Robbs transformation is un-Beale-ievable

Graham Soult

Retail consultant, writer, blogger; helping retailers via CannyInsights.com and CannySites.com. Say hello on Twitter at @soult!

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5 Responses

  1. Beales Employee says:

    As for the comment regarding the pans, beales offers a ‘price match’ that the employee should have been aware of..next time take your concern to store director as they are likely to be more informed about procedures.
    Secondly if you wish to reach Tony, you must go via the Beales Of Bournemouth Head Office. Number can be found on line.

  2. Dave Riley says:

    Will be surprised if the all-new Robbs doesn’t suffer as the previous one did,with or without Tony Brown.I saw the feature on the store on your programme earlier this week and,co-incidentally visited the store earlier that day.
    Briefly,I wanted to buy 2 pan sets from the store which were to be,believe it or not,Christmas presents for my 2 children and their partners.They were offered for sale at £127.50 per set,reduced,apparently,from £170.00 per set.Regardless of the reduction I asked if they could do me a better price and if so I would take both sets there and then.Stock turnover,cash in till,space in the warehouse etc etc.I had set a figure of £110.00 per set which I thought quite reasonable.The response was an absolute,stone-cold flat refusal to negotiate.Not interested one jot.
    I have taken my business elsewhere and bought the same set of pans,online,from Sainsbury’s at £100.00 per set.If Brown is a dedicated retailer his staff aren’t.I’m sure he would have negotiated a price and I’m sure that Lord Sugar would have as well.I regularly visit Hexham but will no longer visit Robbs,and it looked like not many other people do either.If they don’t want my money someone else will.
    All told,a very poor experience.
    Could this be passed on to Mr Brown on my behalf?
    I cannot find his e-mail address,or,for that matter,Beales.
    Regards
    Dave Riley

  1. October 29, 2010

    […] the former Westgate department store in Rochdale (now renamed as Whitakers), and, of course, the transformed Robbs department store up here in […]

  2. December 6, 2010

    […] high streets; coincidentally, the programme also has a report (not involving me) on the transformation of Robbs of Hexham, under the new ownership of Beales. Hexham's transformed Robbs store (4 Dec […]

  3. May 29, 2012

    […] Of course, Beales would face the same issue as Hoopers in competing with House of Fraser and Debenhams, but would probably have several advantages over the current occupier. With a store estate six times the size of Hoopers’, one of these would be Beales’ greater buying power. Other benefits would include Beales’ slightly less upmarket positioning – not so much in direct competition with the ‘big two’ up the road – and its existing brand awareness in Cumbria, built up through its established stores in Kendal and (over the border in Northumberland) Hexham. […]

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