Likely into administration at least

<https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>

It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
items without waiting for internet delivery ...

On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 16:56:09 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
wrote:

>Likely into administration at least
>
><https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>
>It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
>they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
>items without waiting for internet delivery ...

I like them too. When I wanted electrical cable by the metre, they
were about the only place that sold it.

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
> Likely into administration at least
>
> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>
> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
> items without waiting for internet delivery ...

They are quite good for large and low value items, which would be expensive
to deliver - like a broom or a washing up bowl. The decorating / car
maintenance / cycling / hardware sections were quite handy if you just
wanted some mainstream items.

I used to buy engine oil from them as it was cheaper than other places, but
the range is pretty useless these days - used to be able to get 5 litres of
full synth for ~£20-25, now they don't even list any 5 litre cans.

Feels like they've gone the way of Woolworths - they aren't convenient and
they aren't cheap any more. It sounds like stock has been lacking too.

It's a bit of the pain for car stuff because EuroCarParts is a mess these
days (massive markup and then messing about with '50% discount codes') and
there's not much carried by SF or TS. So it boils down to delivery, which
can be troublesome for fluids.

Theo

On 03/08/2023 16:56, Andy Burns wrote:
> Likely into administration at least
>
> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>
> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
> items without waiting for internet delivery ...

We pop into one about once a month, and look out for the bargains. It's
been noticeable that for our last couple of visits, there have been very
few customers in the store.

What will be the nearest equivalent left - B&M?

--

Jeff

Jeff Layman wrote:

> We pop into one about once a month, and look out for the bargains. It's
> been noticeable that for our last couple of visits, there have been very
> few customers in the store.
>
> What will be the nearest equivalent left - B&M?

or homebargains? but they both do food/drink which wilko don't.

yorkshire trading company?

Saw some quite savvy shop assistants in homebargains the other week, the
entrance tends to be a bit of a "funnel" to get you from the foyer to
the aisles, there was a young kid hovering near the end of the funnel
with a basket of stuff on the floor, vaguely looking at the shelves,
"what are you looking for?" asks the assistant, "dunno/mumble/whatever"
says the kid, "there's nothing else that way" says the assistant, at
which point the kid kicks the basket across the aisle, legs it, pushing
piles of stuff over as he legs it out of the in door ...

On 03/08/2023 17:06, Scott wrote:
> On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 16:56:09 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
> wrote:
>
>> Likely into administration at least
>>
>> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>>
>> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
>> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
>> items without waiting for internet delivery ...
> I like them too. When I wanted electrical cable by the metre, they
> were about the only place that sold it.
I ended up at Wilkos to buy a 5 metre length of 0.75mm^2 mains flex. I'd
ordered 5 metres from CPC (as part of another order)
What turned up in the box were Qty 5 , one metre lengths of the flex ! 
I phoned to complain, the bloke in customer services just didn't get
what the problem was, saying it was supplied per metre !

I'm a fan too of Wilkos. I've always regarded them as the 21st Century's
version of Woolies.
 Sad to see them go, though my local branch has had very bare shelves
since Covid.

On 03/08/2023 16:56, Andy Burns wrote:
> Likely into administration at least
>
> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>
> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
> items without waiting for internet delivery ...

We've been going into the Loughborough branch roughly every 3 weeks or
so for the past 2 years, mostly as a cut through, and to buy basics.
We said last December that they looked like they were going bust, so
many empty shelves, and very little christmas stuff at the beginning of
December.
Then I looked them up, they had sold their warehouse to rent it back,
for something like £30M, but they still wanted more money to keep them
going.
It has been clear for months that some suppliers will not supply them,
the shelves are getting emptier each week, basic stuff that would be
staples were not on the shelves, Rennies, Harpic toilet cleaner,
chocolate raisins, and loads of other things we get from them.
TBH, other stores do it better than them now, Home Bargains and B&M are
far better with a bigger range of goods than Wilko.
--
Remove the '+' and replace with 'plus' to reply by email

On 03/08/2023 16:56, Andy Burns wrote:

> Likely into administration at least
>
> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>
> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
> items without waiting for internet delivery ...

