What now for Fopp?

[Neil McCauley]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13466179

[Spectral Morn]

No mention of Fopp in the article but I would assume that they are holding their own (I hope so anyway). I go into Fopp in Glasgow and Edinburgh a fair bit during the year and they are always busy, unlike HMV snore.

HMV have to a certain extent brought their own doom upon their own heads. They are too dear, have very little specialist stock and few staff that know anything. Waterstones to an extent is similar, back catalogue book choice is poor but the staff are excellent.

E books are imho naff, have the potential to damage your eyesight. Imho you can't beat the smell and feel of a book and they don't need batteries. I am biased though as I collect books and work in a second hand bookshop :)

I hope Fopp survives.


Regards D S D L

[Ali Tait]

I love my Sony reader. How can they damage your eyesight?

[SteveW]

I know I'm going to go blind if I keep on looking at some websites on my iPod touch.

[Beechwoods]

I cared more for Borders than I do Fopp.

[SteveW]

I cared more for Borders than I do Fopp.
I'm with you there.
I spent so many lunch hours at the Cheshire Oaks branch.. now a big ol Next is moving in.
There is no justice.

[Beechwoods]

Bristol Borders is still vacant... it was a fab place, books, music, comics, coffee shop. It's a real shame it went the way it did.

[Tim]

E books are imho naff, have the potential to damage your eyesight. Imho you can't beat the smell and feel of a book and they don't need batteries.
Each to their own, but you would struggle to take (well I would) a large collection of books away with you when travelling ;)

I think having both is the best option, a good e-reader for throwaway novels, but the real thing for something collectable, especially if it has good photographs. However, I do disagree with you about them being bad for your eyes, unless you are referring to the naff backlit ones? The Sony and Kindle (I have both) are excellent and have actually encouraged me to read more, which can only be a good thing.

I'm happy to have both real books and digital and get the best out of each of them :)

[aquapiranha]

I'm with you there.
I spent so many lunch hours at the Cheshire Oaks branch.. now a big ol Next is moving in.
There is no justice.

Haha me too! I used to drive to Cheshire Oaks from my place in Bromborough, but whenever I got there I realised what a rubbish place it was, so I would go over to Borders instead. Often I would get a coffee too. I always wondered how they went out of business since the branches I went to always seemed busy.

[MartinT]

HMV have to a certain extent brought their own doom upon their own heads. They are too dear, have very little specialist stock and few staff that know anything. Waterstones to an extent is similar, back catalogue book choice is poor but the staff are excellent.

The HMV in Basingstoke has relegated music CDs to the back of the store, the classical section is so pitiful that they should get rid of it, and they've dedicated a large section of the shop now to games and portable devices. What is the matter with them? Those are not their core strengths and they will see their own demise even more quickly. It's a horrible place now.

Waterstone's have just been sold, presumably a move by HMV to raise cash?