Jacks goes into administration

11:00am Wednesday 23rd January 2013 in News By James Cox

Jacks goes into administration Jacks goes into administration

A MUCH loved independent shop has gone into administration.

Jacks Famous Supplies, in St Nicholas Street, is set to close after losing its fight against poor trading conditions.

This year has already seen huge brands, such as HMV and Jessops, hand to administrators.

Jacks has been in the town since 1946.

Comments(39)

jammin says...
12:00pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Sad day. All the old shops are going. I remember Farmers hardware store, that was a great loss when that closed also.

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SamEssex says...
12:05pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Such a shame going to be so few independents left especially good ones, town is just to expensive aswell, as in rates etc

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JCoe1980 says...
12:13pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Yes - this is sad - very sad. The high street is changing beyond all recognition BUT lets try and see this as a positive thing from a planning perspective and make Colchester Council see that unless more is done to bring people to shop in town then THIS is the inevitable situation we will find our town in!

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Boris says...
12:25pm Wed 23 Jan 13

A great shame. I went there on Monday about 2.40 pm, hoping to buy a couple of things, and they were switching off the lights and locking the doors.
.
People who buy most of their stuff on line should reflect on the harm that they do.

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meadowlady says...
12:32pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Please, not another Estate Agent or Building Society. Maybe another EMPTY hairdressing salon!

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TheCaptain says...
1:00pm Wed 23 Jan 13

JCoe1980 wrote:
Yes - this is sad - very sad. The high street is changing beyond all recognition BUT lets try and see this as a positive thing from a planning perspective and make Colchester Council see that unless more is done to bring people to shop in town then THIS is the inevitable situation we will find our town in!
And your suggestions are?

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rhetoric says...
1:01pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Although I don't now live in Colchester, I am very sad to hear of this closure. It's the sort of shop I love to visit. There is always an extra item I haven't thought of, but am glad to see and purchase!
.
Indeed Farmer's was a great place, as was the old Kent, Blaxill and also that treasure house on North Hill, Evans.
.
Gone are the days when one could buy a few nails or screws, just the right amount for the job. Everything's in plastic bubbles (environmentally unsound) and sold in the wrong amounts!
.
Also gone are the owner-operators who could advise on almost any aspect of joinery, decorating and general diy.
.
Will we ever get back to "small is beautiful" where retail is concerned?

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Scoot says...
1:27pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Rhetoric, drive over to Clacton to Burcarts they are (for the timebeing) around. You can get all the advice you want there. I also went to BandQ in Clacton the other day as I was (for all my sins) visiting Tescos. They didn't have the tap fittings I wanted so I went to Venables who gave me advice and supplied me with 2 fittings for what I would have probably paid for one in BandQ ! The problem with Colchester is that its becoming a donut town thanks to the Council. Lots of housing development approved but nothing done for the Town Centre. Most of these developments are filled with people who don't know a phillips from a posidrive so if anything goes wrong beyond changing a lightbulb they google the telephone number of a man who can.

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wellnow says...
1:28pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Something will take it's place.most items bought from there can be obtained either from dyers, screwfix toolstation or b&q.site will become a much needed new eatery I suppose

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Feisty CBC says...
1:29pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Boris wrote:
A great shame. I went there on Monday about 2.40 pm, hoping to buy a couple of things, and they were switching off the lights and locking the doors.
.
People who buy most of their stuff on line should reflect on the harm that they do.
I doubt if anyone online could compete with Jacks prices. More I think to the make do and mend mentality people have at the moment. Internet shopping has drastically reduced the prices of goods and services over recent years. You can't blame people buying the same items for less money.

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hughie-s says...
1:31pm Wed 23 Jan 13

The closure of the bus station was probably the last nail in the coffin, far fewer people that side of town now with people from west & south of town going to St Johns' St to get the bus home as they can wait in the dry unlike at the bus "station".

Others, large and small, will follow come March when the town centre is closed for business after 11am.

