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The Wellies Pics

 
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Rachel
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 8:50 pm    Post subject: The Wellies Pics Reply with quote

Just a few from a cast of thousands

Chris arriving in Trinity Street... nice wheels


Looking a tad nervous before the gig




Working the gig



and more



and again


If you think Chris is loud you haven't met our town crier Mr C


The moment



Marky Mark ... the sweetest guy ; Chris' driver ... we had a long chat - everything from The Olympics to the Motorway network, oh and how far it is to Lands End from Dorchester.


It takes all sorts Smile




Leaving by the back door....
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RockitRon



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PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You sneaked in there very quietly while no-one was looking, Rach Laughing

So, a good deed all around.

I see that the property landlord is part of the consortium backing the venture. I'm not sure how many sites are left empty after the likes of Poundland and Iceland have cherry-picked, but I wonder it that will give inspiration for similar reopenings, backed by property companies and their largely state-owned banks, now supposedly flush with our money.
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mark occomore



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PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think Chris didn't take a fee for this service. I wonder Christopher will invest if this kicks off? Maybe a local one around London and the South East?
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colby



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PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mark occomore wrote:
I think Chris didn't take a fee for this service. I wonder Christopher will invest if this kicks off? Maybe a local one around London and the South East?


When it all settles down and the day-to-day humdrum of balance sheets, profit & loss, creditors and debtors kicks in, the manager (who's never run her own business before) will face the reality of being out on her own in a fiercely competitive market.

At the moment, she'll have negotiated good lines of credit and goodwill with suppliers, but when turnover starts to dip below projection, the suppliers might start turning the screws.

So, let's wish her well, but she needs luck - in the form of a steady flow of customers prepared to spend money. At the moment, the idea of setting up a retail chain in Croydon or wherever is the last thing on her mind!
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RockitRon



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PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Indeed, colby. In fact, the one reason why there isn't a queue of one-off ventures like this is probably because they cannot hope to have the same supplier terms as Woolworths were allowed (Nestlé were owed millions and were one of the main objectors to it being sold as a going concern). Wellworth won't be on anything like.

I don't know what the old ladies who seemed to form the majority of the front of the opening crowd spend their money on. It presumably wasn't the CDs/DVDs/Games or Ladybird children's clothing that took up at least half the space of Woolies and which this store is doing without. But is it any more likely to be the craft & pet accessories, wooden toys and "local products" (does that mean fudge and biscuits?) which are taking their place? Higher margin very probably, but higher turnover?

"If it doesn't sell, we won't stock it" Ms Robertson said. Well, she said it was profitable - she should already know what will sell, because if it doesn't how is she going to pay for it, and whatever she wants to stock in its place?

Wish them well, as I said a month ago. Hope they're still there this time next year.
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colby



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PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

RockitRon wrote:
Indeed, colby. In fact, the one reason why there isn't a queue of one-off ventures like this is probably because they cannot hope to have the same supplier terms as Woolworths were allowed (Nestlé were owed millions and were one of the main objectors to it being sold as a going concern). Wellworth won't be on anything like.


I'm amazed that the situation with Woolworths went on for as long as it did. I know that, for many large suppliers, credit insurance was being withdrawn or restricted as much as 18 months before the company called in the Administrators*, yet still the final losses amounted to over £350million.

One thing's for sure - the credit insurance will be a lot less for Wellworth's suppliers today!
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RockitRon



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PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:17 pm    Post subject: Re: The Wellies Pics Reply with quote

Rachel wrote:



It takes all sorts Smile


I hope that's not Wellies they're standing outside Rolling Eyes
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Ian Robinson
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good pics, Rachel. And good on Chris for doing that.

The Chorley Woolworths is still empty though.
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Rachel
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 9:20 am    Post subject: Re: The Wellies Pics Reply with quote

RockitRon wrote:
Rachel wrote:



It takes all sorts Smile


I hope that's not Wellies they're standing outside Rolling Eyes


No that isn't Wellies, Ron. Smile That is in a different street around the back of Wellies. Trinity Street; apart from Argos, Wessex FM, the Cinema and Somerfeild-just cafes and charity shops. I went to Wellies ( South Street) on Friday( Easter Eggs) but wasn't that impressed with their prices. They seem to sell everything:- tea towels, oven gloves , kitchen knives, stationary, cards, sweets ( Pick 'n' Mix), garden stuff- seeds , bedding plants etc, cleaning products and household tat. Their Easter Eggs were hugely expensive compared to Somerfeild, the Cadbury Collection Egg- £8 in Somerfeild - £9.95 in Wellies - 50 yards apart. Since I wanted 10 of them - guess where I went? I was in there at 5 past 9 in the morning - there were quite a few shoppers in there though- so my guess is they are doing ok.
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RockitRon



