TOPIC:

Has been a bad time for the retail sector in recent months. All is far from being well.
Latest news today suggesting the good ol' Hong Kong owned Jeans West is looking decidedly shakey and just under 1000 staff would now be a bit nervous.
If I remember correctly JW opened their first store in Perth in the seventies. Then expanded by opening stores operating in the other states. Just hope it can be saved.
This follows Harris Scarfe going down the gurgler not long ago and closing approx 20 stores, with hundreds losing their jobs.
Bardot announced recently of their decision to start closing their 50 stores in the first half of twenty 20.
Now the Mosiac Group of companies have said they are keeping a very close eye on the lack of consumer spending, as apparently their stores are taking a hit.
Sadly has been a bad start to the year for many.

From memory the bloke that started Jeans West was a mover+shaker in Perth.1970's + 80's Allister Norwood.Did he move into mining as an investor after he sold JW.

gtrxuone wrote: From memory the bloke that started Jeans West was a mover+shaker in Perth.1970's + 80's Allister Norwood.Did he move into mining as an investor after he sold JW.

Just about to say the same thing. Not sure what he did when he sold out but it is certainly a very tough time for retail at the moment, plenty of empty shops in the city and suburbs and especially tough for the staff at all these places!

Jjim wrote:

gtrxuone wrote: From memory the bloke that started Jeans West was a mover+shaker in Perth.1970's + 80's Allister Norwood.Did he move into mining as an investor after he sold JW.

Or crazy free trade politicians. Bricks+Mortar retailers under pressure from online trading.Who avoid paying tax and another 1000 jobs lost.Another empty shop in all the major shopping centres.

Just about to say the same thing. Not sure what he did when he sold out but it is certainly a very tough time for retail at the moment, plenty of empty shops in the city and suburbs and especially tough for the staff at all these places!

K Mart and Target are killing the smaller shops. Their quality has improved over the years and the prices are cheaper.

Alistair Norwood - there's a blast from the past if ever there was one.
Yes fairly certain he was one of those multi-millionaire, guy whom got around town types. Had a finger in the pie of JW somehow, somewhere along the line if the old foggy memory is correct.

Who on here didn't buy their first pair of Levis, or Leisuremaster stretchies, from Jeans West?

And they were never tight enough, so had to get your mum/auntie/girlfriend to sew a new seam up the inside of each leg.

With the compulsory wide leather belt and V8 buckle to complete the picture of sartorial elegance.

Yep, its just going on and on, internet shopping is killing retail..

Ive tried a bit of it and tbh I still rather go into a shop and actually look at the stuff when I buy it.

Was a great WA company that spread nationwide , started by Al Norwood, his ex holiday house the Shack still down at Bussleton. Is he still alive?

westaussieguy wrote: Has been a bad time for the retail sector in recent months. All is far from being well.
Latest news today suggesting the good ol' Hong Kong owned Jeans West is looking decidedly shakey and just under 1000 staff would now be a bit nervous.
If I remember correctly JW opened their first store in Perth in the seventies. Then expanded by opening stores operating in the other states. Just hope it can be saved.
This follows Harris Scarfe going down the gurgler not long ago and closing approx 20 stores, with hundreds losing their jobs.
Bardot announced recently of their decision to start closing their 50 stores in the first half of twenty 20.
Now the Mosiac Group of companies have said they are keeping a very close eye on the lack of consumer spending, as apparently their stores are taking a hit.
Sadly has been a bad start to the year for many.

Roger David, Harris Scarf, Dick Smith, Craig Rosendorf, Peter Shearer, Toys r Us, Payless Shoes, Ed Harry, Top Shop, goes on and on.

Harris Scarf was never going to work. A half sized hybrid version of Myers and Big W. I'm amazed where these companies get the money to invest in something that was likely to fail from the outset. You would think they would spend their money on market research before they take the big plunge.

The big disappointment for me was the failure of Masters Hardware. Trying to sell white goods in a hardware store was a massively dumb idea. Was probably an American thing but our archaic trading laws didn't help.

I remember going to Masters in Bayswater around 9 am on a Sunday morning, car park was empty. Still went up to the store front as I was puzzled. Read the store opened at 11am, the earliest time you are allowed to open and sell white goods on a Sunday.

I said to myself by the time you guys open most people have already been to Bunnings, bought their plants, paint, new whipper snipper, had a sausage sizzle and gone home.

I'm pretty sure Woolworths own the Home hardware chain, I don't know why they didn't just expand that into warehouses.