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Justice79 says...
1:41pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Boris wrote:
A great shame. I went there on Monday about 2.40 pm, hoping to buy a couple of things, and they were switching off the lights and locking the doors.
.
People who buy most of their stuff on line should reflect on the harm that they do.
I'm sure all of us would love to support independent retailers more but the simple fact is if you can get something quicker easier and cheaper online why wouldn't you. the loss of HMV is a real shame as they staff in the Colchester store were probably the most helpful and knowledgeable in any retailer in town, Blockbuster and Jessops have allowed the business to stafgnate to a point where there was no other option than the close them down

I have shopped in Jacks for many many years and will be very sad to see them close however their move to offering an online service was too little too late. their inability to respond to emails for days is also another thing that has cost them business.

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Feisty CBC says...
1:43pm Wed 23 Jan 13

rhetoric wrote:
Although I don't now live in Colchester, I am very sad to hear of this closure. It's the sort of shop I love to visit. There is always an extra item I haven't thought of, but am glad to see and purchase!
.
Indeed Farmer's was a great place, as was the old Kent, Blaxill and also that treasure house on North Hill, Evans.
.
Gone are the days when one could buy a few nails or screws, just the right amount for the job. Everything's in plastic bubbles (environmentally unsound) and sold in the wrong amounts!
.
Also gone are the owner-operators who could advise on almost any aspect of joinery, decorating and general diy.
.
Will we ever get back to "small is beautiful" where retail is concerned?
I remember when I was very young going into Evans on a Saturday morning with my Dad. Also Farmers where Saxon Estate Agents are now. Both places would be heaving. There was also Mr. Chaney's in Wivenhoe. A small, quaint shop. Dad used to get exasperated in there though because anything he wanted would always be stored upstairs and Mr. Chaney would disappear for ten minutes at a time trying to locate things.

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Cleggeron says...
2:29pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Very sad to see Jacks go - it was one of the few good things about retailing in Colchester.
But though there's a lot Colchester Council can be blamed for, changing consumer behaviour isn't one of them. The sort of problems that beset Jacks aren't unique to Colchester – they're happening across the country as people embrace new ways of buying things.
Shops are there, mainly, because no better or more convenient way of getting goods to buyers existed for hundreds of years. The internet and direct delivery has changed all that - in the same way that canals superseded carts and railways put the canals out of business.
Nobody owes shopkeepers a living and they will, unfortunately perhaps, have to adapt or go under. Plenty of other trades have disappeared thanks to new technology – the high street shop will be no exception.

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Ozzie says...
2:39pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Very sad day for Colchester-thanks Jacks for the past, you were quite a unique store in many ways and it is to the detriment of Colchester town centre that you are closing down. Good luck to the long-serving, helpful staff - hope you all manage to secure jobs in this dire jobs market. One wonders - who is next and is the town centre as we once knew it, now almost obsolete and dead?

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Ritchie_Hicks says...
4:08pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Boris wrote:
A great shame. I went there on Monday about 2.40 pm, hoping to buy a couple of things, and they were switching off the lights and locking the doors.
.
People who buy most of their stuff on line should reflect on the harm that they do.
It's up to the government to close tax loop-holes - you can't blame people for shopping where it's cheapest. Retail changes and this is just another page in the book. Sad end of an era, but also worth noting that Jack's did little to move with the times - they only offered online sales very recently. Either you move with the competition or the competition leaves you behind.

Online retailers also do a lot of good - from employing delivery drivers to supporting Royal Mail (just ask your postman how many parcels his delivers for Amazon in a week).

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co2 says...
5:08pm Wed 23 Jan 13

A sad day for colchester to see "cheap jacks" close for the final time.
Used the shop for years until lack of parking stopped me coming into town.

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Jess Jephcott says...
5:21pm Wed 23 Jan 13

As has been said before, remember the likes of the joke shop in Eld Lane, Percy's in Eld Lane, the Navy and Army stores in Head Street, Farmers, now Jacks and many more before that. Don't start me about the pubs we have lost. Times are changing. People will shop for convenience and price rather than romanticism. I asked around my office today, how much money people had spent in Jacks in the last year. One had bought a snow shovel last week, another a pair of boots a few months back. I love that shop but I am guilty of not using it as there was nothing I needed. They used to do white woollen socks that were perfect for my Town Watch outfit. I called in before Christmas for some but they were out of stock. Who wants wool socks any more, apart from me? Hopefully, their stock will go on the internet now and we can all buy from the convenience of our desk chair. You watch. The building will soon get another use and life will go on.

