Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

[telstarbox]

That is a voluntary code not the law.

 

[Techniquest]

High time it did become law though! Shops happily selling high caffeine products to children should hang their heads in shame.

 

[dgl]

I would ban energy drinks all together, but then I don't drink them and that's probably something for a different thread.

 

[_toommm_]

Whenever I buy a Red Bull or similar in Morrisons and use the self checkout, I get the age check, so there must be some current reluctance to sell these kinds of drinks to young people.

Interestingly though Morrisons has partnered with Yoti to allow people to age-check themselves through the use of AI. I've only seen it at the Morrisons in Guiseley in Leeds, but it should be rolled out amongst five of the big supermarket chains. They claim accuracy within 2.2 years, and within 1.5 years for those between 16 and 20. If it can't detect your age, it requires manual intervention:

Anecdotally, I've found a lot of people unaware that energy drinks need ID. Indeed I got told to 'f*** off' the other day when I said I can't accept a picture of someone's ID on their phone for a RedBull.

Supermarkets trial facial age estimation technology - Grocery Gazette - Latest Grocery Industry News

Five of the UK's biggest supermarkets are to trial facial age estimation technology for customers purchasing Challenge 25 products.

www.grocerygazette.co.uk

 

[Bald Rick]

Interestingly though Morrisons has partnered with Yoti to allow people to age-check themselves through the use of AI. I've only seen it at the Morrisons in Guiseley in Leeds, but it should be rolled out amongst five of the big supermarket chains. They claim accuracy within 2.2 years, and within 1.5 years for those between 16 and 20. If it can't detect your age, it requires manual intervention:

Anecdotally, I've found a lot of people unaware that energy drinks need ID. Indeed I got told to 'f*** off' the other day when I said I can't accept a picture of someone's ID on their phone for a RedBull.

Supermarkets trial facial age estimation technology - Grocery Gazette - Latest Grocery Industry News

Five of the UK's biggest supermarkets are to trial facial age estimation technology for customers purchasing Challenge 25 products.

www.grocerygazette.co.uk

yes I’ve had an automatic age check at my local Tesco Metro; a very welcome development.

 

[david1212]

Morrisons tried to launch their own convenience stores (similar to Tesco Express) a few years ago, called 'M Local', but it didn't work out. So their new approach to the convenience market is to act as a wholesaler (they brought back the Safeway brand for this reason), and to franchise the Morrisons Daily brand ...

Maybe wrong but I think by the time Morrisons were opening M Local overall Tesco Express, Sainsburys Local and Co-op had taken the majority of the most viable locations.

Premier is a franchised convenience store fascia operated by Booker, who are now owned by Tesco

I didn't know that.

It has been reported that those rebranded and operating as Morrisons Daily were generally doing well. However I suspect at other end of spectrum McColls have a number of stores not really covering costs.

....

I suspect some will close, others survive, but depends on local conditions and competition of each store

The now Morrisons Daily with the Post Office near me always has customers. Of course if the value of the sales against stock purchase and overheads generates a worthwhile profit is a different question. From what I see a significant proportion of the Post Office counter business is receipt of pre-paid returns and postage bought online e.g. eBay sales so no actual sale transaction.

There is no competition in the immediate area so I hope the store and Post Office survive.

 

[GusB]

Maybe wrong but I think by the time Morrisons were opening M Local overall Tesco Express, Sainsburys Local and Co-op had taken the majority of the most viable locations.

Co-op had actually sold a lot (298) of their smaller convenience stores to McColls in 2016 - possibly a contributory factor in McColls current predicament. There were 4 small Co-ops in my area until then, all of which which had been Alldays stores; 2 have since been sold to McColls, 1 was retained by the Co-op and the 4th was closed completely.

Co-op convenience store sell-off to McColl's approved

Co-op's sale of 298 of its food stores to convenience chain McColl's is cleared by the competition regulator.

www.bbc.co.uk

Co-op's sale of 298 of its food stores to convenience chain McColl's has been approved by the competition regulator.
McColl's said the final clearance from the Competition and Markets Authority would "substantially accelerate" its growth strategy.
"This is a transformational deal," said McColl's boss Jonathan Miller.
McColl's said it would begin to integrate the Co-op stores into its network by the end of January, with all conversions completed by August.
The purchase means McColl's will now have around 1,300 convenience stores across the UK.
In July, the Co-op said it had decided to sell the stores because they were too small to stock a full range of its own-label goods, an area it was trying to increase.
The stores being sold have an average size of 1,700 sq ft, well below the Co-op's ideal sized store of between 3,000 and 3,500 sq ft.

 

[Gloster]

Recent entries on this thread have made me look into the ownership of one of my village shops: it is a Premier, which is a symbol group owned by Tesco Plc. It is in competition with the other village shop, a Tesco Express.

