please empty your brain below
This is quite hard to do for high street names as quite a few are franchises. I think a number of individual franchisees running 'names' will give up rather than the name itself.
Has the Co-op still got any shops? (my nomination if it has) - I think their funeral services will be okay though.

Bina | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 9:24 a.m. | #

I'll nominate Debenhams.

The firm was taken private, piled up with debt and sold off large parts of its capital assets.

The firm (wisely) stripped out a lot of costs - but is now facing a situation of lower High Street sales with limited options to cut costs or the debt interest bill.

It is also now a listed firm which in itself imposes costs and any collapse in the share price might lead to banking covenants being broken (maybe) and hence force the firm to refinance its debt at higher interest rates.

While the underlying business seems sound - the financial engineering it undertook now looks optimistic.

IanVisits | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 9:45 a.m. | #

Jessops. http://www.jessops.com/ A dead cert. The business is worth about a million pounds, which is a far cry from where it used to be in its heyday. It seems to occupy the premium locations in the High Streets (= high rent, and why do they seem to be next to Ann Summers?) and it's core business is selling a good that is a) luxury (bad news in hard times) and b) most people already have already, e.g. in their mobile phones. The people of Leicester (where it was founded) are proud of Jessops, but it's not looking good for them.

Jag | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 9:58 a.m. | #

Yeah Debenhams and Allders are top of my list. In some parts of the country they have disappeared already, but in Sutton and Croydon the stores are thriving. Well, maybe not thriving, but they are still open for business.

anykey | 04.01.09 - 9:59 a.m. | #

Wilkinson
Robert Dyas

High-profile guess: HMV

Nox | 04.01.09 - 10:07 a.m. | #

One nomination each, please.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 10:11 a.m. | #

I'm not sure about Debenhams as it seems to consist of a lot of individual chains, especially clothing-wise, within the store, so it's rather dependent on each of those keeping going.
I'd be inclined to go for any of the travel agents (does that count as a retail business?) as credit crunch + rising fuel costs + devalued pound against the euro means they're really going to have to work hard to stay in business.

allotment queen | 04.01.09 - 10:17 a.m. | #

Currys.digital for me. I think DSG will continue with the out of town stores, but I think the in town ones lose too much.

Kirk | 04.01.09 - 10:28 a.m. | #

Pound shop changes its name to the Half Euro shop

Maggie | 04.01.09 - 10:28 a.m. | #

Argos

D-Notice | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 10:56 a.m. | #

PC World

Christian | 04.01.09 - 11:00 a.m. | #

I'll go for Comet.

Red Dalek | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 11:01 a.m. | #

Put me down for Waterstone's.

Dave | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 11:04 a.m. | #

Bravissimo to go tits up.

Graham | 04.01.09 - 11:22 a.m. | #

Oh come on... don't you guys think and talk about anything else apart from shopping?

Surely there's more to life than shopping..?? and BTW that's why the country is in so much trouble.. you shouldn't believe this Government spin about a World Wide recession..
It actually started in the consumer societies USA & UK.. because you've been living beyond your means..
Buying stuff you don't need..

My advice would be to use DGs fabulous selections of places to visit.. Instead of dragging around Bluewater & Co. counting how many more shops have shut down, get out..

i.e. there are so many river walks.. go to the park and get yourselves a new life.. and instead of living on credit - start putting a bit away for a rainy day..

IsarSteve | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 11:23 a.m. | #

Put me down for BHS. Squeezed by Primark from below and just about everyone else from above.

Henry | 04.01.09 - 11:27 a.m. | #

W H Smith. They never seem to quite know what they are for.

Debster | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 11:34 a.m. | #

I can't see Wilkinson going. It's probably one of the busiest shops whenever I go by either of the locations near here. And that's on a somewhat-posh (Epsom) and not-so-posh (Sutton) high st. Plus, they sell pretty much everything. And I mean that in the way that Woolworth's *didn't* - they sell everything people need, rather than a whole lot of stuff you don't.

Can definitely see BHS though.

Chz | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 11:35 a.m. | #

I was surprised Paul Gascoigne hadn't made their list. I'll go for FADS, the decorating shop.

