Thomas Cook Bexleyheath saved though Bonmarche closing
It’s a tale of two fortunes in Bexleyheath town centre as Thomas Cook looks set to reopen as Hays Travel.
Thing’s don’t look so positive over at Bon Marche which is closing. Owners are looking to close 100 of the stores 318 branches.
Thomas Cook collapsed last month with huge debts.
Will Hays Travel enjoy better fortunes? High street travel agents have struggled for some time.
Another store in trouble is Marks and Spencer which has problems with clothing sales while food holds up. yesterday it announced a big fall in profits and a “slump” in clothing sales. Bexleyheath has a very large store mostly divided between food and clothing either side of the Broadway Centre’s pedestrian avenue.
The Bonmarché in Lewisham shopping centre is having a closing down sale. Another victim of the tough trading conditions and the long austerity period.
M&S have only themselves to blame. There is a blank refusal to take on board what shoppers say, particularly when it comes to womenswear.
The root of the problem is the long working hours and demanding conditions made by employers across the UK. An hour’s lunch with a hot meal is now confined to special occasions or senior management: sandwich at the desk for most people. Late finishes make a mockery of Thursday late night shopping and gridlocked transport doesn’t help.
The likes of Amazon, Graze and any manner of letterbox-friendly companies such as Bloom & Wild have seen that, as a nation we work longer hours for not much money. So they exploit the gap that the traditional 9-5 store cannot cross: availability. Ten years ago I worked in the City and with work email etc would even be pestered at home. Finding time to shop was a luxury – far easier to buy something on the commute or at your desk at work.
If stores are to survive they can’t compete on price or instant gratification but must offer the customer an experience. If all you’re doing is displaying goods then you’re out of luck. It’s the reason John Lewis or Apple survive – dedicated employees fawning over you as you enter. No specialist knowledge (the days of the 20yr veteran who knew the department inside out are long-gone) but an extension of the fantasy that you will look that good/cook thaf amazing meal/have that much more fun if you buy that product.
Online shopping and excessive business rates both have not helped the struggling retailers.
Also having many stores doing basically offices hours and closed by 6 pm are also not helping as a load of people are either still at work or struggling to get home from work on over crowded public transport.
It is really sad seeing our High Streets decline year on year,