What will collapse next....

[NoHPCinTheUK]

Pizza Hut filed for bankruptcy in the US

[Odysseus]

44 minutes ago, Confusion of VIs said:

Weather permitting, I will be back with the wife at our favourite craft beer bar on Saturday afternoon enjoying £6 beers in the sunshine.  The chances of us dropping in for a £3 pint at the nearby Wetherspoon (no beer garden, huge floor area and not much ventilation) are pretty close to zero. 

Wetherspoon relied on packed bars to make money and even then operated on very thin margins, I wonder if that business model will see them through the next couple of years. 

Enjoy it while it lasts - I can’t help feeling that pubs will be the whipping boys of the second wave

[byron78]

I now live in a world where the US President is defending the Russian President, from allegations Russia paid militants to kill Western troops. And defending him as if his life depends on it (which presumably it does).

So with that in mind, I'm going for "America" as the next significant collapse...

[Council estate capitalist]

Just did some calculation on how exactly the phasing out of the furlough scheme will affect employers costs to retain workers. For many it will be cheaper to make redundancies and re-hire down the line if needed. 

[shlomo]

45 minutes ago, Neapolitan said:

Pizza Hut filed for bankruptcy in the US

Shocking 

[NoHPCinTheUK]

Microsoft to close all their stores. Not that they made any sense anyway...

[jonb2]

55 minutes ago, byron78 said:

I now live in a world where the US President is defending the Russian President, from allegations Russia paid militants to kill Western troops. And defending him as if his life depends on it (which presumably it does).

So with that in mind, I'm going for "America" as the next significant collapse...

Agree B78.

Been saying it for the last few years too.

Trouble is they are the epicentre, the hot bed, of neo-liberalism. Busted flush.

[MarkG]

6 hours ago, byron78 said:

I now live in a world where the US President is defending the Russian President, from allegations Russia paid militants to kill Western troops. And defending him as if his life depends on it (which presumably it does).

Why, exactly would the Russians need to pay Afghans to shoot Americans? They've been doing it for twenty years just for grins.

The whole thing is simply retarded, which is why the US military dismissed it out-of-hand.

But I agree that the USA is going the same way as the USSR. I'll be surprised if it survives to the end of the next Presidential term, be it Trump or Creepy Joe.

Edit: Actually, I'd go further than that. I think democracy is going to be the biggest collapse of the next decade or so.

Edited July 1, 2020 by MarkG

[byron78]

29 minutes ago, MarkG said:

Why, exactly would the Russians need to pay Afghans to shoot Americans? They've been doing it for twenty years just for grins.

The whole thing is simply retarded, which is why the US military dismissed it out-of-hand.

But I agree that the USA is going the same way as the USSR. I'll be surprised if it survives to the end of the next Presidential term, be it Trump or Creepy Joe.

Edit: Actually, I'd go further than that. I think democracy is going to be the biggest collapse of the next decade or so.

Isn't it US Intelligence that's briefed Trump?

The story is basically "US Intelligence found links to Russia funding militants, showed it to Trump, because... President".The press are leaked news such a report exists. Trump denies having ever seen this.

Why would Russia do that? This explains the tactics better than me (clue: it's not specific to this, but part of a much wider objective).

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/05/gerasimov-doctrine-russia-foreign-policy-215538

 

Edited July 1, 2020 by byron78

[spyguy]

13 hours ago, Neapolitan said:

Pizza Hut filed for bankruptcy in the US

Largest Pizza Hut franchisee.

Ill miss Pizza Hut if it goes inthe UK.

Shockingly good value when me n kids buy a large cheese n tom and get full run of the salad bar.

[xxxx]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jul/01/john-lewis-to-close-several-stores-as-harrods-cuts-700-jobs-coronavirus

[Patfig]

15 hours ago, Neapolitan said:

Pizza Hut filed for bankruptcy in the US

Texas Franchisee

[scottbeard]

23 hours ago, Sausage said:

It all adds up...

A huge and growing total!  Some of course offset by jobs that the lockdown created - Sainsbury's have hired 25,000 people in the last 3 months to boost online deliveries https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53246091

However, I'd also expect to see supermarkets letting some people go who work in stores, given that you only need to buy one tube of toothpaste whether it comes from an in store purchase or an online one.

[regprentice]

2 hours ago, xxxx said:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jul/01/john-lewis-to-close-several-stores-as-harrods-cuts-700-jobs-coronavirus

The interesting thing about this is they are withdrawing the staff bonus. So that changes the entire employment proposition of working for JL where it used to be like a mutual and the staff were partner/owners. 

