W H Smith in Bury Street has now been rebranded as TG Jones.
The name may have changed, but the shop continues to sell books, stationery, and cards.
The W H Smith high street business was taken over by Modella Capital. On July 1st they began rebranding stores under the new name.
‘TG Jones’ has a similar look, with its blue background, two initials and traditional British surname. William Henry Smith was a real person. TG Jones is an alias.
So new name but no other changes… it’s still a crap shop then
I don’t think W H Smiths was a crap shop. We should be thankful for the shops we have as being in recession lots more are going to close.
Is that an official recession or a Janet recession?
You have only got to pay attention to the GDP announcements. Why are we not surprised. -0.2%. We got rid of all our manufacturing. The EU a part of its leveling up policy was giving UK companies financial incentives to move to Eastern Europe. Dowe Egberts based in Banbury was given 16 million to move to Poland and Twinings Tea was given 15 million to move to Poland, These are only two of the many UK companies that under this scheme moved to the EU. Poland is forecast to have a better economy than the UK in just a couple of years. You have only got to look around at the number of shops that have closed and the decay of towns.
1. Recession is 3 consecutive months of negative GDP growth. We’re currently on two (although figures are subject to revision) so not quite in recession yet.
2. Douwe Egberts said there were no financial incentives in closure their Banbury plant. It had older kit in that rest of their factories (they are part of Jacobs) and was too expensive to maintain compared to their other sites. I’m guessing the strikes in 2021/22 wont have helped.
3. Twinings – you’ve got it the wrong way round. The Polish government offered Euro 12m to AB Foods to set up their Polish factory to replace the one in North Shields. The European Commission reviewed this and blocked the grant.
If I’ve got this wrong feel free to share your sources
It may not be as good as the much-missed Prices, but at least it’s somewhere in the town centre where you can get a wide range of basic stuff without having to go far afield or online. We need to support these places or we will be moaning that we have lost them.
Yes the layout is terrible and there is crap if you want to call it that, but where else in town can you get a good range of magazines, stationary, books and excellent greeting cards all in one place? I for one would have been very sorry to see it go and another empty unit or god forbid a Turkish barber.
Colin, what sort of things would you like TG Jones to sell so that it is no longer, as you so charmingly put it, a crap shop?
TG Jones, WHSmith, makes no difference — it’s still a soulless retail husk stuffed with overpriced items you could get online for half the cost and none of the irritation. The layout’s the same aimless zigzag, the stock mostly a tribute to impulse purchases no one needed, and the atmosphere has all the warmth of a waiting room. It’s lipstick on a pig. Rebrand mediocrity all you like; mediocrity it remains. If you’re going to change the name, maybe toss in something resembling a customer experience while you’re at it.
There’s nothing more cynical than WHSmith’s grip on hospital retail. Vulnerable visitors, exhausted staff, anxious relatives — the perfect demographic to overcharge for a bottle of tepid Ribena and a sad packet of crisps. These outlets aren’t just expensive, they’re shameless.
At least it’s not become another barbershop. (yet)
Plastic tat, magazines (eh – who buys magazines?!), sugar and chocolate. Nothing I can’t get elsewhere at a cheaper price and all without the pleasure of walking through a grubby congested store
Magazine was something that fitted in my Bren gun when I was in the Services. as an eighty five year old misfit from Lincolnshire I sometimes wish I had it now.
Don’t magazines, the same as newspapers, have the price already on them. So l wouldn’t have thought you could buy them cheaper Colin, even if you wanted to buy a magazine. Which l assume by your comment you wouldn’t.