Huw | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 11:44 a.m. | #

@Bina - The Co-Op has a department store in Great Yarmouth and one in Beccles and they both do terrible business but they have done for years and for some reason they are still there. They also own Rainbow which are being rebranded as The Co-Op Food.

@IanVisits - Not Debenhams, I work there and I'm not nominating myself for the deathlist. Although saying that we have had some brutal sales, one after the other but they are expanding quite widely, the store I work in opened in October and their store in Westfield is massive.

\\_\\_\\_\\_

My prediction is Homebase. The store where I live does very sparse business and generaly DIY looks very dodgy.

Adam S | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 11:52 a.m. | #

Point of information re first suggestion - Co-op bought Somerfield last summer for £1.57bn.
http:/
ews.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/busin...ess/
7508982.stm

I don't think they're going anywhere - in fact, I'd like to hope they experience huge growth - they are (arguably) the most ethical and fair-trade food retailer around. And they give customers money back (dividend) not stupid 'points' in exchange for your entire spending profile.

And IsarSteve seems to be reading off the same hymnsheet as me. Plus, I suspect that the media will induce enough hysteria to *make* certain chains go bust. So, I'm not contributing to it... besides, there's enough quality info around to inform this exercise, if one knows where to look. Ho hum.

Blue Witch | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 11:56 a.m. | #

Thorntons. Why? Because every town now has a decent independent chocolatier that does a better product. Thorntons can't possibly compete with Tesco, Asda et al and there is nothing special about them any more (quite possible that there never was anything special about them).

graybo | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 12:02 p.m. | #

B&Q

Steve J | 04.01.09 - 12:04 p.m. | #

It's a real shame that the multiples will probably weather the storm (drought?) better than the independents. I think Debster could be on to something; but i think coffee shops could be in for a hammering. Perhaps Nero? If people are going to avoid the highstreet, i imagine its most overpriced, pointless, generic attraction could suffer worst of all.

Andrew | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 12:09 p.m. | #

My nomination is Jessops.

Fred Barker | 04.01.09 - 12:26 p.m. | #

Blockbuster.

Embo | 04.01.09 - 12:45 p.m. | #

I don't think WHSmith will go. Whenever I go there is always an enormous queue, and while they might be forced to move some of their larger shops to slightly smaller ones, I don't think they'll go altogether.

I'd agree on Jessops and BHS.

Kirk | 04.01.09 - 1:00 p.m. | #

Strike up another one for Jessops. In addition to everything Jag said, all the serious photographers (the ones that might just prop it up during hard times) avoid it like the plague, finding it easier and far cheaper to order their kit on the web and have it imported from halfway round the world.

Andrew | 04.01.09 - 1:09 p.m. | #

Uh oh, thanks Blue Witch, Somerfield was my second option but we're only allowed one.

Big hint to those looking for other ideas not already covered:
car dealership....

Bina | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 1:19 p.m. | #

Clinton Cards

Rob | 04.01.09 - 1:20 p.m. | #

Dyers. Too much stock. Not many customers. (In my High Street anyway.)

Mother of the bride | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 2:05 p.m. | #

Black's Leisure. Been wobbly for years and now trying far too hard.

Alfie | 04.01.09 - 2:42 p.m. | #

I'll go for Peacocks, the cheap(ish) clothes retailer, as it fits into the bracket of low prices to start with = slim margins = very limited room to cut costs.

Marc | 04.01.09 - 2:50 p.m. | #

I'd go for BHS; it has been struggling for a good few years now.

Andrewh | 04.01.09 - 3:17 p.m. | #

Starbucks. But it's more of a wish.

Johnny Topaz | 04.01.09 - 3:51 p.m. | #

Mothercare. It was in trouble when I worked there, and that was 10 years ago.

Jack | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 4:05 p.m. | #

Jessops. Without a doubt.

geofftech | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 4:57 p.m. | #

uh oh, sorry - did the ghastly thing of posting before reading. which makes three Jessops! it's not looking good for them, is it?

geofftech | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 5:00 p.m. | #

@ anykey. Allders went bust in 2005 with only one store surviving: that in Croydon. So not a chain.

My tip is Snappy Snaps, FWIW.

kenromford | 04.01.09 - 5:03 p.m. | #

Most of my initial suggestions have been taken, so I nominate the Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

Ben | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 5:21 p.m. | #

Co-op's not going anywhere, esp in Adam S's neck of the woods. There's one in Halesworth as well which is actually really nice. East of England Co-op gave its workers a dividend at Christmas for the first time ever.

