"Bork Bork Bork!"

[The Medway Handyman]

FYI

------------------------------------------ Swedish DIY retailer to roll out in UK Clas Ohlson, one of Scandinavia's best known diy and homewares retailers is to open in the UK this year.

And, in a demonstration of the Swedish company's commitment to the UK market it appointed a UK managing director earlier this week, ex-Argos man Mark Gregory.

The chain, which specialises in housewares, power tools, hand tools, leisure and electrical items, operates almost 90 stores in Scandinavia with another

13 openings currently in the pipeline. It has a product offering which exceeds 15,000 lines.

It plans top open up to four stores this financial year, with work on the first, a 20,000sq ft site in Croydon's Whitgift shopping centre, underway.

------------------------------------------

So there you go.

[Andy Hall]

Don't get excited. I've been to one. It's a weird place. They have a mixture of hardware in small packets, a few tools, craft stuff like clock faces and hands, flags, range of own brand Chinese tools, assorted seasonal goods.

It reminded me most of Focus - tries to do a lot of things, but none of them very well.

I think they\ll struggle here because there's nothing than they have that's compelling. For all its faults, at least IKEA has some things that are not seen elsewhere and a different business model. I suppose that having someone from Argos will be a good fit for an attempt at volume retailing. Perhaps they will develop their internet trading.

[Cerberus .]

Bit like 'Poundland' then, but with a bigger markup. ;-)

Don

[Andy Hall]

I don't know - never been to a Poundland. The Clas Ohlson prices didn't seem particuarly cheap, but then that has to be put into context

- Swedish prices aren't relative to elsewhere.

[The Medway Handyman]

Bit like these people, they keep sending me catalogues

[Andy Burns]

[Andy Hall]

like useless kitchen gadgets that don't cost a huge amount and so people will pick them up while passing the rack.

[Andy Hall]

of our readers may find the parts washing appliance on the farming page useful as well

I'm slightly concerned about it needing detergents with a flash point of < 65 degrees.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Doubt I'll go then. DIY stores usually involve going by car to carry things. And the centre of Croydon is extremely car unfriendly as well as a pain to actually get there. I use the tram if I really must go there for things which can be carried easily.

They'd have been far better to locate nearish Ikea - like Screwfix.

[Andy Hall]

Except that this isn't really a DIY store in the sense of the typical UK chain. For example, in Stockholm there is one in Gallerian

which is a mid market indoor shopping mall. I don't recall seeing timber and sheet materials in there.

Mind you, BHV in Rivoli in Paris does have all the DIY stuff and I have seen people taking 1220 square sheets of material onto the metro, the station for which is located near the exit and on the same level.

Clas Ohlson is one of those places which looks all very good in theory and appears to have a huge stock range (and does), but where a DIYer would probably go in and come out again not having found much of what he went in for.

[tim.....]

I can understand people just picking these things up from a market stall as they pass by, or even going into a 'specialist' cheap store in the town centre for 5 minutes when they are out shopping anyway, but buying it "mail order"!!!!!?

tim

[Andy Hall]

Keep in mind that away from the cities and larger towns, Sweden has a pretty low population density and the time taken to get from A to B can be lengthy - even more so in Norway.

[tim.....]

I was actually referring to the link from Dave? about the mail order brochure he had received in the UK.

But even in Scandinavia, I can't understand why someone would buy cheap tat that they don't really need, by mail order.

tim

[PCPaul]

Speaking for myself, I hate going into town and don't often find myself in a market, so buying online is much simpler and more pleasant for me.

And what the hell, I like to see what new gadgets people have thought up. maybe one in a thousand is actually useful, too!

[Andy Hall]

Personally I don't understand why people would buy cheap tat, period, but that's something else.

[stuart noble]

I just bought a kite in Tesco for £1. It flies beautifully

[Andy Hall]

That's nice.

I wonder if they look at the weather forecast.

[geoff]

In message , Andy Hall writes

Well, I've got one of those filled with paraffin, it hasn't exploded in the last 10 years

[geoff]

In message , tim..... writes

boredom ?

"Shall I order some tat or watch the grass grow?"

had call

[Owain]

I was changing the bedlinen this morning and it occurred to me that my Poundstretcher "conninnenal quilt" was 20 years old. Although now shabby, it has served me well for the ? £7.99 I paid.

Owain