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 11:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The ironic and, no doubt for Wellies, annoying thing is that the demise of Woolworth left the chocolate manufacturers with all the Easter Eggs that they'd ordered but had not had delivered. Guess who picked them up, at next-to-nothing cost?

Tesco Twisted Evil
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RockitRon



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PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

BBC1 tonight at 9pm (10.35 in Scotland):-
How Woolies Became Wellies - One Woman's Fight For The High Street

Might we get a glimpse of our First Lady and her camera? Smile
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MadeinSurrey



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PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hope so Ron, but I fear we will have to put up with far more than a glimpse of the Ginger Shouter Rolling Eyes Evil or Very Mad
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Rachel
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

RockitRon wrote:
BBC1 tonight at 9pm (10.35 in Scotland):-
How Woolies Became Wellies - One Woman's Fight For The High Street

Might we get a glimpse of our First Lady and her camera? Smile


I was just coming on to post the same message Ron.... Smile

I was stood behind most of the TV cameramen out the front of Wellies, I did have a chat behind Wellies with the cameraman shooting the programme to be shown this evening, while we waited for Chris to arrive but I kept ( I hope) out of his shot....although in the last of my pictures above there's a cameraman pointing his camera out from the back door but it's unlikely they would put that in the programme but if they do, I'm the one with the cookie hat. Smile
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colby



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PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MadeinSurrey wrote:
I hope so Ron, but I fear we will have to put up with far more than a glimpse of the Ginger Shouter Rolling Eyes Evil or Very Mad


About 10-15 seconds out of the whole programme, I'll wager!
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Rachel
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 5:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

RockitRon wrote:
BBC1 tonight at 9pm (10.35 in Scotland):-
How Woolies Became Wellies - One Woman's Fight For The High Street

Might we get a glimpse of our First Lady and her camera? Smile



Not a great programme was it? - if it hadn't been in my town I'd have switched over. They didn't really get to the bottom of anything. Good to see Chris Evans though. Everyone* likes him.

There is a glimpse of the back of my hat and left shoulder in one of the crowd scenes and also my little face looking through the window in the background from one of the inside store shots but you'd have to know that it was me to say so and it's only because the iplayer is pausable that I was able to check. I don't think it will qualify for Equity membership.

Did you see all those hats though? Smile

*Survey carried out in Dorchester - two women(Waitrose staff), one chap (Butcher) and a x-breed puppy called Tinks.( Two barks for yes) Extrapolating these results nationwide gives Chris Evans a 100% approval rating. Smile
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RockitRon



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I watched it as it was shown, and I have to admit that I couldn't have said that I spotted you Rach. I'll have to zip through i-player Wink

Well, it was good publicity for the shop, and the sort of light, fly-on-the-shop-floor docusoap with a bit of inter-personal tension and the obligatory couple of swear words to keep the average BBC1 post-watershed audience happy, I suppose. It reminded me very much of that series about the old, failing department stores.

I wonder how many of the hats regularly tune into Chris Evans? Very Happy
Or Radio 2 for that matter.
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colby



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 11:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If that woman allows that dopey idiot who loves to think of himself as the "buyer" continue to act against the interests of the business then "Wellies" is doomed, despite all the free PR it's had recently from the BBC. Seeing how she let him get away with buying up all available supplies of picture frames is an indication that she's not quite sure who's actually running the business.
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Rachel
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

colby wrote:
If that woman allows that dopey idiot who loves to think of himself as the "buyer" continue to act against the interests of the business then "Wellies" is doomed, despite all the free PR it's had recently from the BBC. Seeing how she let him get away with buying up all available supplies of picture frames is an indication that she's not quite sure who's actually running the business.


I did think ... oh yes, big heavy bags of Charcoal, is just the ticket for a High Street Store with only pedestrian access for customers..( no car-park) I can just see all those old ladies lugging that and a few Easter Eggs home on the bus: he did come across as a bit of a prawn.

