Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

[Andyh82]

Talking about Costa, a new one has opened in Manchester, on Mosley Street, ideally placed if you want to spot the trams from the comfort of indoors.

They also seem to be opening stores in former Sainsbury’s cafes, that had previously been closed by the supermarket. Probably some sort of franchise arrangement. They might do better due to being a known brand rather than the old fashioned image of a supermarket branded cafe.

 

[dgl]

Poundstretcher back in the crosshairs.

Poundstretcher restructuring plan needed to avoid administration, court told - AOL

Poundstretcher will “likely have no choice” but to file for administration if a restructuring plan is not approved, the High Court has heard. The discount retailer, which has almost 300 stores and 3,000 staff across the UK, was bought by US investment firm Fortress, which also owns Majestic Wine...

www.aol.com

Interestingly they've just opened a new one in Dorchester in what was Poundland, and finally removed the Poundstretcher signs off the one in Weymouth that's been closed for a few years now (2021 plans were put in to convert the building to smaller units so longer than that).
It was Chris Edwards of Poundworld and now One Beyond that was brought in to Poundstretcher to see what he could do only to not be allowed to do anything productive. Supposedly they'd buy stuff that was cheap but that no one would actually want to buy.

 

[cactustwirly]

Loads of Costa franchises are closing down. 4 or 5 in Sheffield alone in recent years. It’s a brand on the decline.

I agree about staff training at Costa, the amount of baristas that can’t even make a decent Americano is shocking. It’s a business where quality coffee stopped being the priority a long time ago.

I find Nero do a much better cup of coffee, but there aren’t as many of those around.

There are more Nero's than Costa's in Reading town centre tbh

 

[Iskra]

There are more Nero's than Costa's in Reading town centre tbh

Quite possibly, but finding Nero’s away from centres, stations and airports is difficult up North. Costa and Starbucks dominate the out of town market up North, although Costa has probably saturated it somewhat.

The Costa franchises that are closing seemed to be those on the periphery of towns, without being Drive Thru’s but also not having convenient parking. A broader issue for Costa is that the older demographic with disposable income is shrinking, but they aren’t as cool as Starbucks so don’t appeal the Youth as much. Those in the middle have less disposable income to spend on coffee, so have cut back.

Greggs are definitely going after Costa’s market too, a lot of their Senior management are ex-Costa.

I personally bought a Nespresso Machine and a travel cup/flask. I spend about £5 a week on 10 pods and it makes a more reliable Americano than a barista. I occasionally may get a refill from a store when out and about, particularly if the weather is cold but this is occasional.

 

[Russel]

The mention of baristas made me smile; often the stores are so busy that the poor sod on the machine is bashing out coffees at a rate of knots, looking utterly exasperated in the process! Lovingly made it isn’t; what it is though, is consistent.

I disagree on the last point, I find Costa to be the most inconsistent of the big chains, store to store varies wildly, not just of coffee quality but also on how efficient they are at serving and the general cleanliness of the store.

Poundstretcher back in the crosshairs.

Poundstretcher restructuring plan needed to avoid administration, court told - AOL

Poundstretcher will “likely have no choice” but to file for administration if a restructuring plan is not approved, the High Court has heard. The discount retailer, which has almost 300 stores and 3,000 staff across the UK, was bought by US investment firm Fortress, which also owns Majestic Wine...

www.aol.com

The last couple of Poundstretcher stores I've been in have been nothing more than jumble sales to be honest, they are filthy too, to the point where I won't even buy bottled or canned drinks from them, I'm surprised they weren't put out of their misery a long time ago.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 May 2026 ==

There are more Nero's than Costa's in Reading town centre tbh

Nero do seem to be expanding at the moment.

 

[BuhSnarf]

I'm surprised that they've been expanding their Nero brand recently versus some of the more 'trendy' brands they own like 200 Degrees Coffee.

Now, they do a nice cup of coffee.

