BHS

[TheOstrich]

As you'll know from the news today, British Home Stores has gone into administration.

We have one locally in Sutton Coldfield, quite a big one, but it's up against House of Frazer and Marks & Spencer. To be honest, we've hardly used BHS, Mrs O has pretty much stopped browsing in there, and whenever we've tried their cafe, I've always thought it a but unkempt and sleazy compared with the Cafe Zest in HOF - BHS had rather old-fashioned formica-style tables, and they weren't very good at clearing/cleaning them, IMO.

Do you use BHS at all?

[saundra]

We don't have one here nearest is 30mile away in hull
But I used it alot when we lived the in the past
I liked it the same as Woolworths C/A
And such it's a great shame it was lovely for wedding department
A sign of the times I think

[meriad]

We have one in Woking but it's not in the main shopping centres (there are two large ones, Peacocks and The Wolseley Centre and they're linked by a walkway) These two centres have a quite a few clothing shops so I suspect most new comers to Woking wouldn't even know that BHS exists as it is a bit out of the way

But I usually do find a few nice bits and pieces in there when I do go; good enough quality for not too bad a price

[jenniren]

We've used BHS a lot over the years.

You're right Saundra, the wedding department was brilliant, it's where we got the bridesmaid and page outfits from when youngest daughter got married. I also used to buy all my summer holiday cotton trousers from them, great value. Good swimwear too. Also liked their lighting department. It seems to have gone downhill since Phillip Green took over, he ran it down and then sold it for peanuts. Feel very sorry for all the staff, they'd not long opened a big new store in Swindon.

[Workingman]

I always had BHS down as a British version of C&A. The stuff was good quality at reasonable prices, but it was not cutting edge; this left it in a bit of a 'no-man's land' as far as shoppers went. It is a shame because I am convinced there is a place for shops selling stuff that lasts that bit longer.

It is a devastating blow for its 11,000 workforce.

[Kaz]

I've hardly bought anything in there for the past few years, apart from some swimwear as their holiday clothing is surprisingly good. I just feel so sorry for the 11,000 jobs which are on the line

Agreeing that their lighting dept. used to be really good!

[saundra]

I forgot about there lighting department it was brilliant
But now every high street store has to compete with the one line shopper me

[Aggers]

We have a BHS in our main shopping centre, but I've never been in it.
It's at the end of the main square, and we never seem to get that far.

[Suff]

I've seen the drop in quality of goods. We nearly bought ceiling two lights there two years back but they didn't have any in stock where we were travelling so it didn't happen. We did, however, buy 3 floor standing lights. Which have proved to be of very poor quality and eat bulbs at a prodigious rate.

The Greens may have failed to invest enough in BHS to keep it afloat, but then I feel M&S quality in clothes has dropped to the point where I would not buy from them if it were not for the fact that my leg length is 29" and almost everyone else on the planet seems to feel that Jeans leg lengths start at 30". Ditto Suits.

We live in a different world where many of us only go to shops once we have expired the options of the internet. This will change more as the current teenagers evolve into the middle aged shoppers. Our high streets are going to change more and more over the coming decades and the winners are not going to be obvious.

I saw a comment in the FT which said

If we are furious with entrepreneurs both when they succeed and when they fail, then our values need examining as much as theirs

Quite!

[TheOstrich]

It's being reported today that Austin Reed (the tailors) are going into administration ... another 1970's High Street name going.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... nistration