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Im_Like_HELLO says...
5:58pm Wed 23 Jan 13

This is sad news but a lot of traders now have an online presence - why not start a www.jackscolchester.
co.uk and sell stuff on there?

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greenbroker says...
6:01pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Jess Jephcott wrote:
As has been said before, remember the likes of the joke shop in Eld Lane, Percy's in Eld Lane, the Navy and Army stores in Head Street, Farmers, now Jacks and many more before that. Don't start me about the pubs we have lost. Times are changing. People will shop for convenience and price rather than romanticism. I asked around my office today, how much money people had spent in Jacks in the last year. One had bought a snow shovel last week, another a pair of boots a few months back. I love that shop but I am guilty of not using it as there was nothing I needed. They used to do white woollen socks that were perfect for my Town Watch outfit. I called in before Christmas for some but they were out of stock. Who wants wool socks any more, apart from me? Hopefully, their stock will go on the internet now and we can all buy from the convenience of our desk chair. You watch. The building will soon get another use and life will go on.
Good summing up. We all have to adapt to survive.

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QuarpQuarp says...
7:07pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Remember 'Farmers' had an amazing display of scissors of all kinds in the window.

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25414nora says...
7:49pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Quite sad really, a visit to town wont be the same without a good long browse into jacks window.

Though I have to admit, i've not made many purchaces lately.. There's only so many packets of screws, tin tacks, pliers, tools etc etc that I can possibly use. in this lifetime.

Tai wan, Korea, and other far east countries are swamping the uk with the very same goods,

Market traders, Car boot sellers, are also competing, and taking away trade.

Yes, as already said, times are changing, we have to adapt..

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Patman99 says...
9:42pm Wed 23 Jan 13

With any luck, they will start up again as an online trader with a view to turning a big-enough profit to re-open a shop in the town.

Have they gone into 'administration' or is it 'liquidation'?.
There is a huge difference. 'Administration' means that they will be allowed to continue to trade (i will guess at them concentrating at their online sales) until either a buyer is found, the business returns to profit or, after a period of 6 months if not in profit or under new ownership, close.

'Liquidation' means the business shuts down & all it's stock, fittings and holdings are sold-off.

Of course if the business were a Ltd company, then there is nothing stopping the owner simply registering a new company under a similar name and starting up again.

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hughie-s says...
11:51pm Wed 23 Jan 13

According to another newspaper they a limited company and in administration, will remain open while a buyer is sought.

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Boris says...
12:36am Thu 24 Jan 13

co2 wrote:
A sad day for colchester to see "cheap jacks" close for the final time.
Used the shop for years until lack of parking stopped me coming into town.
Parking there is no problem at all, provided you have someone drive you there, who can do a turn or two round the block if the traffic warden appears while you are in the shop.

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DShep says...
8:01am Thu 24 Jan 13

I wrote yesterday about the car ban in the High St and how all these stupid plans are distroying the town, well I totally agree that the bus station fiasco was probably the final straw for Jacks and when the car ban comes in how many more shops will close.
R.I.P Colchester

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HARRY438 says...
10:41am Thu 24 Jan 13

I remember when Jacks started in Short Wyre St.

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TheCaptain says...
11:20am Thu 24 Jan 13

Cleggeron wrote:
Very sad to see Jacks go - it was one of the few good things about retailing in Colchester.
But though there's a lot Colchester Council can be blamed for, changing consumer behaviour isn't one of them. The sort of problems that beset Jacks aren't unique to Colchester – they're happening across the country as people embrace new ways of buying things.
Shops are there, mainly, because no better or more convenient way of getting goods to buyers existed for hundreds of years. The internet and direct delivery has changed all that - in the same way that canals superseded carts and railways put the canals out of business.
Nobody owes shopkeepers a living and they will, unfortunately perhaps, have to adapt or go under. Plenty of other trades have disappeared thanks to new technology – the high street shop will be no exception.
Nice to see someone who understands whats happening rather than blaming the Council.