 

[Kite159]

Co-op had actually sold a lot (298) of their smaller convenience stores to McColls in 2016 - possibly a contributory factor in McColls current predicament. There were 4 small Co-ops in my area until then, all of which which had been Alldays stores; 2 have since been sold to McColls, 1 was retained by the Co-op and the 4th was closed completely.

Co-op convenience store sell-off to McColl's approved

Co-op's sale of 298 of its food stores to convenience chain McColl's is cleared by the competition regulator.

www.bbc.co.uk

That explains why one of the Co-Ops in Andover changed to a McColls, which closed down last year (taking a post office with it). Although the writing was on the wall for that particular shop when Tesco opened an Express store less than 5 minutes walk away.

Bad news for the staff who might be out of a job, especially in those branches of McColls which don't make a decent margin due to various reasons which might get closed.

 

[johnnychips]

If I have nothing else to do on Sundays, I use my Travelmaster pass to have a ride to the beautiful town of Penistone. In the town centre are a Spar and a Co-op, opposite each other. I find the Co-op has just about acceptable prices - though I rarely buy anything, but the Spar is eye-wateringly dear. Two hundred yards away is a big Tesco. All are surviving, so perhaps people are happy to pay high prices for convenience.

 

[ungreat]

If the Tory party was a company I'd love it to disappear soon

 

[GusB]

That explains why one of the Co-Ops in Andover changed to a McColls, which closed down last year (taking a post office with it). Although the writing was on the wall for that particular shop when Tesco opened an Express store less than 5 minutes walk away.

Bad news for the staff who might be out of a job, especially in those branches of McColls which don't make a decent margin due to various reasons which might get closed.

In all honesty I cannot say when I was last in a McColls, but I do remember their prices being rather eye-watering. The former-Alldays Co-ops tended to be slightly dearer on certain products than "mainstream" Co-op stores anyway, so I'd imagine that any further price increases after that would have driven some people away if they had nearby alternatives. The more recent rise in inflation was probably the final straw.

 

[Ashley Hill]

My local McColls recently closed citing staff shortages. It’s opening hours had been cut and cut due to this leading to its demise. The one a bit further away was due to become a Morrisons Daily but I don’t suppose that’ll happen now.

 

[johntea]

There is convenience overkill in some areas of course…

Take Starbeck / Knaresborough Road as an example
-One Stop near the hospital
-Co Op a bit further down
-McColls near said Co Op (now closed down)
-Lidl (under development)
-Tesco Express (Petrol Station)
-Co Op just after Starbeck station
-McColls near said Co Op (burnt down several years ago)

It’s a 0.7 mile walk between all of those!!!

 

[DelayRepay]

In all honesty I cannot say when I was last in a McColls, but I do remember their prices being rather eye-watering. The former-Alldays Co-ops tended to be slightly dearer on certain products than "mainstream" Co-op stores anyway, so I'd imagine that any further price increases after that would have driven some people away if they had nearby alternatives. The more recent rise in inflation was probably the final straw.

My mum's nearest convenience store was a McColls, it was one of the stores they bought from the Co-op in 2016. She stopped using it because it was so expensive and didn't have good availability. Only a minute's walk away was another Co-op (different society) so she went there instead.

The McColls closed before Christmas. It's now called Family Shopper which I think is another of Booker/Tesco's symbol groups. But mum reports it's cheaper than McColls and has better availability of stock too.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Recent entries on this thread have made me look into the ownership of one of my village shops: it is a Premier, which is a symbol group owned by Tesco Plc. It is in competition with the other village shop, a Tesco Express.

The shop won’t be owned by Booker/Tesco, it’ll be a franchisee. The supply of product is via Booker, and the franchisee will pay a licensing fee for the use of the brand and access to stock at far better prices than they’d get if they were truly independent.

That explains why one of the Co-Ops in Andover changed to a McColls, which closed down last year (taking a post office with it). Although the writing was on the wall for that particular shop when Tesco opened an Express store less than 5 minutes walk away.

It’s a bit strange down there. Some of the Coops are the Cooperative Group, others are owned by Southern Coop. Southern (and about 15 other independent societies ranging from Southern with 200+ stores down to Allendale with one) are part of FRTS and through them get access to the Coop buying and distribution network. Incidentally as you’ll doubtless be aware one of Coop’s big warehouses is on the outskirts of Andover

 

[Mcr Warrior]

So what's gone wrong with McColls? Over-borrowed, poor turnover/margins, breach of lending obligations, or maybe they've been the poorest performing of the convenience outlets in a competitive market place?

 

[Dai Corner]

So what's gone wrong with McColls? Over-borrowed, poor turnover/margins, breach of lending obligations, or maybe they've been the poorest performing of the convenience outlets in a competitive market place?

Possibly the fact that they are not part of pretty profitable larger companies (Tesco Express, Sainsbury's Local) nor franchised (where the franchisees take most of the financial risk)?

 

[cactustwirly]

The shop won’t be owned by Booker/Tesco, it’ll be a franchisee. The supply of product is via Booker, and the franchisee will pay a licensing fee for the use of the brand and access to stock at far better prices than they’d get if they were truly independent.