I tell you what will go, having been in today and boggled at its madness: Foyles. They didn't have a single item on sale. Who buys books at full price any more?

dg writes: Er, I do sometimes. And I'd never buy a book online without seeing it first.

Chloe | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 5:41 p.m. | #

As Waterstones and WH Smith have already been taken, I'll opt for Borders.

Lyle | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 6:21 p.m. | #

B&Q

Rob C | 04.01.09 - 6:33 p.m. | #

My prediction is Oddbins.

michael | 04.01.09 - 6:37 p.m. | #

I'm nominating DSG in its entirety. The high street stores have to be loss leaders, everyone knows PC world is rubbish now (even my parents have figured it out) and I just can't see where their income is going to come from.

PJ | 04.01.09 - 6:37 p.m. | #

DOUGHNUTS!

Krispy Kreme that is

Gladys | 04.01.09 - 7:01 p.m. | #

M&S. But - like JohnnyTopaz with his Starbucks - that's more of a wish

I shouldn't say it, for the simple reason I've got shares in them, but I yearn for the day when the public tires of their fashions that make QS look good, their curries that - no matter how spicy they're *supposed* to be - never taste hotter than a korma... and some of their other more bizarre ideas like having 'faceless' mannequins that looked like something out of a horror film.

RogerW | 04.01.09 - 7:45 p.m. | #

I was going to say Bhs too, but it seems to be a bit of a popular choice.

Instead I'm going to go for crappy menswear outlet, Blue Inc.

martin | 04.01.09 - 7:55 p.m. | #

HMV by the autumn

AdamB | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 8:11 p.m. | #

JJB Sports

Steve | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 9:20 p.m. | #

Well I actually started on a list with myself and the other half on a winding journey along the A12 thro leafy Suffolk last week; we had B&Q, Early Learning Centre, Mothercare and Snappy Snaps

Priest\\_Field | 04.01.09 - 9:36 p.m. | #

How about all the furniture retailers?

Also, surely anything related to Baugur, the Icelandic lot, must be vulnerable. (Woolies, Whittards, MK One, Somerfield were all related to them - MK One were sold and restructured, Somerfield have been waiting to be bought for years)

They own parts of Debenhams (13\\%) and House of Fraser (35\\%) and Mosaic Fashions (49\\%) which own some of the probably more vulnerable clothing brands.

Kirk | 04.01.09 - 10:20 p.m. | #

burtons?

camelType | 04.01.09 - 10:40 p.m. | #

Well, Curry's Digital, I could almost wish it on them. Checked their website on Friday to see which branch had what I wanted in stock, reserved it, then travelled quite a long way only to be told that they actually only had either ex-display or 'pre-owned' and repaired one, and that I should have phoned first. And they couldn't possibly offer me a discount on the next cheapest alternative because 'the company's not doing very well'... surprise surprise. So I came home and ordered it off Amazon. Sigh. What hope for the high street?

Sarah | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 10:52 p.m. | #

And there is never anyone in my local Boots.

Sarah | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 10:53 p.m. | #

Sorry, know this is more than 1, but:

DFS, or similar sofa makers: a new sofa is second only to a new car as bottom of the list in bad times, and there's too many similar chains already

Jessops: should have gone years ago

Burger King: So passé, it's untrue, they also hold lots of prime space which must cost a fortune. I never see anyone in there either.

Currys/Dixons: anyone that's got any sense checks prices online, those that don't soon will.

Starbucks won't go but will certainly contract, like they have in Australia.

Michael | Homepage | 04.01.09 - 10:57 p.m. | #

I'm going to say Sainsburys. I think one of the big supermarkets may go under and Sainsburys is sitting there not being Tesco. It has a lot of stores, and a lot of staff... I hope not but there you go - thats my prediction.

Garax | 04.01.09 - 11:58 p.m. | #

OK, OK, enough!
Now let me arrange 30 of those into a list...

diamond geezer | Homepage | 05.01.09 - 12:13 a.m. | #

JJB Sports eventually (and Clive Dunn)

Karl, Dover | 07.11.12 - 9:27 p.m. | #











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