pyracantha Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Just breaking: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13466179 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
200p Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 HMV will limp along a bit longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash4781 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 What no puns? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 No puns? Who cares? My 3 y/o likes the fish in the kiddy area. And its nice for kids to browse and choose. But .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel in w9 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I think the death of the bookstore is very sad. I HATE the Kindle!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I think HMV have turned the page on that one. It is a closed book now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Loo Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 This is going to be a short story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia O'Keeffe Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 This is going to be a short story. The management are clearly spineless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorJ Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I think the death of the bookstore is very sad. I HATE the Kindle!! It is the death of sky high commercial rents? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikthe20 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 It is the death of sky high commercial rents? This. And business rates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cica Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 They are fiddling the books. Perhaps they should shelve these plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyracantha Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 I think the death of the bookstore is very sad. I HATE the Kindle!! Mrs Pyracantha works there. They've been on efficiency drives for months now. Hard to see how the new owner can wring more value out of the business without closing many of the stores or by changing how they do business. I sincerely hope they manage to do something with the business as I'd hate to see Tescos being the only place selling books in the future. Waterstones staff are expected/encouraged to join book clubs, write book reviews and be aware of trends/new authors/release dates etc and all for not much more than minimum wage. Many are part-time lecturers, published authors, English graduates or have a years of experience in the publishing industry. All very sad. I guess this is how the monks felt when Caxton got busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel in w9 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 So I wonder what the Russian billionaire is going to do with Waterstones? More and more I do despair for England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyracantha Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 (edited) More and more I do despair for England. And the rest of the current UK. Edited May 20, 2011 by pyracantha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel in w9 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Mrs Pyracantha works there. They've been on efficiency drives for months now. Hard to see how the new owner can wring more value out of the business without closing many of the stores or by changing how they do business. I sincerely hope they manage to do something with the business as I'd hate to see Tescos being the only place selling books in the future. Waterstones staff are expected/encouraged to join book clubs, write book reviews and be aware of trends/new authors/release dates etc and all for not much more than minimum wage. Many are part-time lecturers, published authors, English graduates or have a years of experience in the publishing industry. All very sad. I guess this is how the monks felt when Caxton got busy. Did you see the segment last night on Channel 4 news about the rise and rise of the British supermarket chains? Pretty soon all high streets will just be a collection of Tescos, Sainsbury's and Waitrose. How depressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Did you see the segment last night on Channel 4 news about the rise and rise of the British supermarket chains? Pretty soon all high streets will just be a collection of Tescos, Sainsbury's and Waitrose. How depressing. "But they give people what they want." Presumably what most people want is a dull, depressing, identical country where at least everything is convenient and you can get everything cheap, providing you're happy with never having quality. As you say, how depressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishfinger Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 It's a beginning of a new chapter in Waterstone's history.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorJ Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 You can't have your book and eat it.......................... .....................I'll get me coat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeSeeking Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 This story has been covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash4781 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Peston has 'HMV thrown lifeline by banks' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13467846 Its banks, led by Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds, have decided in principle to back the plan of Simon Fox, HMV's chief executive, to revive HMV stores by switching more of their stock into electronic goods, especially tablets (see my note, "Can HMV reinvents itself", for more on this). The sales declines in the trading update are massive. Oh the £53m seems a bit cheap if as Peston says there are no liabilities.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efdemin Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Peston has 'HMV thrown lifeline by banks' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13467846 The sales declines in the trading update are massive. Oh the £53m seems a bit cheap if as Peston says there are no liabilities.? Do HMV seriously think selling tablets will save them? Maybe they should ask PC World/Currys how it's working out for them first. Push the internet shop more (it's actually not bad now and the prices are competitive with Amazon, Play etc.) and concentrate on music more. (Didn't HMV use to sell gig tickets in-store?) Leave low-margin electronics to some other mug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eek Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Do HMV seriously think selling tablets will save them? Maybe they should ask PC World/Currys how it's working out for them first. Push the internet shop more (it's actually not bad now and the prices are competitive with Amazon, Play etc.) and concentrate on music more. (Didn't HMV use to sell gig tickets in-store?) Leave low-margin electronics to some other mug. Well they are low margin as the electronics is the only thing not being discounted with their 20% off voucher (this weekend). As the last chain doing this sort of deal was Woolworth's I think HMV are on their very last legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John The Pessimist Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 So I wonder what the Russian billionaire is going to do with Waterstones? Loads of bling & pole dancers................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybong Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 (edited) The retailer has been struggling to cope with declining sales in the face of increasingly fierce competition from supermarkets and online retailers such as Amazon and iTunes. It wouldn't be a total surprise if quite soon the malls and the high street start to look like ghost towns - renamed as The Ghost Mall, The Tumbleweed Centre, The Dusty Mall and so on. From converstion I've noticed that internet purchasing has started to become quite widespread and who can blame people the price differentials are so massive these days. Another consequence of land and property prices etc as well as the taxes to support council ventures such as council estate agencies. The oil price has a significant impact as well as general inflation. Like so many things in the UK the whole thing is so unbalanced and out of kilter mainly to suit various VIs. The Tumbeleweed Centre won't happen yet or at least not "tomorrow" of course Edited May 20, 2011 by billybong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Do HMV seriously think selling tablets will save them? What kind of tablets ? Ecstacy/amphetamines etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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