Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

[Cowley]

Show of hands here how many people have now ordered takeaway pizza when they weren't craving it at the start of reading this page?

Well done, fellow (annoying! ) forumites.

My daughter made us some fantastic sushi tonight or I probably would’ve done.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Show of hands here how many people have now ordered takeaway pizza when they weren't craving it at the start of reading this page?

Well done, fellow (annoying! ) forumites.

I do want one now.

 

[Cowley]

I do want one now.

Actually I could go a slice too.

 

[GusB]

Garlic and tomato and herb base
Mozzarella and herb stuffed crust (brushed with sesame oil)
Pepperoni and red onion topping.

Maybe about £1 in total.

Eating out is falling out of fashion. Home cooking has been in resurgence and dinner parties are in vogue. In the same way that pre loading is destroying pubs and clubs. Home baking and eating in isn't helping the restaurant industry. Pop ups do well because they are also on trend and they are contributing to more and more people moving away from the more traditional dining out experience.

Eating out also demands time and effort. Something the modern generation is lacking.

It's also easier to get takeaway than before. When I was a city-dweller it was fairly easy to get your preferred takeaway, whether it be Chinese, Indian, Pizza etc. delivered free-of-charge, but in pre-smartphone days you generally had to have one of their menus to hand when you placed the order. Some places would deliver menus along with the local free paper, but it was difficult to know what any place had on offer unless you'd physically been to the premises to order and had picked up a leaflet beforehand.
Apps like JustEat put this all in one place. Living 6 and 7 miles from the nearest towns with takeaway outlets, we used to be fleeced with delivery charges unless the order was above a certain amount, and some places wouldn't deliver outwith a certain radius. Living where I do, I don't expect free delivery in the same way I would if I still lived in the city, but the costs have certainly come down. I can live with a £4 delivery charge if there a few of us ordering.

 

[DavidGrain]

I am sorry it is all my fault. Someone mentioned mentioned Pizza Express as falling under the heading of this thread and I innocently asked why people used pizza restaurants these days rather than buying in the supermarkets.

 

[LOL The Irony]

I am sorry it is all my fault. Someone mentioned mentioned Pizza Express as falling under the heading of this thread and I innocently asked why people used pizza restaurants these days rather than buying in the supermarkets.

Well if you do want to shop buy, go to Aldi or get one from the pizza counters of a supermarket (if they have one).

 

[Typhoon]

I am sorry it is all my fault. Someone mentioned mentioned Pizza Express as falling under the heading of this thread and I innocently asked why people used pizza restaurants these days rather than buying in the supermarkets.

Sir, there will be pizzerias (and some supermarkets) up and down the country toasting you every time the till rings. (Do they still do that?)
You are almost certainly (partly) responsible for adding to the GDP of the country, no need to apologise!

 

[johntea]

I get a 50% NHS discount at Dominos, but you have to collect and the individual pizza pricing is so expensive it usually works out cheaper just to use one of their offers anyway! (which for obvious reasons don't allow the 50% discount on top!)

Also a 20% discount at Nandos

So a healthy workforce in the NHS as you can see!

 

[underbank]

So a healthy workforce in the NHS as you can see!

That explains all the obese nursing and admin staff then.

 

[sprunt]

Spudulike is in trouble

Baked potato specialist Spudulike is seeking landlords’ backing for a rescue restructure involving rent cuts and closures in the latest sign of meltdown on the high street. The chain, which was popular in the 1980s and 1990s when it became synonymous with [URL='https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/jan/22/harry-enfield-cant-do-same']Harry Enfield and Kathy Burke creations Wayne and Waynetta Slob who

named their second child “Spud-u-lika”, wants to close at least four of its 31 outlets.

Landlords, who are being asked to approve the changes next week, said they were being asked to slash rents to as little as 10% of turnover and offer a business rates holiday in order to keep Spudulike afloat. Advisory firm Leonard Curtis is understood to have been appointed to lead the process.

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...ndlords-for-rent-cuts-in-rescue-restructuring[/URL]

 

[Cowley]

Well if there’s one thing that’s surprised me today it’s finding out that Spudulike was still in existence.
I haven’t seen one of them for years.

 

[Busaholic]

Well if there’s one thing that’s surprised me today it’s finding out that Spudulike was still in existence.
I haven’t seen one of them for years.

Nice cartoon I saw about thirty years ago: left side, a Spudulike, right side, a Spududon'tlike with a litter bin outside overflowing with discarded potatoes. Just tickled me.

 

[Dai Corner]

Sports Direct have delayed reporting their results, which is usually a sign that they are not very good.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48987449

Shares in Mike Ashley's Sport Direct have fallen sharply after it delayed its results, citing uncertainty about trading at the House of Fraser chain it bought last year.