It’s a bit strange down there. Some of the Coops are the Cooperative Group, others are owned by Southern Coop. Southern (and about 15 other independent societies ranging from Southern with 200+ stores down to Allendale with one) are part of FRTS and through them get access to the Coop buying and distribution network. Incidentally as you’ll doubtless be aware one of Coop’s big warehouses is on the outskirts of Andover

I don't understand the Southern Coop.
All of the products and stores are branded Coop, but they don't accept the Coop offers.

This is really confusing for the customer, if they're not gonna accept Coop offers then they shouldn't be a Coop.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I don't understand the Southern Coop.
All of the products and stores are branded Coop, but they don't accept the Coop offers.

This is really confusing for the customer, if they're not gonna accept Coop offers then they shouldn't be a Coop.

They are a different regional co-operative. Withdrew from the national Co-op membership scheme a year or so ago.

 

[SuspectUsual]

I don't understand the Southern Coop.
All of the products and stores are branded Coop, but they don't accept the Coop offers.

This is really confusing for the customer, if they're not gonna accept Coop offers then they shouldn't be a Coop.

They’re a totally separate business, and they control pricing and promotions etc. it is confusing in areas where there are both tCG and independent stores though

 

[DavidGrain]

Remember that the Co-op started as small retail businesses in each town. The CWS Co-operative Wholesale Society acted as the buying agent, and sometimes product manufacturer. Within a few miles of were I live there were 4 separate co-op societies each with their own chain of stores. The word Co-op is not restricted to the CWS member societies.

 

[ComUtoR]

High time it did become law though! Shops happily selling high caffeine products to children should hang their heads in shame.

You would have to define what a high caffeine product is and what a child is. Could a 15yr old buy some Nespresso capsules or a jar of Nescafé?

 

[Techniquest]

You would have to define what a high caffeine product is and what a child is. Could a 15yr old buy some Nespresso capsules or a jar of Nescafé?

Interesting point, not one I'd considered. Part of me says that all caffeine products should be age restricted, given how addictive it is, but then what age to limit it to? 16 seems a little draconian, 18 more reasonable, I'll have to have a think about my views on that!

 

[adc82140]

They’re a totally separate business, and they control pricing and promotions etc. it is confusing in areas where there are both tCG and independent stores though

Add to the confusion Nisa, which is a franchising brand owned by the Co Op group. So Nisa stores sell Co op branded products at often rather inflated prices.

 

[C J Snarzell]

On the topic of Morrisons - they launched smaller outlets of their stores that were called 'Morrisons Local'. There were at least two near me in Wigan that last about five minutes before closing their doors. Does anyone know if these outlets still exist?

Morrisons have also closed three of their bigger stores in my area, including the one in the town centre which I still reckon was a huge mistake.

Regarding the Co-op - are their stores presently under going a corporate rebrand? A few have reverted back to the blue aqua colour of yesteryear, while others are still trading under the green colours.

CJ

 

[Butts]

I'm sure the RSMcColls near me in Falkirk started selling some Safeway Branded Products at one point.

Have the CO-OP of any iteration got any Department Stores left ?

 

[ComUtoR]

Interesting point, not one I'd considered. Part of me says that all caffeine products should be age restricted, given how addictive it is, but then what age to limit it to? 16 seems a little draconian, 18 more reasonable, I'll have to have a think about my views on that!

Also check out the caffeine levels in coffee flavoured ice cream... Did you know that some period pain medication contains caffeine ? Granted you need to be 16 to buy its "suitable" for 12yr olds. What about a can of coke, cuppa tea, dark chocolate ?

A 15yr old or even younger is more than capable of going shopping for their parents/family/self. Its difficult to restrict sales of products, as you also need to recognise that someone buying a product may not be the person using it.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Add to the confusion Nisa, which is a franchising brand owned by the Co Op group. So Nisa stores sell Co op branded products at often rather inflated prices

That’s right, although to add further confusion the NISA distribution operation is currently almost* separate to the Coop’s, so NISA only have access to the part of the Coop range that is stocked in the NISA warehouses, and NISA franchisees don’t have to get everything they sell via the NISA distribution network

* Picking/packing and delivery are separate, but some NISA orders are transhipped from big trunking vehicles onto smaller delivery vehicles at Coop depots, which enabled NISA to save money by moving out of DHL depots

Regarding the Co-op - are their stores presently under going a corporate rebrand? A few have reverted back to the blue aqua colour of yesteryear, while others are still trading under the green colours.

Yes, or at least yes for the ~2,700 stores operated by the Cooperative Group. The other ~1,300 operated by the other Coops (Southern, Central England, Scotmid etc) are in their own corporate colours.

And to further muddy the Coop waters, about 40 of the Cooperative Group stores are operated by franchisees

 

[gg1]

Are McColl's a regional company? I'd never heard of them until the news stories last week.