How can shops v shops survive

[Punterperson1971]

Travelling through Birmingham going down one particular road I’ve noticed there’s at least 15 plus clothes shops all close proximity to each other and various fast food takeaways and also various jewellery shops and bric a beak type shops all close again,my question is how can shops that sell the same stuff survive especially with such close competition.

[Lou2019]

different customers have different preferences, not unlike SS and SPs

[Punterperson1971]

different customers have different preferences, not unlike SS and SPs

I’m on about the same type of shops eg:-fashion stores there’s got to be 15 plus all along the same strip all selling same dresses etc ,just intrigue’s me that shops can survive with this much competition

[Moby Dick]

Is it the same stuff , same quality, same brand?
Then it comes down to price and service.
a warm welcome, Better, happy, smiley knowledgeable helpful staff, no fuss, easy returns.
The best survive and build a good reputation, get recommendations, good reviews.
Like any other business or service.

[Punterperson1971]

Is it the same stuff , same quality, same brand?
Then it comes down to price and service.
a warm welcome, Better, happy, smiley knowledgeable helpful staff, no fuss, easy returns.
The best survive and build a good reputation, get recommendations, good reviews.
Like any other business or service.

Yea think so it’s same with all same takeaways the chicken shops/pizza shops saying that as well when I lived down south there was a street near town centre where the majority of shops where estate agents and not much else apart from takeaways

[daviemac]

Yea think so it’s same with all same takeaways the chicken shops/pizza shops saying that as well when I lived down south there was a street near town centre where the majority of shops where estate agents and not much else apart from takeaways

Are you saying there's several KFC shops or Domino pizza shops in the same street?? I've never heard of that. If you mean there's several differently owned takeaways then it's because they all vary slightly and everyone's preference is different.

Some people like McDonalds others Burger King but they both sell burgers. 

[Punterperson1971]

They are mostly the same types of shops that’s all I’m saying,like a dixy chicken type shop or a shop that sells certain types of clothes that tend to be the same type the road I go down there’s lot more than other types it’s just something I’ve noticed that’s all

[Moby Dick]

Yea think so it’s same with all same takeaways the chicken shops/pizza shops saying that as well when I lived down south there was a street near town centre where the majority of shops where estate agents and not much else apart from takeaways

Centres are filled with Charity and vape shops.
Big chain shops  (dont sell chains big or small) move to retail parks so you have to shop by car, one entrance one exit, polluting the planet.
That’s town planning for you.

[The0neAnd0nly]

Are we talking about south Asian shops (I.e. Pakistani or Indian?)

If so then the shops all specialise in different things - some are party wear shops, some wedding clothes, some jewellery and then you have just male or just female specific shops.

On top of this you have shops that deal with unstitched cloth or in just accessories (bangles, handbags etc.)

Southall in London in the same miles of shops that all offer different things.

[Punterperson1971]

Are we talking about south Asian shops (I.e. Pakistani or Indian?)

If so then the shops all specialise in different things - some are party wear shops, some wedding clothes, some jewellery and then you have just male or just female specific shops.

On top of this you have shops that deal with unstitched cloth or in just accessories (bangles, handbags etc.)

Southall in London in the same miles of shops that all offer different things.

Yes we are and thanks for that

[The0neAnd0nly]

Is it the same stuff , same quality, same brand?
Then it comes down to price and service.
a warm welcome, Better, happy, smiley knowledgeable helpful staff, no fuss, easy returns.
The best survive and build a good reputation, get recommendations, good reviews.
Like any other business or service.

Rarely - a lot of the time the shops differ in regard to cost, quality and design. Per my post if its south Asian there is more traditional eastern style clothing or now the more modern type of garments.

Its basically the same thing as having a M&S next to a JD Sport next to a River Island. To the untrained eye it could seem like the same shops selling the same things

[Moby Dick]

Rarely - a lot of the time the shops differ in regard to cost, quality and design. Per my post if its south Asian there is more traditional eastern style clothing or now the more modern type of garments.

Its basically the same thing as having a M&S next to a JD Sport next to a River Island. To the untrained eye it could seem like the same shops selling the same things

Never noticed any Asian shops in my town centre.
A couple of curry houses but not really for an asian community.
Plenty of Charity and vape shops.
Several barbers, hairdressers and tattoo shops.
All the retail chains you have mentioned are boarded up and have moved to a retail park on the outskirts of town.

[The0neAnd0nly]

Nah they normally sit outside the city centre in their own communities to be fair. That's why they get bunched together in the areas OP mentioned.

No asian shops grouped together in any city centre that I can think of (Bradford, Sheffield, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester)

[tynetunnel]

Yes we are and thanks for that

Commercial Road in East London is exactly the same, the shops look like duplicates of each other but in reality are different.

[Gordon Bennett]

Charity Shops get 80% Business Rates relief and many local authorities even let them off the other 20%. This is why it's a bad sign if any shopping drag has lots of Charity Shops - it indicates a lack of local GDP to support "normal" rate-paying shops and businesses.
My local drag is just a load of charity shops, bookies, take-aways and variations of a £1 shop.