Used to be a great job in the 70s, working in a department store. My Gran and Mum worked for M&S, the store had its own staff dentist, staff hairdresser, good meals for free, staff perks, pick of the sale items before they went out. Final salary pensions even for working class cleaners like my gran who was still getting a free pensioners lunch out once a month almost 20 years after she retired. 

Times have changed though - Now they are on minimum wage on shifts designed to skirt the rules on brakes etc, no bonuses, no freebies, no maintenance on the store, my mums friend tripped on loose lino in a lift that went unrepaired for more than a year, and the last thing my mum complained about was doing away with the canteen and offering sandwiches in a vending machine - and they weren't even free! 

[Errol]

16 hours ago, byron78 said:

I now live in a world where the US President is defending the Russian President, from allegations Russia paid militants to kill Western troops. 

The allegations are laughable, entirely unsubstantiated drivel. Even the US press is now admitting they are without basis.

It's just more Russia bashing and Trump bashing. The deep state hard at work.

Edited July 2, 2020 by Errol

[winkie]

24 minutes ago, regprentice said:

The interesting thing about this is they are withdrawing the staff bonus. So that changes the entire employment proposition of working for JL where it used to be like a mutual and the staff were partner/owners. 

Used to be a great job in the 70s, working in a department store. My Gran and Mum worked for M&S, the store had its own staff dentist, staff hairdresser, good meals for free, staff perks, pick of the sale items before they went out. Final salary pensions even for working class cleaners like my gran who was still getting a free pensioners lunch out once a month almost 20 years after she retired. 

Times have changed though - Now they are on minimum wage on shifts designed to skirt the rules on brakes etc, no bonuses, no freebies, no maintenance on the store, my mums friend tripped on loose lino in a lift that went unrepaired for more than a year, and the last thing my mum complained about was doing away with the canteen and offering sandwiches in a vending machine - and they weren't even free! 

You could say that now about so many British companies, times have most definitely changed....once were proud to work for them, part of a family, safe and secure, job for life even after retirement......now not unusual for firms to treat people as a disposable commodity to be dropped when used and no longer required, no commitment or connection, even so called managers are in the same boat as the staff beneath them......race to the bottom, and they call it progress, progress for who?

[Will!]

2 hours ago, xxxx said:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jul/01/john-lewis-to-close-several-stores-as-harrods-cuts-700-jobs-coronavirus

The Register: Never knowingly under-digitally transformed: Retailer John Lewis outsources tech function to Wipro

Supporting a point @spyguy often makes that often software isn't just something businesses use, software is the business:

Quote

the timing of the move would appear short-termist as techies are the ones that could help John Lewis Partnership build a future as a digital business.

...

[Chairwoman Sharon White] noted in the memo that John Lewis's sales had shifted to 100 per cent online at the height of the pandemic from 40 per cent prior to the crisis, while online sales for the partnership's grocery arm, Waitrose, had climbed from 6 to 13 per cent (and would have been higher had there been the capacity).

 

[user not found]

15 minutes ago, Will! said:

The Register: Never knowingly under-digitally transformed: Retailer John Lewis outsources tech function to Wipro

Supporting a point @spyguy often makes that often software isn't just something businesses use, software is the business:

 

The Partnership previously announced profits (before tax) of £146.4m on revenues of £10.2bn. Wow thats a 1.46% profit margin ... not much better than a savings account!

[byron78]

1 hour ago, Errol said:

The allegations are laughable, entirely unsubstantiated drivel. Even the US press is now admitting they are without basis.

It's just more Russia bashing and Trump bashing. The deep state hard at work.

I've no idea how you've already made up your mind. Presumably not a lot to make up...

[NoHPCinTheUK]

BBC and 450 regional jobs to go. 

[spyguy]

2 hours ago, regprentice said:

The interesting thing about this is they are withdrawing the staff bonus. So that changes the entire employment proposition of working for JL where it used to be like a mutual and the staff were partner/owners. 

Used to be a great job in the 70s, working in a department store. My Gran and Mum worked for M&S, the store had its own staff dentist, staff hairdresser, good meals for free, staff perks, pick of the sale items before they went out. Final salary pensions even for working class cleaners like my gran who was still getting a free pensioners lunch out once a month almost 20 years after she retired. 

Times have changed though - Now they are on minimum wage on shifts designed to skirt the rules on brakes etc, no bonuses, no freebies, no maintenance on the store, my mums friend tripped on loose lino in a lift that went unrepaired for more than a year, and the last thing my mum complained about was doing away with the canteen and offering sandwiches in a vending machine - and they weren't even free! 

I used to buy stuff unthinking from MnS. It used to be a no brainer.

Socks, tshirts, pants, formal shirts, even a suit, when I wore them.

Never bought shoes mind. Ive always stuck to Solovair.

Back in the day of St Michael, and all sourced in the UK, which provided a bottom line on quality.