I shall have to stock up on lantern batteries.

--
Max Demian

Mark Carver <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> I ended up at Wilkos to buy a 5 metre length of 0.75mm^2 mains flex. I'd
> ordered 5 metres from CPC (as part of another order)
> What turned up in the box were Qty 5 , one metre lengths of the flex ! 
> I phoned to complain, the bloke in customer services just didn't get
> what the problem was, saying it was supplied per metre !

That's a CPC problem. Order 10 diodes and you get them in 10 individual
bags each with a handwritten part number, each having been cut from the same
piece of tape!

(why they still use handwritten labels on their baggies I don't know, surely
it's quicker/cheaper to have a printed label? The Farnell part of the group
at least invested in label printing machines)

Theo

Alan Lee <alan@darkroom.plus.com> wrote:
> Then I looked them up, they had sold their warehouse to rent it back,
> for something like £30M, but they still wanted more money to keep them
> going.

Oh dear, that's what did for Woolies. They sold off their stores and rented
them back, only it turned out that others were offering the landlords more
rent. So ours became a Next.

> It has been clear for months that some suppliers will not supply them,
> the shelves are getting emptier each week, basic stuff that would be
> staples were not on the shelves, Rennies, Harpic toilet cleaner,
> chocolate raisins, and loads of other things we get from them.
> TBH, other stores do it better than them now, Home Bargains and B&M are
> far better with a bigger range of goods than Wilko.

Sounds like Wilko were the new Woolies, and HB/B&M are the new Wilko.

Theo

On 03/08/2023 19:41, Andy Burns wrote:
> Jeff Layman wrote:
>
>> We pop into one about once a month, and look out for the bargains. It's
>> been noticeable that for our last couple of visits, there have been very
>> few customers in the store.
>>
>> What will be the nearest equivalent left - B&M?
>
> or homebargains? but they both do food/drink which wilko don't.

I think I went into a Home Bargains about 8 months ago while waiting for
my car to be serviced, although I hadn't known they were in the South.
It was almost next to a Matalan, so obviously an area for those on a
budget. I'll have to have a look again in one next time I'm in the area.
The Wilkos we go (went?) to sold sweets, soft drinks, and sarnies.

> yorkshire trading company

Nearest one is only about 150 miles away... :-)

> Saw some quite savvy shop assistants in homebargains the other week, the
> entrance tends to be a bit of a "funnel" to get you from the foyer to
> the aisles, there was a young kid hovering near the end of the funnel
> with a basket of stuff on the floor, vaguely looking at the shelves,
> "what are you looking for?" asks the assistant, "dunno/mumble/whatever"
> says the kid, "there's nothing else that way" says the assistant, at
> which point the kid kicks the basket across the aisle, legs it, pushing
> piles of stuff over as he legs it out of the in door ...

Lots on the local news here in the last couple of days about the
epidemic of shoplifting which plod is doing very little about.

--

Jeff

> I ended up at Wilkos to buy a 5 metre length of 0.75mm^2 mains flex. I'd
> ordered 5 metres from CPC (as part of another order)
> What turned up in the box were Qty 5 , one metre lengths of the flex ! I
> phoned to complain, the bloke in customer services just didn't get what
> the problem was, saying it was supplied per metre !
>

I once worked in a fish and chip shop.

A customer came in and asked for two chips....

I put exactly two single chips on a sheet of paper and asked if he
wanted salt or vinegar on it.....

I got a torrent of verbal abuse.....

I couldn't see what the problem was, I had given him exactly what he had
asked for.....

On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 19:51:40 +0100, Mark Carver
<mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote:

>On 03/08/2023 17:06, Scott wrote:
>> On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 16:56:09 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Likely into administration at least
>>>
>>> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>>>
>>> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
>>> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
>>> items without waiting for internet delivery ...
>> I like them too. When I wanted electrical cable by the metre, they
>> were about the only place that sold it.
>I ended up at Wilkos to buy a 5 metre length of 0.75mm^2 mains flex. I'd
>ordered 5 metres from CPC (as part of another order)
>What turned up in the box were Qty 5 , one metre lengths of the flex ! 
>I phoned to complain, the bloke in customer services just didn't get
>what the problem was, saying it was supplied per metre !
>
>I'm a fan too of Wilkos. I've always regarded them as the 21st Century's
>version of Woolies.
>  Sad to see them go, though my local branch has had very bare shelves
>since Covid.