Quite a number of those there for the opening had actually come to Dorchester by the coach-load for Market Day; as they do every Wednesday.
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

colby wrote:
If that woman allows that dopey idiot who loves to think of himself as the "buyer" continue to act against the interests of the business then "Wellies" is doomed, despite all the free PR it's had recently from the BBC. Seeing how she let him get away with buying up all available supplies of picture frames is an indication that she's not quite sure who's actually running the business.

I didn't see all the show, but is that the bloke who complained about inputting barcodes onto spreadsheets? Diddums. He did seem a bit clueless, but I'm afraid that seems to be par for the course with many buyers. The boss does need to take a firmer hand.
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colby



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PostPosted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ian Robinson wrote:
I didn't see all the show, but is that the bloke who complained about inputting barcodes onto spreadsheets? Diddums. He did seem a bit clueless, but I'm afraid that seems to be par for the course with many buyers. The boss does need to take a firmer hand.


Yep, that's the dipstick.

Until 5 weeks ago my wife, who worked in Central Buying for a major UK catalogue retailer for 10 years (I'll leave you to do the guessing!) before taking a redundancy package, just laughed at that guy calling himself "The Buyer" and pretending he knew what he was doing when acquiring a disproportionate number of picture frames which any numpty could have told him wouldn't make the business a profit. He then decided that big bags of charcoal were "the next big thing, trust me". Yeah right.

The one thing he wasn't doing was researching what local people actually needed - surely a fundamental principle in marketing? What a wally. If he's still there and the business is making money six months down the line I'll be surprised!

Mind you, if he's allowed to carry on like that with his boss's money, who's to blame?
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RockitRon



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PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 11:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Several things about the business struck me during the programme.

The store looked to be in remarkably good condition, upon its closure as Woolworth (as it was shown), compared with most others I've seen. The shelving, which was almost new and was seen being washed down, had been left - in most other places it was sold off (in Nottingham the day after the store closed the unit was a completely bare shell).

The motive for the landlord's support for the Wellworth's venture was the cost to him of £5,000 a week in lost revenue. I'm not sure how they arrived at sales of £38,000 a week as being necessary to keep the store viable, bearing in mind the costs of keeping "the majority" of the 25 staff, plus Dan, Dan, the marketing man, but, assuming the store is open 9 to 5.30 six days a week that should be achievable. Woolworth's 800 odd stores were said to attract 7 million customers a week; assuming Dorchester was an average store they need 8700 customers spending £4.37 each. that's a lot of Pick 'n' Mix.

I bet Trish (the one promoted to merchandising, so obsessive about her shelf-stacking) and the other staff weren't so keen on making everything look clean and pristine when they were working for Woolies.

Recruiting the young buyer, to work with the established, not to say quite elderly incumbents, was bound to be trouble, and his autocratic attitude seemed to be at odds with Clare's assertion that she was running and stocking the store to meet what the local people really wanted. The loo rolls were a good idea - cheap, a guaranteed seller, and taking up space, but, unless they were really on sale-or-return, the picture frames looked a bad one. (Boots used to stock a huge range of picture frames, and gave up on them. Wilkinson's still does, and it's the quietest part of the store).
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RockitRon



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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've now had a chance to watch this again (alas I still can't spot you, Rach! Sad )

The Wellworths proposal was almost finalised before it closed as Woolies, so they obviously bought the fixtures and fittings from the administrator.

The store is 6,000 sq ft, that's about twice the size of a Tesco Express c-store. To achieve that sales target of £38k a week they need to sell £6.33 per sq ft. (or at an annual rate of £330 - I don't know how Woolies was doing, but that is round about the figure that neighbour Marks and Spencer was able to achieve from an average store... twenty five years ago!).

Piece of cake, so long as they're not relying on the picture frames, which are mentioned as being sale or return.

The programme was really quite miraculous, in the way that it managed to pad out a seven-or-eight minute "Inside Story" type of feature into a whole hour.
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colby



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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

RockitRon wrote:
The programme was really quite miraculous, in the way that it managed to pad out a seven-or-eight minute "Inside Story" type of feature into a whole hour.


That was achieved through the time-honoured technique of concentrating on the "human interest" angle. I thought it was an interesting doc, but I think the owner has an uphill struggle once it becomes just another high-street shop in an increasingly difficult market.
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