Another one bites the dust

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21021073

HMV looks like it may go under tomorrow, Jessops last week and comet only a month or so ago, is this the start of the death of the hightstreet?

Its also a heads up for any one with voucher get them spent tomorrow!

Shame really,I think Internet shopping does offer a better service though which may make all outlets Internet only in the future .

Massive names though,and Being in the same position in the past I feel for the staff facing uncertainty so close to the new year.

Its not nice at all, and its a lot of jobs. The retail sector isn't exactly booming with positions which can take in that kind of number.
I do really feel for the staff. I cannot recall the last time I bought anything from HMV. With content delivery moving slowly to an online model I suppose its just not getting the numbers needed to justify bricks and mortar stores.

I read a report a week or so ago quoting Price Waterhouse who reckon they know of up to 240 major retailers who wont see 2013 out....we'll all be living in ghost towns unless you want fast food or poundshops. You reap what you sew

I have not bought anything of the high-street for about a year, the last purchase was a PSU from a none chain PC store... I suppose we can only blame our selfs.

Our local council is partly to blame. They managed to get rid of a load of parking spaces when they re-modeled the High Street and made the pavements wider. Then they introduced a 20 min limit and upped the cahrges on all the other car parks. The local businesses I frequent are livid with them as they saw an immediate drop off in trade.

Like most High Streets it is now fast food outlets, Estate Agents, Charity Shops and Hair and Nail salons The real stores are now clustered into fewer big towns. The mid and small towns are dying, don't see that ever stopping either.

HMV is sad as was Woolworths, but although I went into HMV on Saturday I would never buy anthing in there as I know it is invariably cheaper on Amazon and delivered the next day, plus I get download rights too.

Although it is a deeply difficult and worrying time for the employees of high street retailers, I'm not sure it's a cause for wringing our hands and bemoaning our failure to support these businesses.
There's a difference between making an effort to save a sub-post office or store in a village and buying consumer goods from stores that use an out of date and failing business model on increasingly deserted and unwelcoming high streets.

What about the coal merchants that lost out when people moved to central heating, or the purveyors of hay to feed the horses that used to transport us?

Society is continually changing and we have to adapt. We become so attached to certain things that we can't imagine life without them (like fossil fuels, for example. What's it going to be like when they go...?)

What I think is quite wrong is for governments in countries like France (often at the angry demands of trades' unions) to step in to prevent companies from making redundancies or going out of business. This recently happened with Virgin in France. But it it an act of Canute-like futility.

Everywhere you look there are examples of how people have had to change the way they make a living: doing several small jobs rather than one big one, retraining, crowd-funding, and, of course, wearing 80s braces in a steel and glass tower in The City. Oh, wait, the last one is still called being a banker...

Anyway, I've run out of steam, but I'm very sorry for the redundancies, just not the high street.

Agree Jim, it is sad, but no different from the trend in the 80s for out of town shopping centres and the movemnet in the 70s away from independant greengrocers and fishmongers etc towards supermarkets. I find change gets sadenning the older I get. It is always an age thing and i am reminded of this when you hear the phrase "the trouble with the youths today is.." and this was IIRC attributed to one of the ancient Greek philisophers.

Heck a group of us older 40's cyclists were reminising about the early Sony and Nokia phones and how small they were, doubtless my daughters in 30 yrs time will be laughing about the iPhone5 and bemoaning the loss of fast food shops from their High Street!

You may have mis-spelt 'banker'.

Agreed.

Perhaps the town centre is just something that has to die, jobs will be created by smaller company's working from homes with smaller overheads and using the post for distribution.

Business parks will grow because good transport links, low costs and free parking.

The town centre will continue to be saturated with coffee houses, fast food chains and pound shops until there is no reason to go in to town any more, then these die off as well and were left with a development which isn't fit for residential or business use.

My own feeling is that town centres will die an ugly, lingering, Poundland and Saturday-night-vomit-and-fisticuffs death, then they will be regenerated as urban living spaces. This happened with industrial areas after the decline in manufacturing.
It may take a while though and it probably won't be pretty.