The company, whose results were due on Thursday, added its auditor, Grant Thornton, was facing increased scrutiny of its work for Sports Direct.

Sports Direct also indicated that it may not achieve its profits forecast.

The company's results may be delayed to 23 August.

Sports Direct said that other companies' audits were also taking longer.

• Mike Ashley - thwarted saviour of Debenhams or serial sinner?

In December, when Sports Direct published its half-year results, it said that, excluding House of Fraser, operating profits were expected to grow by between 5% and 15%.

But in its latest update, the company said: "There are a number of key areas to conclude on which could materially affect the guidance given in Sports Direct announcement of 13 December".

Around that time, Mr Ashley had described trading as "unbelievably bad".

News of the delay in Sports Direct's results sent its shares down more than 10% in early trading on Monday.

Mike Ashley owns huge swathes of the High Street. As well as buying House of Fraser for £90m - saying he wanted to turn it into the "Harrods of the High Street" - he has also bought Evans Cycles and owns several sportswear brands, as well as lingerie firm Agent Provocateur and luxury fashion chain Flannels.

Earlier this year, he had tried to have himself installed as chief executive of Debenhams, but instead had his stake in the chain wiped out when the retailer was rescued by its lenders.

On Monday, Sports Direct also announced it was close to taking control of Game Digital.

 

[SteveP29]

Sports Direct have delayed reporting their results, which is usually a sign that they are not very good.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48987449

Good, I hope Mike Ashley is left destitute in a ditch in one of his 70% off puffa jackets

 

[ComUtoR]

Good, I hope Mike Ashley is left destitute in a ditch in one of his up to70% off puffa jackets

Corrected that for you.

 

[SteveP29]

Corrected that for you.

Thanks, you'd think after 12 years of savaging my club and making hundreds of millions off the back of it that I'd be savvy enough to get every detail about him and his practices right. Complete anger over Steve bloody Bruce took over yesterday morning though.

 

[ComUtoR]

He has made it a practice of buying up failed or failing businesses. When the Bans were buying up 'toxic debt' it had a negative impact on their bottom line and eventually broke the system. I wonder if this is happening with Sports Direct.

I remember when Boots started to acquire local Chemists and Pharmacies purely to obtain their license and property. A common tactic in retail was to buy up stores and then reshuffle to get better position on the high street.

A little bit of me would be glad to see him fail but there are people on the ground to consider.

 

[SteveP29]

A little bit of me would be glad to see him fail but there are people on the ground to consider.

Without doubt I'd have the greatest of sympathy for those at the sharp end, and I'd hope they'd get back into employment as soon as possible, but him, him I have no time for at all, his downfall can't come soon enough for me.

 

[Busaholic]

Good, I hope Mike Ashley is left destitute in a ditch in one of his 70% off puffa jackets

Bit too good for him, I'd say.

 

[Cowley]

Jewsons are a company (I might actually have said this upthread already) that I’m surprised is still going.
Both branches in Exeter and also the one in Crediton always seem to be overpriced and quiet.
There was a time when they were the major player, but others do it far better these days.

 

[Darandio]

The Sports Direct soap opera rumbles on.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49124375

There is confusion surrounding the release of results from Mike Ashley's Sports Direct, after the firm failed to publish them throughout Friday.

In a statement, Sports Direct said it was "still finalising" the results, and would give a further update at 16:00.

However, that deadline has now passed and the firm's share price has closed down 3.9%.

It is extremely unusual for results to be delayed in this way - one analyst called events "an utter shambles".

The full-year results have already been delayed once - originally they were due to be reported on 18 July.

At the time, Sports Direct blamed the delay on uncertainty over the future trading performance of the House of Fraser chain, which it bought last year, as well as increased scrutiny of its auditor Grant Thornton. It also indicated that it might not achieve its profits forecast.

'Disregard for shareholders'

UK-listed companies normally publish their results at 07:00, before the London markets open at 08:00. Sports Direct had also been due to give a presentation to investors and media at 09:00.

However, after the results failed to arrive, the firm apologised for the delay and for cancelling the presentation at the last minute.

At midday Sports Direct said it would provide an update at 14:00. Shortly after that time, the company issued a statement that said: "We are still finalising our preliminary results and will update you again at 16:00."

Trading on the stock market closed at 16:30 without a further update or sign of Sports Direct's results.

Neil Wilson, chief market analyst for Markets.com, said the events were "a total and utter shambles" that "betrays a number of problems at the business after [Mr] Ashley embarked on his rather random acquisition spree."

