The two half's is under offer

[dickp]

Trufax.

http://www.cradick.co.uk/availableRetai ... &vId=37281

Wonder who's taking it.

[G-Man]

Interesting stuff. Let's hope it's a decent pub chain. The rent is a huge amount, would hope that it's been negotiated down.

...or could it be a giant nail bar with a pawn shop at the back...

G-Man

[Rachael]

Is that so giants can get their nails done?

[marymck]

Is that so giants can get their nails done?

... while waiting for their beans to be turned to cash.

[G-Man]

Tweeted. Antic said that the bosses mentioned it at some point but nothing else as far as their tweeter was aware. I have some ears to the ground though.

Cheers

G-Man

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Andwar]

I reckon it could be 'Poundland' or perhaps a very large KFC.

[JRobinson]

or a Waitrose?!

[JulietP]

I would absolutely adore a Waitrose, but realistically I don't think Sydenham high street is yet in the kind of state that Waitrose would see as a safe investment! But a girl can dream...

[mosy]

@ JulietP: Perhaps you should add to their Twitter: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/912568-wait ... tter-stunt (current news). There was a quote this morning that a "local" small store had opened and that it was like shopping in an expensive cupboard.

TBH As Waitrose have also started value lines, it's almost as if they've started to think they can't remain aloof and have competition, so actually seek the purchasing power of the man on the Clapham omnibus.

I've no grouch against them incidentally and would be fine with a Waitrose, though I'd still weigh up if I could buy as good more cheaply elsewhere locally.

[Voyageur]

I shop in Waitrose a fair bit, I also shop in Poundland.

It would be great to have some more choice locally, you can get plenty of cheap stuff in the area - Waitrose provides extra stuff for people who might want it, I know I do. Virtually zero chance locally at the moment sadly - nail bars seem to rule,

[Eagle]

Not a great pitch unless they can move the all day drinkers. Can you imagine waitrose and them mixing.

Why are there so many Nail Bars? How did we manage to do without any 50 years ago?

[Voyageur]

Not a great pitch unless they can move the all day drinkers. Can you imagine waitrose and them mixing.

Why are there so many Nail Bars? How did we manage to do without any 50 years ago?

Agreed - how did women manage without great big ugly lumps of acrylic glued onto the ends of their fingers

[G-Man]

We have co-op, Penge Food Centre is next door which sells amazing stuff, I don't think we need a Waitrose to be honest. I think it will probably be a boozer, in fact I hope it is a boozer. Apart from the Dolphin I travel to Forest Hill now for a drink and food as the choice is so much better. It would be good if we had that choice on our doorstep.

G-Man

[leenewham]

Interesting dispatches about Poundland: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/disp ... nd-feature

Often pack sizes are smaller to compensate for the price and they make outlandish claims such as 50% free which is untrue. Often standard packs are better value in Tesco, Sainsbury's etc. They also use Phantom or fake brands (like Lidl do) where you think it's some special buy from Poland, but is actually own brand under a made up name from Birmingham (Lidl do this a lot). Around 50% of Poundland products are own brand, but they don't call them 'Poundland'.

It's interesting that some think that Waitrose is 'aloof' or posh. In reality they just haven't followed the 'screw suppliers for every penny', buy cheap goods from 11year olds in India who get paid 10p an hour etc and they make the whole place look good, which small businesses used to do years ago. In marketing terms, most people fall for the tricks played by discounters and the big supermarkets, Waitrose tends to be more honest about what it is and what it does.

I'd love a Waitrose in the high street. But like G-man I'd also like some more choice for somewhere to eat or socialize. Forest Hill has raced ahead with this which is why we probably spend more time there than in Sydenham road now.

I still have my fingers crossed for Antic. They do seem very very interested in Sydenham and have missed out on a few places so far. Having a bar in Sydenham will complete the Antic pub crawl from Catford-Sydenham-Forest Hill-Honor Oak/Brockley-New Cross/Deptford with a small excursion to Crystal Palace along the way.

