Today, let’s talk about DIY superstores. Firstly, before you ask – ‘DIY’ means ‘Do It Yourself’!
In the UK these huge DIY superstores have generally replaced the old fashioned ironmonger stores. These days such shops are very rare to find. The odd one or two still exist. Those that do are worth their weight in gold. Many have closed because of superstores offering so much more.
What can you buy in a DIY superstore? These days practically everything! This includes paint, wood, storage boxes, glue, nails and screws, ladders, light bulbs, lights and cleaning materials.
Today, let’s talk about Sunday trading in the UK. Currently smaller shops are allowed to open all day on a Sunday. Shops over 280m² are allowed to open for up to six hours.
British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osbourne, is set to unveil plans to allow shops in England and Wales to open for longer on Sundays. The proposal comes after larger shops were allowed to open for longer during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012.
This week the world saw yet another terrorist attack unfold; this time in Kenya. The deadly attack took place in an upmarket shopping mall in the country’s capital Nairobi. The Somalian terrorist group al-Shabaab, which has links to Al- Qaeda, has now claimed responsibility for the attack in the Westgate Shopping Mall that is popular with expatriates and wealthy Kenyans.
Category: Kenya/ Nairobi / Shopping Mall horror
If you are considering a visit to Britain you might like to do some shopping. Where better to do this than in a small quaint market town. Visitors however, might be surprised by what they see…
Gone are the days of seeing a typical British High Street bustling with shoppers. Today people visit out-of-town shopping centres and supermarkets. The result has caused the gradual death of the typical British High Street.
Category: Britain / High Streets / Shopping
Today, let’s talk about Ikea. It’s a place many of us like to visit when we want something for the home. Whether it’s a new kitchen, a new sofa, or some new bedroom furniture, Ikea sells it. They also sell many other things, like curtains, bedding, and household furniture. In fact, you name it and you’ll probably find it in Ikea.
The Swedish store has had a phenomenal success rate in Europe. Founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943 the store has transformed home furnishings. It has allowed people to have Swedish furnishings. One in ten Europeans now has an Ikea bed. Ikea’s catalogue is the world’s most distributed publication, surpassing the bible. The stores success has made Mr Kamprad into one of the world’s richest men.
Category: Lifestyle / Ikea / Shopping
Paris - After a decade in retreat Marks & Spencer the British retail clothes and food giant has reopened in France. Yesterday, it opened its doors in the French capital. The new three storey shop lies in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe. Its new £50m 10-year lease makes it one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in eurozone territory.
Marks and Spencer will also launch five other stores in Paris and is now searching for suitable premises for its Simply Food outlets. A French language website has also been launched. While some French housewives pouted their cheeks and shrugged off the opening of the new outlet, other loyal followers of well-heeled French housewives were pressing their noses up against the windows in anticipation yesterday.
“We love their sandwiches, little cakes, shoes, trousers,” said Chantal Bruno and Nicole LeClerceq yesterday. “When the shop closed before, we went to London, because we couldn’t bear not to have M&S clothes. Paris is not the capital of style, Marks & Spencer is.” The French you see have a peculiar love affair for the British retailer.
Category: France / Paris / Marks & Spencer