In Newbury people use the local Sainsbury's car park to visit the town centre.
Sainsbury's went to the trouble to create a second layer of free parking and it filled instantly.
There's a 2 hour time limit so they make sure you don't spend too long in the other shops.

Some others pay the exorbitant rates in the council run car parks.

The result is that most people fill up on Sainsbury's goods / fuel etc. and visit the town for the bits they couldn't get in Sainsbury's.

Being an ageing rocker I still like to have "physical" music, i.e vinyl in a sleeve or a CD case with lyrics and artwork. I still haven't got the download bug.

Having said that I can't remember the last time I was in a music shop apart from trawling through charity shops and second-hand stores (there is a very good one just down the road from Flea's establishment in Bristol). I have always found HMV on-line very good on price and service - a lot of the stuff I like is not new and is often available heavily discounted. Town centres are anathema to me, just full of fast food outlets, banks, coffee shops and pound shops, all covered in food wrappers, beer cans and pigeon poo!

I have to agree with Jim (again)!

HMV will no doubt go down the Woolworth's route, they will have an online presense but no stores. They would do well to try to get into the download market somehow.

Being in the home media industry, sales of physical media are dropping by approx 8%-10% a year, although its happening slower than many predicted.

Many people, myself included, still want to physical item, I don't want a film I love sat on hard drive to one day be lost.

Same with music, I do use Itunes, but my music systems just highlights all the flaws in MP3 compression, so i'm very rarely happy with them sound quality wise.

Also digital photos, they just sit on a memory stick and rarely get printed.

Digital media become throwaway, therefor less valuable.

Give me a Steelbook Bluray in a high end Blu Ray player & home cinema system any day over downloading. That just my preference.

Very few younguns today care about sound & picture quality, as I said above, digital media has become throwaway...so they don't care....slowly this kills places like HMV who charge slightly more.

Rant over....

Im going to disagree with you RICHB, I as well as others take great care with my digital media, digital photography lets me take many many more images than I would have ever have done with 35mm film. Just because I do not print 100% of them does not mean I value them any less.

I take great effort to have at very least two TESTED backup methods for every bit of data I value. Just storing photos on a local PC drive is the equivalent of putting a box of photos in the shed at the bottom of the garden and hopping that when they go looking in two years they wont be mouldy. Regardless of media format people need to understand that care needs to be taken to preserve. With digital media the mainstream user just had not "got this" yet, but they will.

Music wise this boils down to the format that people have chosen to distribute it based on existing technology. If i so wish I can obtain my music at high bit rates or lossless format but its only been of late where storage of this media in high quality format and distribution over the net have both come to a price point where acceptable.

There will always be the call for physical media but as you already know that's declining and its a business model that is going though massive change and pain.

I agree with Sam. Digital media isn't throw away. It's the reality of where things are shifting to.

The vast majority of people aren't audiophiles and so are happy with reproduction of music on DAB radio's, iPods, spotify etc as what they're concerned about more is the content.

With regard to digital photo's, it doesn't matter that people don't print them. They put them on facebook or flikr to share with other people. Again, the significant portion of the public aren't keen photographers.

I've just purchased 10 albums, and His Masters Voice was rammed!!

There is a place for music on the highstreet - a big place. You can't browse online, you can't get a feel for the album art that draws you in to have a listen, without physical CD's there is no sleeve art or pamplet with lyrics, band news / views or just spout there verbal diarrhea on the world. Plus, what the hell am I supposed to do at lunch? Spend more time at a PC than I do already????

MP3 doesn't represent half the quality of a CD track, as digital cameras are very poor in dull light compared to a similar (quality) camera using film.

I only said to a client last week that HMV would be on it's way out shortly It's easy to see the companies that won't last much longer unfortunately.

How old are you, Jim As the horseless carriage was totally established before I was born, I don't think I share your pain here Jim.

Im not sure where to start with that one,

Spotify? you get the art, to listn before you buy and "band news" regards the quality, I high bit rate mp3 is going to be hard to distinguish a CD if not imposable with out very very very high end equipment.

The poor performing digital camera is subject to the user pointing it. The difference is the poor git at the film lab sorts out your poor photo while in digital you are left to sort out your own mess.

There is a place for music on the high street, I do agree but its going to have to scale back.