[Eagle]

Lee
Went in Antic by Catford Station yesterday. Amazing place. Great addition to civilised living.

Would be good if they did open in Sydenham but not sure about proposed venue.

[mosy]

Hi. In leenewham's linked article about Poundland, it says "Dispatches spoke to a number of consumer and marketing experts to find out more about the tactics of Poundland and whether customers really were getting a good deal in comparison to the supermarkets. And their conclusions were surprising." Pity it doesn't say what said conclusions were. When is the programme to be aired? Ch.4 I guess.

The comments are a bit one sided - after all, it's not unusual for supermarkets to flash "10% free", yet the publicity wrap on a product for 10% free covers nearer 30% by area. Surely buyer beware? Also, if shoppers aren't savvy, surely they'll be taken in by any shop trying to beguile them? Some things are both good quality and cheaper in so-called poundshops, which in Syd Road are more hardware shops than cheapo tat, some having survived several years now. The ones that have gone (from memory) are an arts shop, carpet shop, furniture renovation shop, misc gift shops and I see the glass/mirror shop at the top end of Woolstone Rd has gone.

Maybe high streets are destined for no more than coffee shops after the big names take over. Boo hoo. After all, the street is long enough for many shops and hopefully with the new pavements and parking options will make it a good street to amble along if only to see what's there and hopefully log into memory and revisit...

[leenewham]

Watch the program Mosy, it's on 4OD.

I didn't think it was one sided at all. It allowed Poundland to comment on the findings from the program. I was quite shocked at what I saw. Many items were cheaper in Tesco and Asda. Many brands created bespoke pack sizes which are much smaller in Poundland. Consumers are easily led and it's right that practices like this are called into question.

The tactics employed by Poundland are in essence to make it FEEL like it's too good to be true. When the supermarkets put 10% free, they have to add an extra 10% extra in the pack. I've never designed packaging for any of the supermarkets where this wasn't the case. I don't understand how Poundland get away with it.

For example: Poundland were selling penguin bars for £1. Instead of saying '9 bars' they said '6 + 3 free' with a huge 50% extra free flash.

Then they reduced the amount of bars (because of inflation) to '5 + 3 free' and added a huge flash saying 60% extra free.

That's misleading and wrong.

I agree with you about the shops in Sydenham road being more hardware stores (or general stores) than pound shops (well, Mustis anyway).

[mosy]

I personally will not rest until Sydenham has another Sainsburys.

Tee hee. Luv it. That way it could be "Sainsbury's Sydenham" instead of "Sydenham Sainsbury's".

@ leenewham: Quote: "That's misleading and wrong." Perhaps you think so, but it isn't in law. A pub can sell a pint for £20 if they have a demand at that price (think Harrods). A shop can price things at whatever it likes and the rules are ludicrously slack on how long for and in which store an item is offered at "full price" before a reduction is claimed nationwide as you must well know.

I've no doubt you are honourable in your designs but my lady doth protest too much if pretending that wool over consumers' eyes to befuddle them is not widespread. I think the nearest Poundland is Catford (the Cat centre) isn't it? Do you have something against them? Like most shops, I either take things or leave them and Poundland was no different last time I went in.

I'll try to find the programme on 4 OD.

[mosy]

Well, I located and watched the Dispatches programme via 4OD. I found it very skewed against Poundland unreasonably on several counts - dissertation on request, notwithstanding that I've already said buyer beware from wherever you shop.

This is way off topic for uses of the Two Half's. I did go in there when it was a pub and the ground floor ceiling seemed very low to me. I wonder if the new owners will gut it from the back, like the Greyhound?

[leenewham]

Well, as usual we will have to disagree mosy, I'd be interested where you thought the program was skewed. Poundland deliberately deceive consumers into thinking they are vetter value and more often than not they aren't.

Anyway…

I hope they dont gut the two Halfs, better to make the most of what a shop already has which is more sustainable, the interior could still make a decent pub, it cost a lot of money to refit it when it was the pukka bar I understand.