 

[jon81uk]

They also seem to be opening stores in former Sainsbury’s cafes, that had previously been closed by the supermarket. Probably some sort of franchise arrangement. They might do better due to being a known brand rather than the old fashioned image of a supermarket branded cafe.

My local Sainsbury's turned the cafe into a Starbucks. It does seem like most supermarkets are getting rid of the cafe restaurants. Morrisons always seemed the only one really interested in them.

 

[themeone]

Apparently the Mcdonalds style ordering screens which were mentioned in an earlier post are a trial at selected Costa branches. I saw one in Bromely last year, and they're already used by some of the more niche coffee shops like Black Sheep. I'd be happy to use them myself, but not sure how they'd appeal to Costa customers overall.

I find Costa's coffee always tastes burnt - their tea is actually a lot nicer. Ironically the best coffee for my taste is the free coffee from Waitrose, and I notice their machines are branded "Caffe Nero".

 

[Harpo]

I find Costa's coffee always tastes burnt

Can happen if the coffee basket is put in place and left there for a while instead of immediately putting water through it. A symptom of overworked baristas perhaps?

 

[Merle Haggard]

Can happen if the coffee basket is put in place and left there for a while instead of immediately putting water through it. A symptom of overworked baristas perhaps?

Maybe one overworked 'barista'; but in a couple of station Costa branches I've used there seems to be one or at most two people actually making and serving coffee and another four walking around apparently aimlessly and chatting amongst themselves.

 

[johntea]

Interestingly they've just opened a new one in Dorchester in what was Poundland, and finally removed the Poundstretcher signs off the one in Weymouth that's been closed for a few years now (2021 plans were put in to convert the building to smaller units so longer than that).
It was Chris Edwards of Poundworld and now One Beyond that was brought in to Poundstretcher to see what he could do only to not be allowed to do anything productive. Supposedly they'd buy stuff that was cheap but that no one would actually want to buy.

Saving Poundstretcher was the 3 part Channel 4 documentary with Chris Edwards, still available to watch on Dailymotion (Coconut Water was their big obsession at the time!)

Amusingly the one in Castleford which is one of the ones featured in the documentary closed down, briefly opened up again in the much smaller old Poundworld building (formerly a Woolworths!) then closed up shop there and One Beyond took that

The original building lay dormant for years and years before a Russian supermarket (Mere) was at the final stages of planning to take it…then the Russia/Ukraine war kicked off so that never happened

The council then had numerous plans to turn it into housing, a community hub, a learning centre, splitting it down to multiple retail units but what did we end up with in the end?

…The amusingly named ‘BBM Bargains’ (not B&M!) pretty much filled to the brim with all the same junk Poundstretcher used to sell to begin with!

 

[Steddenm]

Poundstretcher have had some 50% off sales on everything in store when you spend £5 or more in recent times, however the items on the shelves doubled the night before the sale so was a bit of a con.

 

[Tetchytyke]

At least Costa use a coffee grinder and a proper espresso machine. Unlike Starbucks who use bean-to-cup machines, only frothing the milk manually. And, without syrups, Starbucks' espresso is vile, although their filter is pretty good.

Maybe I'm getting old, but I don't mind the fact Costa has a more sedate branding than some of the other coffee chains. I don't want a matcha and I don't want it 'enhanced' with a bright purple tuber or some protein foam, I just want a cup of coffee. I don't massively get the fuss about Black Sheep Coffee either, which just seems to be a quid more expensive than everywhere else but with nothing tangible to show for it.

Of the national chains, Caffe Nero is still the best IMO, but outside of city centres you don't see so many of them.

When I'm in London I still always make a beeline for F*ckoffee, especially the one on Goswell Road in Clerkenwell. Subtle humour, yes (and the swear filter won't let me link to their website!) but very very good coffee. And good music. And squashy sofas.

