing is that, as you say, Lidl stuff is high quality, yet most of it is marked Made in Germany.

I thought they had a high wage economy? How do they manage to, like, make stuff? And then sell it so cheaply?

eight

[winkie]

Pig farmers are getting less for their meat. Shop prices haven't gone down ... if anything pork/baonc etc is dearer... So where is the difference going?

IS it into the huge profits supermarkets are making?

Yes...they are the only big stores opening at the moment, what small community wants or needs three large supermarkets in one high street?....why are the councils giving them permission to ruin a community by encouraging extra traffic and chaos.......people only have so much disposable income to spend. Where is this all this going, people are fickle and easily led with ads and promotions......once they are intrenched it is hard to change things....give the local small traders a fair deal, their livelihoods are being stolen from them by the big boys....

[winkie]

He should stop doing that then.

Don't worry, pork lovers. "The market" will allow a more efficient farm to step into the breach.

eight

yes, polish pork is that what people want?.....I check the labels carefully and will buy less meat to ensure the meat I do eat is British and from happy animals....nobody knows what they put into the processed stuff I hate to think.

[Saberu]

He actually said they used to get £1.50 and now they get £1.37 a kg and it costs him £1.80 to produce it.

From mysupermarket varies from £4 - £10 a kg.

(£5.97 / Kg)

Tesco British Pork Boneless Leg

(£5.80 / £4.83 / Kg)

Tesco British Pork Chops (690g)

(£9.21 / £7.89 / Kg)

Tesco Diced Pork (380g)

(£4.00 / Kg)

Tesco British Pork Shoulder Joint

(£14.97 / £10.00 / Kg)

Tesco Finest Norfolk Outdoor Bred Pork Fillet Medallions (300g)

So where is all the profit by supermarkets like Tesco going?

I know they make vast profits because it certainly isn't being spent on staff due to the high efficiency of sales > staff from their large stores. If you consider how fast Tesco are expanding around the world, my evidence for that being that there is a Tesco in my city which isn't even in the top largest 100 cities in China so they must be all over China already then you can see they clearly have good profit.

My theory is Tesco hide their profit behind a mountain of fake business expenses, paying their accountants to help them evade corporation tax. When you have a large company like Tesco selling everything under the sun in one store, buying up swathes of land instead of paying extortionate rent on a smaller store then you can see why the high street is only years away from destruction. They are almost as bad as the banks, the only thing that makes them better than the banks is at least they are providing a useful service to the community so not just being a parasite.

[Guest eight]

yes, polish pork is that what people want?.....I check the labels carefully and will buy less meat to ensure the meat I do eat is British and from happy animals....nobody knows what they put into the processed stuff I hate to think.

I know, I know. I was just espousing a commonly held view on this site. The free market, it's never wrong you know..... Why I might even start that pig farm myself. Obviously I have no access to land or capital, and no knowledge of the subject at all, bet hey, how hard can it be?

eight

[winkie]

I know, I know. I was just espousing a commonly held view on this site. The free market, it's never wrong you know..... Why I might even start that pig farm myself. Obviously I have no access to land or capital, and no knowledge of the subject at all, bet hey, how hard can it be?

eight

Go for it....but please do not inject water or white slime into it.

[profitofdoom]

The weird thing is that, as you say, Lidl stuff is high quality, yet most of it is marked Made in Germany.

I thought they had a high wage economy? How do they manage to, like, make stuff? And then sell it so cheaply?

The key to Lidl/Aldi type operations is floor space. If you go into other supermarkets for,say,coffee you find Nescafe,Maxwell House,Gold Blend, Douwe Egberts and probably several others plus own labels for peasants like me.If you look in Lidl or Aldi you will find the choice much more limited,although still of comparable quality.What you are not paying for is the extra size and logistics of offering the extra products.That translates into big savings on overheads.

Edited March 3, 2011 by profitofdoom

[Injin]

I don't think the farmers are getting less, they're making less.

Increased feed for animals

Increased transport costs

Higher tax.

And ofc you aren't asking who is bidding up those costs you mention with freshly printed money.

[Dorkins]

The high street retailers that survive will be the ones that successfully get their rents and rates down. When 17p of every £ you spend on the high street is going to the VAT man, and 17p is going on rates, and 17p is going on commercial rent it's not surprising retailers are struggling to turn a profit. Half the money is gone before it even lands in the till.