The guy I heard on the radio seemed fairly confident they can keep
negotiating while in administration and that there are interested
buyers out there.

On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 20:11:56 +0100, SH <i.love@spam.com> wrote:

>
>> I ended up at Wilkos to buy a 5 metre length of 0.75mm^2 mains flex. I'd
>> ordered 5 metres from CPC (as part of another order)
>> What turned up in the box were Qty 5 , one metre lengths of the flex ! I
>> phoned to complain, the bloke in customer services just didn't get what
>> the problem was, saying it was supplied per metre !
>>
>
>I once worked in a fish and chip shop.
>
>A customer came in and asked for two chips....
>
>I put exactly two single chips on a sheet of paper and asked if he
>wanted salt or vinegar on it.....
>
>I got a torrent of verbal abuse.....
>
>I couldn't see what the problem was, I had given him exactly what he had
>asked for.....

Reminds me of a court story (in Scotland). Accused charged with theft
of a fish supper and the defence solicitor offered to plead to a
single fish if the prosecutor would drop the chips.

On 03/08/2023 20:13, Scott wrote:
> On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 19:51:40 +0100, Mark Carver
> <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 03/08/2023 17:06, Scott wrote:
>>> On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 16:56:09 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Likely into administration at least
>>>>
>>>> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>>>>
>>>> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
>>>> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
>>>> items without waiting for internet delivery ...
>>> I like them too. When I wanted electrical cable by the metre, they
>>> were about the only place that sold it.
>> I ended up at Wilkos to buy a 5 metre length of 0.75mm^2 mains flex. I'd
>> ordered 5 metres from CPC (as part of another order)
>> What turned up in the box were Qty 5 , one metre lengths of the flex !
>> I phoned to complain, the bloke in customer services just didn't get
>> what the problem was, saying it was supplied per metre !
>>
>> I'm a fan too of Wilkos. I've always regarded them as the 21st Century's
>> version of Woolies.
>>  Sad to see them go, though my local branch has had very bare shelves
>> since Covid.
>
> The guy I heard on the radio seemed fairly confident they can keep
> negotiating while in administration and that there are interested
> buyers out there.

It seems to be a cash flow problem. By going into administration, they
get a bit more time to sort out investors or a buyer.

--
Colin Bignell

On 03/08/2023 20:16, Scott wrote:
> On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 20:11:56 +0100, SH <i.love@spam.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>> I ended up at Wilkos to buy a 5 metre length of 0.75mm^2 mains flex. I'd
>>> ordered 5 metres from CPC (as part of another order)
>>> What turned up in the box were Qty 5 , one metre lengths of the flex ! I
>>> phoned to complain, the bloke in customer services just didn't get what
>>> the problem was, saying it was supplied per metre !
>>>
>>
>> I once worked in a fish and chip shop.
>>
>> A customer came in and asked for two chips....
>>
>> I put exactly two single chips on a sheet of paper and asked if he
>> wanted salt or vinegar on it.....
>>
>> I got a torrent of verbal abuse.....
>>
>> I couldn't see what the problem was, I had given him exactly what he had
>> asked for.....
>
> Reminds me of a court story (in Scotland). Accused charged with theft
> of a fish supper and the defence solicitor offered to plead to a
> single fish if the prosecutor would drop the chips.

very fishy story!

On Thursday, August 3, 2023 at 4:56:13 PM UTC+1, Andy Burns wrote:
> Likely into administration at least
>
> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>
> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
> items without waiting for internet delivery ...

Yes, I am also a minor fan of Wilko's, they seem to stock some slightly
out-of-the ordinary items, and are often the first place I look on the high
street for quirky hardware-type requirements.