 

[Leyland Bus]

At least Costa use a coffee grinder and a proper espresso machine. Unlike Starbucks who use bean-to-cup machines, only frothing the milk manually. And, without syrups, Starbucks' espresso is vile, although their filter is pretty good.

Maybe I'm getting old, but I don't mind the fact Costa has a more sedate branding than some of the other coffee chains. I don't want a matcha and I don't want it 'enhanced' with a bright purple tuber or some protein foam, I just want a cup of coffee. I don't massively get the fuss about Black Sheep Coffee either, which just seems to be a quid more expensive than everywhere else but with nothing tangible to show for it.

Of the national chains, Caffe Nero is still the best IMO, but outside of city centres you don't see so many of them.

When I'm in London I still always make a beeline for F*ckoffee, especially the one on Goswell Road in Clerkenwell. Subtle humour, yes (and the swear filter won't let me link to their website!) but very very good coffee. And good music. And squashy sofas.

Are we boardering on a standalone thread over the best coffee shops??

I tried Black Sheep at a store in Manchester and it was rank. Tried another store a week later that was equally rancid, so never been back. It is daftly expensive compared to other places even for middle of Manchester. Definelty prefer the independants, or Nero if there aren't...

 

[cactustwirly]

At least Costa use a coffee grinder and a proper espresso machine. Unlike Starbucks who use bean-to-cup machines, only frothing the milk manually. And, without syrups, Starbucks' espresso is vile, although their filter is pretty good.

Maybe I'm getting old, but I don't mind the fact Costa has a more sedate branding than some of the other coffee chains. I don't want a matcha and I don't want it 'enhanced' with a bright purple tuber or some protein foam, I just want a cup of coffee. I don't massively get the fuss about Black Sheep Coffee either, which just seems to be a quid more expensive than everywhere else but with nothing tangible to show for it.

Of the national chains, Caffe Nero is still the best IMO, but outside of city centres you don't see so many of them.

When I'm in London I still always make a beeline for F*ckoffee, especially the one on Goswell Road in Clerkenwell. Subtle humour, yes (and the swear filter won't let me link to their website!) but very very good coffee. And good music. And squashy sofas.

Just go to independents, my closest ones are cheaper than Starbucks

 

[BuhSnarf]

Just go to independents, my closest ones are cheaper than Starbucks

You say that, but independents aren't always a sign of great coffee. I visited one in London a few years ago a paid just over £4 for an Americano and it was absolutely foul tasting.

 

[Russel]

Apparently the Mcdonalds style ordering screens which were mentioned in an earlier post are a trial at selected Costa branches. I saw one in Bromely last year, and they're already used by some of the more niche coffee shops like Black Sheep. I'd be happy to use them myself, but not sure how they'd appeal to Costa customers overall.

I think the store on Tooley Street next to London Brige station was the testbed for the ordering screens for Costa.

Personally, I like using them, it gives you chance to browse the menu and order at leisure, it also removes the human error element when ordering, Costa never seem to here skimmed milk when ordering in person.

There is a group on Facebook, Keep Cashiers, that would strongly disagree with this, however, but it's a good laugh reading their logic behind why touch screen ordering and self service is a bad thing.

 

[Backroom_boy]

Are we boardering on a standalone thread over the best coffee shops??

I tried Black Sheep at a store in Manchester and it was rank. Tried another store a week later that was equally rancid, so never been back. It is daftly expensive compared to other places even for middle of Manchester. Definelty prefer the independants, or Nero if there aren't...

Blacksheep is my go too for decaff that actually tastes like coffee. But back when I was drinking caffeine, the McDonald's coffee was my baseline, anywhere that wasn't significantly better wasn't worth the extra expence/effort

 

[Mag_seven]

Right can we get back to discussing "Companies that you expect to disappear soon" please.

The last time I looked, Costa, Nero etc did not fall into that category.

 

[35B]

It's completely fair. They are pursuing a bare-minimum, asset-stripping-style policy. They are making no attempt to grow the business as they could have done.