I think the book shops will be the next to go, water stones for instance.

Erm, that was sort of my point Derek - t'was ever thus. But don't you worry about it, I'll put this nice rug over your knees and make you a cup of tea. It can be hard keeping up!

Jim

You clearly stated you used to be transported by horse. I on the other hand, never have been. Short term memory loss is an early indicator of Alzheimers

I grew out of actually going out to go shopping when I discovered the pub...a far better use of my time.

On a serious note, I read how HMV owe Sony in terms of credit....Ouch!

I actively do everything I can to avoid the High St in the town nearest to me. That town is Scunthorpe. There are three Greggs, a McDonalds, a TopMan, dozens of pound shops, a slack handful of SuperDrug type shops, a B&M Bargains, phone shops, bank branches, Primark, HMV, a couple of Buy-Your-Gold jewelers, a SpecSavers and that's about it.

As a reasonably affluent, childless bloke the only one of any of those I actually want to use is the bank. There is nothing I want from the others. Nothing. Not only that, but the majority of people who occupy that High St are unemployed, tracksuit wearing, foul mouthed, pushchair shoving, spitting, litter dropping, scum. They want the curb chain bracelets, the cheap deodorant, the Happy Meal, the 18 pairs of pants for £1, the steak bake, etc. I don't want to share my air with them. I know that makes me a snob, but it really is an unpleasant experience for any civilised human being.

Not only that, but parking is hard come by, expensive and insecure. Where is my motivation to go? The writing has been on the wall for HMV for some time now. I purchase all my music online and if I want a BluRay I pick it up in Tesco, much cheaper than His Masters Voice, while I'm getting groceries. As for clothes I wouldn't dream of attempting to squeeze into a TopMan T-shirt and skinny jeans these days. Since the advent of Faster Payment I rarely visit the bank either.

Marks & Spencer closed in the town centre a few years ago. There simply wasn't the type of clientelle to keep the place viable. Now they're trying to open an out-of-town shop and many locals are kicking up a stink saying it will finish off the High St. To me the High St is dead and M&S aren't going to open up another shop in town if their planning gets blocked for the big store. I would, however, gladly do some grocery shopping in an out-of-town M&S with easy access and good parking.

If I want to go shopping I simply drive to Meadowhall Sheffield. It has Ted Baker, decent shoe shops, decent electrical outlets, House of Fraser, free parking galore, it's open late and it's a 45 minute drive.

I know the death of the High St saddens some, but they're dreaming of halcyon days where nobody drove, the baker knew you by name and people spent their day to day cash on essentials there. Nothing is essential on the High St any more. It's just a big, expensive inconvenience for a lot of old tat.

I never thought I would agree with Brewster

It's an interesting experience walking down pretty much any high street and trying to work out just exactly what benefit most of the - I don't like to use the word, but there's little option - shops offer as a benefit to the country.

I'm not convinced that betting shops, second hand shops, pound shops, and such like offer anything we couldn't do without: a tiny amount of VAT and betting tax, perhaps?

The main benefit is to the local council in terms of business rates and car parking fees. However the goose is being cooked slowly whilst the golden eggs are getting smaller and rarer....

Why should I pay £2 in car parking to buy stuff in a pound shop when I can park in Asda for nothing?

Why go to Tesco's/asda when I can just sit here and get some other bloke to delver it for me?

Yes, you pay for it but I don't need to

Pay for fuel
Move off my bottom
Get hit with a trolley by some one who has no concept of spacial awareness
Get annoyed with some one who has struck up a conversation in the middle of the bloody store with some long lost war friend
Have some snotty noise kid sneeze in my general direction
Have my car abused by others who have no problem bouncing doors of the side of my car

Indeed. Shortsighted councils have miked the already ailing cash cow to death. Expensive, poorly planned parking and extortionate business rates do not make for a competitive market.

It's called progress, HMV failed to recognise that their customers were changing their purchasing habits, the days of desperately searching through rows of records looking for that rare import have gone, they were also guilty of profiteering back when CDs were the main way of distributing music, selling CDs at an obscene price. Electronic distribution of media is increasing, I suspect that the computer game stores will be next to feel the death grip of PWC, followed by a few newspapers.