Ive had so many niggles with stuff since they started down the line of chasing the cheaper supplier. Really stupid mistakes like a pair of pants in multipack that were two backbits sewn together.

It shows th dumb short sightedness of the Greenbury period that there old (crap) jean maker has been revitalised to good (but a bit too dear for me) jeans:

https://hiutdenim.co.uk/collections/mens?gclid=CjwKCAjwi_b3BRAGEiwAemPNU9b7vnrNPthSj9rq1Trb_fEEAuv41JYywzZZ1aeezAZ5zgB68T-lVBoC1l4QAvD_BwE

Im stll looking after ~501, which are great for long legs (MnS sizing tends to be stumpy and obese, the waste sizxes getting bigrer whilst the leg sticks at 30inch), which a heavier denim.

 

 

[PeanutButter]

18 hours ago, byron78 said:

I now live in a world where the US President is defending the Russian President, from allegations Russia paid militants to kill Western troops. And defending him as if his life depends on it (which presumably it does).

So with that in mind, I'm going for "America" as the next significant collapse...

I’ve often felt that Putin would love nothing more than the dissolution of the US union (and the EU) as an incredibly long payback for the end of the USSR. 

Formenting the strife between red and blue states, the urban/rural divide, racial tensions, pro and anti choice, the 2A, immigration and so forth...and Texas has always been ready to break away. 

Putin is a machiavellian master IMO.

[spyguy]

1 hour ago, Will! said:

The Register: Never knowingly under-digitally transformed: Retailer John Lewis outsources tech function to Wipro

Supporting a point @spyguy often makes that often software isn't just something businesses use, software is the business:

 

JL online sales are almost 50% of revenue.

Yet they are prepared to throw their software/IT team under a bus to outsource to Wipro.

I have several offhand experience of Wipro. Non direct thank god.

They are terrible.

It shows how gormless JL leadership is, starting with the idiot ex squaddy, followed buy a public sector quango seat warmer. These never were -- or are - the people to lead JL.

The ex squaddy is responsible for building way too many outlets, putting JL stored where a tesco or aldi would do much better. JL department stores are only suitable for every ~60 miles/top 10% income areas.  Waitrose can be go to the top 30% of income.

God knows what Ms White will do.

JL need to be concentrating on their IT and logistics, thats all. Theyve enough store mangers and buyers to sort out their pricing and store locations.

Theres a strong possibility that JL will go under. Or at least no longer be JL.

 

 

[Warwick-Watcher]

12 minutes ago, spyguy said:

I used to buy stuff unthinking from MnS. It used to be a no brainer.

Socks, tshirts, pants, formal shirts, even a suit, when I wore them.

Never bought shoes mind. Ive always stuck to Solovair.

Back in the day of St Michael, and all sourced in the UK, which provided a bottom line on quality.

Ive had so many niggles with stuff since they started down the line of chasing the cheaper supplier. Really stupid mistakes like a pair of pants in multipack that were two backbits sewn together.

It shows th dumb short sightedness of the Greenbury period that there old (crap) jean maker has been revitalised to good (but a bit too dear for me) jeans:

https://hiutdenim.co.uk/collections/mens?gclid=CjwKCAjwi_b3BRAGEiwAemPNU9b7vnrNPthSj9rq1Trb_fEEAuv41JYywzZZ1aeezAZ5zgB68T-lVBoC1l4QAvD_BwE

Im stll looking after ~501, which are great for long legs (MnS sizing tends to be stumpy and obese, the waste sizxes getting bigrer whilst the leg sticks at 30inch), which a heavier denim.

 

 

Interesting that Levi's make jeans in many different styles and have waist/leg length combos in individual inches so you can get 33/32, or 34/34 etc. Why the heck none of the UK department stores (JL, M&S etc.) do the same is beyond me.

[Confusion of VIs]

2 hours ago, regprentice said:

The interesting thing about this is they are withdrawing the staff bonus. So that changes the entire employment proposition of working for JL where it used to be like a mutual and the staff were partner/owners. 

Used to be a great job in the 70s, working in a department store. My Gran and Mum worked for M&S, the store had its own staff dentist, staff hairdresser, good meals for free, staff perks, pick of the sale items before they went out. Final salary pensions even for working class cleaners like my gran who was still getting a free pensioners lunch out once a month almost 20 years after she retired. 

Times have changed though - Now they are on minimum wage on shifts designed to skirt the rules on brakes etc, no bonuses, no freebies, no maintenance on the store, my mums friend tripped on loose lino in a lift that went unrepaired for more than a year, and the last thing my mum complained about was doing away with the canteen and offering sandwiches in a vending machine - and they weren't even free! 

And if you had 40yrs in final salary meant final salary, 100% of earnings inflation linked for life.