[Ali Katt]

I’m on about the same type of shops eg:-fashion stores there’s got to be 15 plus all along the same strip all selling same dresses etc ,just intrigue’s me that shops can survive with this much competition

They're all owned by the same person/family. Don't forget wholesalers are a great money laundering  scam.

[lillythesavage]

Commercial Road in East London is exactly the same, the shops look like duplicates of each other but in reality are different.

If you take the time to look at them there you will find the same cheap tatt in most of them, they are all wholesalers, not interested in selling to the public. Perfect cover for laundering and importing.

A lot of charity shops are privately run, and the percentage the charities get is nowhere near the amount the shop takes, no shortage of volunteer staff, the good stuff never goes in the shop.

Lots of those gold shops have been nicked for snide gold, not hallmarked, not as stated, dressed up rubbish but there are so many they can never catch them all.

Councils helped kill the high street, by selling car parks for development and CPZ,s, No one wants to drag big items on the bus, hence the big chains moving to places with car parking.

[Moby Dick]

Charity Shops get 80% Business Rates relief and many local authorities even let them off the other 20%. This is why it's a bad sign if any shopping drag has lots of Charity Shops - it indicates a lack of local GDP to support "normal" rate-paying shops and businesses.
My local drag is just a load of charity shops, bookies, take-aways and variations of a £1 shop.

Well it won’t be long before the massage parlours and porn shops move in.
Every cloud n all that 

[sir wanksalot]

If you take the time to look at them there you will find the same cheap tatt in most of them, they are all wholesalers, not interested in selling to the public. Perfect cover for laundering and importing.

A lot of charity shops are privately run, and the percentage the charities get is nowhere near the amount the shop takes, no shortage of volunteer staff, the good stuff never goes in the shop.

Lots of those gold shops have been nicked for snide gold, not hallmarked, not as stated, dressed up rubbish but there are so many they can never catch them all.

Councils helped kill the high street, by selling car parks for development and CPZ,s, No one wants to drag big items on the bus, hence the big chains moving to places with car parking.

I know someone who volunteered for a local charity shop. It was a real eye opener. Supervisors and area manager would cherry pick the best items BEFORE they even got onto the shop floor i.e. in the sorting room and pay a nominal amount.

Other times whole sack fulls of unidentified items would be bagged up and "transferred" to another store without anyone else having a clue where they actually went.

[JamesKW]

Other times whole sack fulls of unidentified items would be bagged up and "transferred" to another store without anyone else having a clue where they actually went.

Some charities sell on EBay as well as shops,maybe its stuff they think they can get a better price for with people bidding against each other,usually collectables.

[lillythesavage]

I know someone who volunteered for a local charity shop. It was a real eye opener. Supervisors and area manager would cherry pick the best items BEFORE they even got onto the shop floor i.e. in the sorting room and pay a nominal amount.

Other times whole sack fulls of unidentified items would be bagged up and "transferred" to another store without anyone else having a clue where they actually went.

Anyone can open a charity shop, as long as some money goes to charities they will endorse it, and earn a decent living.

[daviemac]

There's a road not far from me, within a couple of hundred yards there's 2 small supermarkets, 3 pizza shops, 4 estate agents, 2 barbers, 2 sandwich shops (plus a Greggs), 2 hairdressers and there used to be 3 charity shops but one closed down and is now a nail bar. So it looks like private enterprise is doing better than the charity sector in my area. Oh, an Indian restaurant and an Indian takeaway as well, there's only the 1 Chinese takeaway though.   

[mh]

In a recent Channel 4 police type programme (maybe 24 Hours in Police Custody?) there was a street fight in Luton which turned out to be caused by drug wars. The fried chicken shop delivered enough funding for one of the accused to have a team of lawyers including a QC.

So it isn't always about what's sold front of shop!

[Yankee21]

Create an experience and excellent customer service.
What I have tried to do with my retail.

[JamesKW]

In a situation where a large company is opening a branch just to keep out a competitor then someone is going to lose.In the City we had a situation where before COVID we had hundreds of Prets and EATS opening up,way more than we ever needed,eventually Pret took over EAT but hopefully COVID and wfh will destroy Pret.The same is happening in every town where we now seem to have hundreds of Tescos Metros,Sainsburys locals,Aldis,COOPs etc which all destroyed your small businessman,they are everywhere and also in most petrol stations,eventually one of them is going to get hit hard.

[Watts.E.Dunn]

Had to visit a small town in Mid Suffolk this week, surprised at the number of high street shops with peeps in them that that were there!...

[lillythesavage]

Had to visit a small town in Mid Suffolk this week, surprised at the number of high street shops with peeps in them that that were there!...

   


Probably because they could park nearby.

[Watts.E.Dunn]

   


Probably because they could park nearby.

