General Chat

There is a hot rumour in my local market town - a branch of Anne Summers is about to open! Really appropriate, as over half of the population are OAPs. It's all due to the Fifty Shades of Grey effect, so they say.
Grannies in basques and Grandads wielding whips. What a thought! :-P

I asked my friend about Jolly's last night and, as soon as she described where it was, I remembered it.

I agree, Oldham has changed but, there again, it hasn't.

Barbara

I was born in Glodwick, then moved to Waterhead when I was 11

Many of Mum's ancestors lived in and around Chadderton ............. and are buried in Chadderton Cemetery. And my gt grandfather was killed when he fell out a train at Clegg Street Station (which is probably closed now!!).


My mum worked at Jolly's from 1945 to the day before she died in 1961.


There used to be very good train and bus service to Manchester in the "old days" :-D


We were back there for a couple of days in 2001 .......... couldn't believe how much it had changed! And yet, much was still the same ............. if that doesn't sound too daft!!


We left the UK when we got married in 1967.




sylvia

That's what I thought, SylviainCanada - especially as all the other big shops (and small ones too) are closing down. They are, at present, bringing the Metrolink system to Oldham and it promises to be good for commuters once it is done. They problem is that the ongoing road and building works (which have been going on for quite a while now) are killing off the trade.

I don't know of Jolly's, but will as my mum in law when I see her tomorrow.

Where Woolworths was in Oldham is now a Poundland (everything they sell is £1).

I am in Chadderton, and originally from Middleton.

GP..but we still have a BHS store on Northumberland Street,I was in town yesterday.
Mau xx

Primark established themselves in Newcastle's main thoroughfare a year or two back and have now taken over the BHS store next door. When refurbishment is complete it will probably be one of the largest stores in the Northeast selling poor quality clothing.

wow................... Oldham is moving up in the world!!!


the only chain store I can remember from when I was growing up there was Woolworths on the High Street!


I even worked in Woolworths one Christmas!!


Barbara ...... you don't happen to remember Jolly's, ladies and childrens exclusive dress shop, do you?


That's where I first started working ................... at age 11 :-0



sylvia

We have never had a BHS in Oldham but seems one is now due to open soon - or so it is adverised to.

I hadn't realsed that the BHS still existed. Worcester branch shut down a few years ago. It is also now a Primark

We have Primark in both Gloucester and Cheltenham as well as BHS.

Ours in North West London became Primark too

I do miss BHS especially at this time of year :-(

Oh that explains why Dorothy P and wallis are both inside BHS stores. A good way to save money I suppose.
However I find it confusing to think I am looking at BHS for example when I am looking at DP. :-S

I assume it is connected to the following although they do say they intend opening a smaller shop within 6 months and are looking for premises. These big shops have to make a good profit to justify the large rents they pay for their premises and as the lease runs out early next year I assume it is a cost cutting exrecise.

24 November 2011 Clothing retailer Arcadia plans to close up to 260 stores over the next three years, its boss Sir Philip Green has told the BBC.

It comes as the company reported a fall in annual profits.

Sir Philip agreed that current trading conditions on the UK High Street were the worst he has ever seen.

Arcadia owns Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Topman, Topshop, Wallis and BHS

Daft init? More cheap clothing shops than needed but another British insitution sacrificed :-(

M & S in Malta is sooooooooooooooo expensive :-(

Sue

We used to have a BHS and TWO M&S in Barcelona. Both long gone, sadly. I hope M&S get their foreign operations fired up again. There must have been a profit in Barcelona for them to refit an entire building in Plaza de Catalunya. Unfortunately they sold it to underpin the failing business in U.K. Crazy! :-(

Hi Gwyn,
There was a Woolworths store that just sold records etc. It's the HMV shop now - 'they' wouldn't allow a proper Woolworths.

They recently updated the Cheltenham BHS but I have to admit that within the store there appears to be more franchises than BHS. Wallis takes a large area in both the Cheltenham and Gloucester stores and Dorothy Perkins is in the Cheltenham store.

Gosh Maggie, I hadn't realised your BHS had gone.
I do remember a Woolworths store in town, back in 70s.

Folkestone BHS became Primark too.

Gwyn

we have a Primark :-(

Apparently the BHS lease is up on the store - they are hoping to open a smaller one in about six months time - there is another BHS store in Cardiff but that one sells household goods only

the present BHS store is on the site of our Woolworth's store - still sadly missed by me

Lynda - Snap! Same thing happened in Winchester.

What's ironic, is 20 odd years ago when I first moved here, they wouldn't allow a Woolworths - as it wasn't 'upmarket' enough!

My, how the mighty fall