That’s still not because of being private equity, though. Asset stripping has always held a dishonourable place in the business landscape.

Ban Private Equity and you’ll still have asset strippers. Do something about asset stripping, and you’ll get somewhere with the problem.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

That’s still not because of being private equity, though. Asset stripping has always held a dishonourable place in the business landscape.

Ban Private Equity and you’ll still have asset strippers. Do something about asset stripping, and you’ll get somewhere with the problem.

Asset stripping was effectively banned in Europe for two years following a takeover under some clauses in something called the AIFMD ( Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive ); unsurprisingly the UK lost access to that protection when Brexit took effect, so our businesses are once again fair game for asset strippers - although we do have a partial coverage of AIFMD since Brexit, we don't update it and it's only some aspects that are covered; we don't get the full protection.

There does need to be a fine line somewhere - while we certainly cannot have people buying up perfectly healthy companies to simply fire everyone, sell off the assets and pocket the gains, there does need to be scope to make some such reductions where a business is genuinely failing otherwise nobody would ever bother to try to turn those businesses around.

 

[Towers]

….

There does need to be a fine line somewhere - while we certainly cannot have people buying up perfectly healthy companies to simply fire everyone, sell off the assets and pocket the gains, there does need to be scope to make some such reductions where a business is genuinely failing otherwise nobody would ever bother to try to turn those businesses around.

An interesting point; and as an aside to that, can anyone name an obviously failing high street business which actually was turned around successfully under venture capitalists?

 

[CN12]

Steam Traction World has gone into administration, they made model traction engines etc.

 

[Sonic1234]

Cancer Research UK are closing shops. While the charity isn't disappearing, their shops will be disappearing from 190 high streets.

High street giant in place since 1982 closing 190 shops — full list

Several shops have already closed, with many more to follow

www.mirror.co.uk

Commonly, you hear high streets have become nothing but charity shops - but they are closing down now. Possibly oversaturation, and that both the charities and the donors put the best items on eBay, Vinted etc. so the shops are deprived of quality items.

 

[Russel]

Cancer Research UK are closing shops. While the charity isn't disappearing, their shops will be disappearing from 190 high streets.

High street giant in place since 1982 closing 190 shops — full list

Several shops have already closed, with many more to follow

www.mirror.co.uk

Commonly, you hear high streets have become nothing but charity shops - but they are closing down now. Possibly oversaturation, and that both the charities and the donors put the best items on eBay, Vinted etc. so the shops are deprived of quality items.

Surprised my local store isn't on the list, I never see anyone in there.

 

[Harpo]

Cancer Research UK are closing shops. While the charity isn't disappearing, their shops will be disappearing from 190 high streets.

I’d not miss our Cancer Research shop after getting moaned at for bringing stuff in or finding signs specifying exactly what they’d accept. I found a much warmer welcome at a local hospice’s shop.

 

[Russel]

I’d not miss our Cancer Research shop after getting moaned at for bringing stuff in or finding signs specifying exactly what they’d accept. I found a much warmer welcome at a local hospice’s shop.

I've seen that in our local Salvation Army store, some poor bloke getting his head bitten off for not seeing the A4 sign in the window an bringing donations to the wrong til...

Personally, I'd have took the donations and put them in the skip outside at that point!

 

[Sprinter107]

I took some hardly worn clothing into the British Heart Foundation Shop. It wasn't a nice experience. The member of staff certainly wasnt very nice, I shan't be going in there again.

 

[Welly]

I took some hardly worn clothing into the British Heart Foundation Shop. It wasn't a nice experience. The member of staff certainly wasnt very nice, I shan't be going in there again.

No heart at all!

 

[Dai Corner]

No heart at all!

Charity shop workers are likely to be volunteers, unemployed people doing work experience to avoid losing their benefits or criminals doing unpaid community service. I suspect even the most dedicated volunteer would hesitate to challenge poor attitudes from the latter two groups.