Yes and that, free parking for an hour!..

And a railway station just off the high street!...

[lillythesavage]

Yes and that, free parking for an hour!..

And a railway station just off the high street!...

As I said earlier, councils kill the high street shops.

[Marmalade]

Travelling through Birmingham going down one particular road I’ve noticed there’s at least 15 plus clothes shops all close proximity to each other and various fast food takeaways and also various jewellery shops and bric a beak type shops all close again,my question is how can shops that sell the same stuff survive especially with such close competition.

Happens in parts of London too but Bham takes the biscuit.

If you want your haircut, go to a street with six hairdressers in a row and increase the chance that one will have a vacancy. You want a s/h tv go to a s/h tv shop street. It is an obvious draw for customers. What each business loses in competition mark-up it gains in customer quantity.

Birmingham was also one of the last places to have a dedicated street of brothels until the Muslims ftom the next street ruined it, attacking drivers’ cars.

[Steve2]

Attercliffe rd in Sheffield used to have maybe 20 massage parlours within a mile long stretch

That was more fun than clothes shops 

[cotton]

Rarely - a lot of the time the shops differ in regard to cost, quality and design. Per my post if its south Asian there is more traditional eastern style clothing or now the more modern type of garments.

Its basically the same thing as having a M&S next to a JD Sport next to a River Island. To the untrained eye it could seem like the same shops selling the same things

If they are Asian shops , like Indian/Pakistani then it could be a carry over of the practice in those countries of having localities that specialise in specific activities like you get a single road that is all jewellers or all the gun shops are in a particular road , thats how it is in at least some cities over there. They seemingly sell similar or same stuff and everyone makes a living.  From a business pov it makes it like a community of sellers all in the same game and from a buyer pov i guess it means you can go to a specialised area that have loads of shops catering to what you want rather than having to travel from area to area to see what choice is available.

[sir wanksalot]

Happens in parts of London too but Bham takes the biscuit.

If you want your haircut, go to a street with six hairdressers in a row and increase the chance that one will have a vacancy. You want a s/h tv go to a s/h tv shop street. It is an obvious draw for customers. What each business loses in competition mark-up it gains in customer quantity.

Birmingham was also one of the last places to have a dedicated street of brothels until the Muslims ftom the next street ruined it, attacking drivers’ cars.

Yes, it's not all that unusual.

My local high street used to have 5 or 6 shoe shops on the main precinct. It didn't appear to make much sense but then again if someone wanted to buy shoes there is only one area of town they are going to visit.

[j_181]

Happens in parts of London too but Bham takes the biscuit.

If you want your haircut,

Where is the street in Bham with 6 hairdressers? Asking for my home-shaved head.

[Marmalade]

Where is the street in Bham with 6 hairdressers? Asking for my home-shaved head.

Don’t remember but there probably is one. There’s even one in Edimburgh.

[webpunter]

Get yourself to Walton on Thames

Search up chinese massage WOT etc

Three in very close proximity, plus a thai gaff

PS haven;t been to any of em, better available elsewhere

Well it won’t be long before the massage parlours and porn shops move in.
Every cloud n all that 

When it comes to shops selling similar stuff, not ideal if you happen to own one of them

However places which have numerous restaurants doing various cuisines can do well

Given that the 'place' becomes a destination of choice

People going out for drinks / eats, or just eats.  Choosing what they fancy when they get there

So far as places you can rock up for our fave sport, the choice for massage is usually limited to chinese & occasionally thai

Sadly not so many traditional 'british' massage gaffs these days, even if staffing mostly EE

And when they are around they tend to be not on the high street

[webpunter]

Back in the day going as an away fan to Spurs there are barber shops one after the other
All doing the same haircuts 

In between kebab shops
Different names, could well be owned by the same person
Tho there is something of interest for a 'badly packed kebab' 

Where is the street in Bham with 6 hairdressers? Asking for my home-shaved head.

[GingerNuts]

A nigerian shop selling dresses which look like crappy curtains or wallpaper is hardly likely to fare any better than one close by 

Are you describing Nigerian traditional dress as looking like crappy curtains or wallpaper?

[webpunter]

Have you ever written something & then decided that seeing it in 'print' not the best idea & its time to edit ?
Not quick enuf on my part
Unless you have access to stuff which fellow UKP'ers don't

DM commented on another thread
& i have duly reset my horizon
Lesson learned

Edit:  quali is on @ 10 so another raison d'etre to sign off

Are you describing Nigerian traditional dress as looking like crappy curtains or wallpaper?

[petermisc]

If they are Asian shops , like Indian/Pakistani then it could be a carry over of the practice in those countries of having localities that specialise in specific activities like you get a single road that is all jewellers or all the gun shops are in a particular road

And, historically speaking, used to be common practice in the larger English towns and cities too.  All the butchers in one street (like the Shambles in York), and so on.  Good for the shopper, because it means if you want a particular item, you can go to one particular street or area, rather than having to wander all around town.