SH wrote:

> I once worked in a fish and chip shop.
> A customer came in and asked for two chips....
> I put exactly two single chips on a sheet of paper and asked if he
> wanted salt or vinegar on it.....
> I got a torrent of verbal abuse.....
> I couldn't see what the problem was, I had given him exactly what he had
> asked for.....

Did you get battered?

<IGMC>

Jeff Layman wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> yorkshire trading company
>
> Nearest one is only about 150 miles away...
The two I've used are in Notts and Lincs ...

On 03/08/2023 16:56, Andy Burns wrote:
> Likely into administration at least
>
> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>
> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
> items without waiting for internet delivery ...

I bought some string there once, I've done my bit to keep them afloat.
To be honest, it wasn't very good string. And to be fair, they sold shite.

--
Cheers
Clive

On 03/08/2023 16:56, Andy Burns wrote:

> Likely into administration at least
>

No surprise

Around my way they used to be busy and then closed for many weeks for a
store refurbishment. Customers then had to find other stores selling
what they previously purchased in wilco. When the store re-opened much
of the previous custom didn't return and it was very noticeable the
store was nearly empty most of the time.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 03/08/2023 16:56, Andy Burns wrote:
> Likely into administration at least
>
> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>
> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
> items without waiting for internet delivery ...
We've got a local one and others not too far away. Shame if they go, I
always use their own brand emulsion. Handy for other types of paint as
well. I've bought loose cable from them in the past and would do again
if I needed any. Their gardening stuff I can get elsewhere, but they
will be a miss if they go

On 03/08/2023 19:12, Jeff Layman wrote:
> On 03/08/2023 16:56, Andy Burns wrote:
>> Likely into administration at least
>>
>> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>>
>> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
>> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
>> items without waiting for internet delivery ...
>
> We pop into one about once a month, and look out for the bargains. It's
> been noticeable that for our last couple of visits, there have been very
> few customers in the store.
>
> What will be the nearest equivalent left - B&M?
>

The Range, Home Bargains, and B&M.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Fri, 04 Aug 2023 01:56:09 +1000, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

> Likely into administration at least
>
> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>
> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
> items without waiting for internet delivery ...

Presumably that isnt a viable business model because
not enough need that to be economically viable.

On 03/08/2023 21:03, Colin Bignell wrote:
> On 03/08/2023 20:13, Scott wrote:
>> On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 19:51:40 +0100, Mark Carver
>> <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> On 03/08/2023 17:06, Scott wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 16:56:09 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Likely into administration at least
>>>>>
>>>>> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>>>>>
>>>>> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
>>>>> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
>>>>> items without waiting for internet delivery ...
>>>> I like them too.  When I wanted electrical cable by the metre, they
>>>> were about the only place that sold it.
>>> I ended up at Wilkos to buy a 5 metre length of 0.75mm^2 mains flex. I'd
>>> ordered 5 metres from CPC (as part of another order)
>>> What turned up in the box were Qty 5 , one metre lengths of the flex !
>>> I phoned to complain, the bloke in customer services just didn't get
>>> what the problem was, saying it was supplied per metre !
>>>
>>> I'm a fan too of Wilkos. I've always regarded them as the 21st Century's
>>> version of Woolies.
>>>   Sad to see them go, though my local branch has had very bare shelves
>>> since Covid.
>>
>> The guy I heard on the radio seemed fairly confident they can keep
>> negotiating while in administration and that there are interested
>> buyers out there.
>
> It seems to be a cash flow problem. By going into administration, they
> get a bit more time to sort out investors or a buyer.
>
I would say that they are not a business that has a market any more. The
internet has destroyed most of the high street, and if the gummint had
any sense they would start changing the shops into cheap accommodation

--
“It is not the truth of Marxism that explains the willingness of
intellectuals to believe it, but the power that it confers on
intellectuals, in their attempts to control the world. And since...it is
futile to reason someone out of a thing that he was not reasoned into,
we can conclude that Marxism owes its remarkable power to survive every
criticism to the fact that it is not a truth-directed but a
power-directed system of thought.”
Sir Roger Scruton