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25414nora says...
7:07pm Thu 24 Jan 13

hughie-s wrote:
The closure of the bus station was probably the last nail in the coffin, far fewer people that side of town now with people from west & south of town going to St Johns' St to get the bus home as they can wait in the dry unlike at the bus "station".

Others, large and small, will follow come March when the town centre is closed for business after 11am.
Many shops have gone from the High Street over the years..
Apart from farmers & Jessops.
Timothy Whites, Dewhurst, Timsons, Dolcis, stead & simpson, International stores, woolworths, Mothercare, Liptons, Finefare, Currys, Jefferies, Argos, etc etc...
Shoulden't blame the new
Bus station for everything !!!

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John Vencato says...
1:09am Fri 25 Jan 13

My best mate Michael Scoles called me the other day and we both shed a tear of sadness in the current news.
It is yet another nail in the box of the good old days of the town, that will be fondly remembered by all.
Farmers, Jefferies,Grahams, Lucking Smiths, WE Wass Toys,Jacklins, Lingards the list is endless.
I remember an old family toy shop where laura ashley currently is and the stuff in there was truly fantastic.
Then there was Cheesemans and the old slot car racing centre down by the old library.
For those of us born and bred here, the towns past including its much beloved Military Tattoo's are long gone.
The days when our A.T.C. band was parading up down the borough and closing RAF Stations in official ceremonies, was all part and parcel of the make up of a great community.
I cannot understand why the council and other officials have not helped out with a grant or some other funding, to help out these historic small businesses to stay open in the current climate.
Surely as with the protection of heritage and buildings etc something can be done to keep these stalwart services open.
I presume with two £ stores opening up near Cheap Jacks, it did not do the business any favors.
The town seems to be overfilled with Wine Bars, Law Firms, Estate Agents, Hairdressers, Kebab Houses, Coffee Shops that no one can really afford.
Yet these little small touches appear to disappear into our historical ether never to return.
Let us hope the administrators can find a solution.
If not then good by to the staff and thank you for the years of loyal service to the community and God Bless you all for the experiences that you gave us. John Vencato+

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pidgee says...
8:51am Fri 25 Jan 13

I like this store and have used it in the past.I do feel it is wrong to blame the council though. say they cut the rates will that increase footfall into the store? also has anyone actually visited the current website? it is awful!I think with a bit of help they could set up a new website and take it from there. They are caring people who have worked hard for so long i hope they bounce back.

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hughie-s says...
10:57am Fri 25 Jan 13

Agreed about website, this is how to do it, look at this shop....
http://tinyurl.com/a
xl9oml

then their website
http://www.shop4alls
orts.co.uk

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TheCaptain says...
11:27am Fri 25 Jan 13

pidgee wrote:
I like this store and have used it in the past.I do feel it is wrong to blame the council though. say they cut the rates will that increase footfall into the store? also has anyone actually visited the current website? it is awful!I think with a bit of help they could set up a new website and take it from there. They are caring people who have worked hard for so long i hope they bounce back.
Councils have no power to cut business rates even if they wanted to. The Council collects this money on behalf of central government who set the rates and take all the money.

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pidgee says...
11:35am Fri 25 Jan 13

hughie-s -great example the shop doesnt look amazing but caters for those who need it in the local area. the website could be used by anyone.If you found jacks website but didnt know the store you would skip it unfortunately. wish them all the best

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romantic says...
11:53am Fri 25 Jan 13

hughie-s wrote:
Agreed about website, this is how to do it, look at this shop....
http://tinyurl.com/a

xl9oml

then their website
http://www.shop4alls

orts.co.uk
Good website, and this is the kind of thing that Jacks need to set up if they are to survive. People want to be able to browse the full range, and order on the spot. Saying you´ve got a range of boots, give us a call to find out more, I´m afraid nobody´s going to go for that.