As for photography, while I carry my iPhone as my day to day camera, backed up by my X100, I also shoot an Olympus mju II and Yashica 35mm Electro 35 rangefinder film camera and the quality is superb, the excitement when the Postman drops my photos back is palpable. Ironically people now try to make their crisp digital images look like film using Instagram and it's ilk. Film has a quality that I don't think digital has yet got. The biggest advantage of having only 24 or 36 shots, is taking more time to think about composition and the shot rather than just pointing and shooting.

Oh and the Yashica is a bargain, pick one up on ebay and you will be amazed at the quality of the images.

The best deal in Rangefinder Photography?

Yashica Guide

Some sample images to show what can be achieved

18 pairs of pants for £1.

Thanks Brewster!

In its infinite wisdom Edinburgh City Council is considering implementing parking charges on Sundays.

Anyone who has visited will know it's one of the most expensive places in Europe to park in the centre - £2.80 per hour, and it's ostensibly to cover the cost of the supervision by the yellow perils hahahahahahahahahaha

The flagship tourist spot is of course Princes Street with its view of the Mound and the castle, spoilt rather by some tacky 60's and 70's concrete monstrosities on the other side which immediately detract its justifiable comparison with many other European cities. In addition there are the odd tat shops selling tartan and jimmy wigs springing up not far from the two main shopping centres.

In an intention of blinding lack of vision (yes, tautology), removal of free parking on Sundays will probably deter employees from abandoning their cars in the centre all day and the spaces revealed will be paid for by shoppers.....

oh no they won't because there are plenty of out-of-town shopping centres within easy reach all with free parking, and they will suddenly become really popular, leaving the city centre, as has been mentioned above, a shadow of its former self.

hi Edinburgh im also in Edinburgh ps and dont even get me started on the state of the roads hear too, my 18,s are more oval than round as i found out when i went to get them balanced

Charlie, I recently dug out my old Minolta 9000. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed using a proper 35mm camera! So much in fact I've just purchased a new motor drive and a 70-210 zoom On ebay you can pick up some absolute bargains!

Proper photography!

Hi Walker the coops are bumpy enough already without funny shaped corners

PS you can put an avatar up by yr name by going to edit preferences

Come to the Italian meet in May and join in a road rant

£49 for that body is a bargain, I love shooting Film it's almost a pleasure as it makes you stop and think about every shot, and the photos tend to have real soul in a way that digital doesn't.
There are bargains to be had, the Leica R line cameras in particular offer a relatively cheap way into shooting with the famed red dot.
I predict a sharp rise in the price of film cameras as people realise that film is freely available and developing remarkably cheap.

Proper photography! [/quote]
I predict a sharp rise in the price of film cameras as people realise that film is freely available and developing remarkably cheap. [/quote]

Dont get me wrong, I have some great old film camera's I still use, I make the effort to develop my own B&W film..... but.... its bloody hard work with relatively little gain i'm afraid.
I honestly dont see people running back to film

Sam, I reckon people below 30 probably don't know there is anything other than digital media when it comes to photography

Like you, I used to develop my own B&W photos, the smell of Developer, Fix and Stop is still burnt into my nostrils!

I wouldn't go back to that again but it was something a lot of keen photographers dabbled with.

Real men build their own cameras...

It's that willingness to settle for old technology which characterises a 16v owner

Completely agree Mick. I've just bought a 40year old Olympus trip 35 for peanuts. Still kept a digital as well, but for pure back to basic enjoyment I'm loving the trip. No messing around with god knows how many functions, instead just devote your all your thinking to pure composition. The first roll off it was just superb.
What's surprised me is the devoted following to the Trip on flickr as well as lomo which I'd never even heard of until recently.

Very jealous of the 1.7 Yashica though.

Au contraire, mon ami... it's the willingness to explore the possibilities of the original without being distracted by blinkenlights and glitz!

You just don't get this: with digits unless you spend a *lot* of dosh... thinking about it, the lens probably cost me more than the coupe is worth, but the film was developed in coffee and vitamin C...

I'm currently noodling about building myself a Newtonian telescope; something small, six or eight inch mirror.

Like I said, glad others agree! Thanks Mr B!