"Above all it betrays a total disregard for shareholders," he said.

 

[John Griffiths]

Looks like House of Fraser haven' t much longer left.

 

[Dai Corner]

Sports Direct results were eventually published. Their head of finance has quit, they regret buying House of Fraser and owe the Belgian Government €674m

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49133626

Sports Direct says it regrets rescuing House of Fraser in its much-delayed results, which revealed a €674m (£605m) tax bill from Belgium authorities.
The firm, which bought the department store out of administration a year ago, said: "If we had the gift of hindsight we might have made a different decision in August 2018."
It described problems at House of Fraser as "nothing short of terminal".
It added it was in talks with Belgium officials to resolve the tax bill.
The full-year results had been due to be published on 15 July but were delayed until 26 July, in part, because of uncertainty over the future trading performance of House of Fraser.

'House of horrors'
Those results had been expected to be published on Friday morning, but were subject to continuous delays throughout the day.
It has now emerged that Sports Direct, which is majority-owned and run by billionaire Mike Ashley, was hit by the tax bill by Belgian authorities on 25 July.
The company said the request for back taxes is linked to the way its goods are moved throughout the European Union and are taxed in Belgium.
Meanwhile, it also said that its chief financial officer of two years, Jon Kempster, is stepping down and will be succeeded by his deputy, Chris Wootton.
Commenting on House of Fraser, Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com, said: "It's a House of horrors, more like."
He said Sports Direct had "every reason to regret buying House of Fraser now".
"It's such a shame as there were such high hopes," he added.

 

[Cowley]

Sports Direct results were eventually published. Their head of finance has quit, they regret buying House of Fraser and owe the Belgian Government €674m

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49133626

That’s quite some tax bill!

 

[Busaholic]

I think we can take it Ashley's no longer interested in Debenham's.

 

[DavidGrain]

When I was working in the financial sector we had a saying "Bad figures always take longer to prepare"

 

[cactustwirly]

I think the holiday sector is going to collapse in a big heap, especially with competition from Airbnb, Low Cost Carriers and sites like booking.com

 

[bramling]

I think the holiday sector is going to collapse in a big heap, especially with competition from Airbnb, Low Cost Carriers and sites like booking.com

Must admit being someone all of whose holidays are in the U.K. I find booking.com wonderful, although it’s not so wonderful for small businesses who have to pay hefty commission fees. It’s so useful to be able to manage everything from a single web page, and be able to reschedule things easily and at short notice in a (futile!) attempt to work around the great British weather!

 

[GusB]

Must admit being someone all of whose holidays are in the U.K. I find booking.com wonderful, although it’s not so wonderful for small businesses who have to pay hefty commission fees. It’s so useful to be able to manage everything from a single web page, and be able to reschedule things easily and at short notice in a (futile!) attempt to work around the great British weather!

This is purely anecdotal, but the folk who run the small hotel along the road were fairly positive about booking.com. We're in a small village on the coast that gets plenty of visitors during the summer months, many of whom are regular caravanners that return year-on-year and use the bar and restaurant. In the low season, and as more people tend to stay at home and have a drink, the bar is much quieter and they rely on contractors working on various local infrastructure projects. We're 7 miles outside of the main town, but room rates tend to be cheaper. What they lose out in commision to the booking agent, they probably gain in higher bar takings than they would normally receive, especially midweek. It also gives a smaller business a web-presence when otherwise they may not have the time, nor expertise to maintain one.

 

[bramling]

This is purely anecdotal, but the folk who run the small hotel along the road were fairly positive about booking.com. We're in a small village on the coast that gets plenty of visitors during the summer months, many of whom are regular caravanners that return year-on-year and use the bar and restaurant. In the low season, and as more people tend to stay at home and have a drink, the bar is much quieter and they rely on contractors working on various local infrastructure projects. We're 7 miles outside of the main town, but room rates tend to be cheaper. What they lose out in commision to the booking agent, they probably gain in higher bar takings than they would normally receive, especially midweek. It also gives a smaller business a web-presence when otherwise they may not have the time, nor expertise to maintain one.

I’ve heard mixed views. Some places tolerate it because it gives them publicity they simply wouldn’t otherwise have had. However I’ve certainly been to a few places where it’s actively despised because of the fees, and only really tolerated on the basis that it gets their name out there, and on the hope that repeat business will be done directly. I’ve also had a few cheeky ones who will send a private email after booking gently hinting that they’ll knock some money off if you cancel with booking.com and re-book directly (one even upgraded us to a 4-poster room for free!).

Certainly from my point of view it’s revolutionised the process of doing U.K. holidays. Can’t even contemplate how things used to be! It’s also good to be able to call up reviews.