It´s a shame the way this is going, because Jacks has always been a great place to find stuff you didn´t even know you wanted. But they do have to adapt to the marketplace as it is now. Like many other companies are finding, it can be a hard act to pull off. The age of swift Internet access means more and more people shop in a very different way.

The thing is, even if the town looks full, a substantial number of people check the items which are in the shops, so they know what they want, but then go home and find that item online. So the High St shops end up more like showrooms. People like to see an item, but also like the online price and the fact that somebody will deliver.

Like every period of transition, some big names will fall, but others will hit the market at the right time and flourish. If I knew the secret of success on that score, I wouldn´t be wasting my time on this site!

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rhetoric says...
8:57am Sat 26 Jan 13

With advancing age taking its toll, I have to agree that online purchasing is very beguiling.
.
I do however long for a good shopping trip with individually owned and interesting shops staffed by people who give a **** whether they sell an item or not.
.
There is nothing like the experience of entering a well stocked shop during the run up to Christmas, and making a suitable choice of presents after giving the goods a thorough inspection. Opposed to this, if goods are purchased online they can often be gift wrapped by the vendor and sent on direct. With the cost of Royal Mail postage these days, the vendors' delivery costs are often more reasonable. Many of the better online stores give free delivery on all goods, and some are free when the sale is over a stated amount.
.
I do wonder if there is much enthusiasm for hands-on retailing in the High Street? It needs a lot of thought, experience and know-how. A store where one could inspect and purchase goods which for a limited Christmas season, the store would then gift wrap and post on, would be quite useful. Probably such places do exist, but very likely this is in the upper price brackets.
.
As well as the exorbitant rents for the premises, retailers face a deal of legislation regarding employees, so I guess it makes sense that they keep their staffing levels as low as possible. This in turn leads to more unemployment, and also less training in retail trades. As previously mentioned, it is ever harder to find a sales assistant with some product knowledge.
.
Come on, there must be someone out there with the great ideas and the entrepreneurial skills to bring back The Great Shopping Thrill!

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PeachesnMilo37 says...
9:24pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Its always easy to blame the internet for the closure of jacks. But what about all these pound stores and foreign stores overtaking our shops. We've lost count how many nail bars, foreign convenience stores and bakeries have popped up in the last year. Its ridiculous. Jacks has been a part of Colchester for so long. I remember it as a kid it was one of those shops you wanted to spend all day in to look at everything. We have lost so much that Colchester town is becoming like a ghost town for British shops. What will be in place of Jacks we wonder. Its a shame we are to lose such a wonderful shop with great staff always happy to help something that's becoming quite rare.

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6079 Smith W says...
5:14pm Sun 27 Jan 13

PeachesnMilo37 wrote:
Its always easy to blame the internet for the closure of jacks. But what about all these pound stores and foreign stores overtaking our shops. We've lost count how many nail bars, foreign convenience stores and bakeries have popped up in the last year. Its ridiculous. Jacks has been a part of Colchester for so long. I remember it as a kid it was one of those shops you wanted to spend all day in to look at everything. We have lost so much that Colchester town is becoming like a ghost town for British shops. What will be in place of Jacks we wonder. Its a shame we are to lose such a wonderful shop with great staff always happy to help something that's becoming quite rare.
Are you seriously trying to suggest Polish convenience stores took trade away from Jacks?! Now I know small-minded bigotry and intelligence do not go hand in hand, but it frankly beggars belief that anybody can imply that.

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rhetoric says...
2:26pm Tue 29 Jan 13

Be fair, W Smith, I don't think Peaches actually meant to say that Polish convenience stores dealt the death blow to Jacks!
.
He was just musing on what would come to the site next, and commenting on the unbalance of various types of retailing. I think what he would say is that there's not going to be a diy store on that site again, but it will probably be taken over by something that we have in too great numbers already, such as a nail bar or a beauty salon.
.
We need all sorts, and that includes the quaint, the luxurious, the very practical and the inefficient but friendly.

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