ART - retail chain

RobinC · Post by **RobinC** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 10:19 am

One of our reps told us yesterday that the discount print and framing chain called ART has gone into receivership. They have a branch in Manchester and another in Liverpool and more in the North of England and Scotland. Does anyone know if the rep was correct?

We often get customers mentioning their very low prices so it will be interesting to know what has happened to them.

Robin

Mary Case GCF · Post by **Mary Case GCF** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 10:51 am

If it's true, Hip Hip Hooray, but who will send Mr and Mrs Idontwanttopayalotforthis to for clip frames now?

BaBaZa · Post by **BaBaZa** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 11:01 am

The have gone into adminstration.

Around 200 employees have lost their jobs. Also suppliers have lost money and future trading.

Not really a reason to cheer.

Mary Case GCF · Post by **Mary Case GCF** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 11:11 am

In my defence, what I meant was that one more cowboy, as mentioned in another post by me last night, is out of the industry. Some years ago Art, then called the Art Factory, were in court for (if I remember the story correctly) taking a card by the Scottish artist Kirsty Wither, adding some gold by hand , removing her signature and selling them as limited editions. Of course it is regretful that people have lost jobs and money, but companies like this bring the industry into disrepute.

Grahame Case · Post by **Grahame Case** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 11:13 am

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sout ... 278741.stm

there we are, a nice link for the story.

Post by **prospero** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 11:38 am

It is a pity that the only people who suffer in these situations are the unfortunate employees and the artist herself. If the company (limited no doubt) is in receivership then not much hope of financial compensation. The bosses who did the nasty tricks will probably wait until the dust settles and start up another cowboy outfit.

RobinC · Post by **RobinC** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 11:39 am

I am sorry for the people who have lost their jobs, but in the 20 years that we have been trading we have had "cheap" print shops opening in the area selling framed product vety cheaply. Most have only lasted a few months before going pop, but the damage is lasting to legitimate retailers who trade fairly.

We happened to be in the Liverpool branch of Art a few weeks ago - they were selling framed Vettriano open editions for less than the published price of the print only - I wonder if The Art Group have lost much money?

The last cheap company in our town to go had a chain of about 15 shops across the North of the country. When they closed about 3 years ago, suppliers were told that all their stock had been sold so there was nothing for them to take back.

They now have one shop full of stock they haven't paid for at low prices. Presumably when it has all sold they will close down.

We have just about stopped selling any open edition prints now due mainly to the activities of this type of business, and in fact as we travel around the area there are hardly any shops of this type left now.

Robin

sarah · Post by **sarah** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 11:58 am

BaBaZa wrote:The have gone into adminstration.

Around 200 employees have lost their jobs. Also suppliers have lost money and future trading.

Not really a reason to cheer.

Indeed our hearts go out to the folks who have lost their jobs, but how many of them felt sorry for the countless small family businesses that went under because they just couldn't compete.

Not your average framer · Fri 04 Apr, 2008 1:00 pm

Companies which are dependant on low prices to secure volume sales, have no where to go in a tight economy, except bust.

This may be one of the first ones, but we all know there will be more.

The same applies to smaller businesses too. The bottom end of the market is dead when money gets tight, but quality and success go hand in hand.

Mary Case GCF · Post by **Mary Case GCF** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 3:43 pm

[pettiness]

So long and thanks for all the tat!

[/pettiness]

okay, being serious here, i'm celebrating the demise of Art, mainly because they cheapened the value of framing and art in general, we had 4 stores in our area, each crippled us on the ready-made frame sales, and the sales of art.

we completely pulled out of general art sales due to the Art stores, they were selling the same items we were at much lower prices, we just couldn't compete, we now specialise in good quality scottish art, and i'm glad we do, as it has seen our sales of framed and unframed art soar in recent times.

am i sad that 200 people have lost their job? yes and no, probably a lot more framers and art galleries have closed their doors as a result of these cheap chain companies

Grahame Case · Post by **Grahame Case** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 3:44 pm

For crying out loud,

Mary had logged in on MY CMC computer! how dare she!

RobinC · Post by **RobinC** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 3:58 pm

The other problem for their suppliers such as The Art Group is that many smaller galleries, such as us have almost stopped dealing with them due to them dealing with discounters such as Art.
When the discounter goes bust they have lost their wider base of retailers. If those galleries have survived without the Art Group for so long, we are not going to go rushing back to them now, only for them to supply the next discounter that comes along.

I won't shed any tears for the company or their staff - after all they have probably been slagging us off for being dearer than them all the time they have been trading.

Not your average framer · Fri 04 Apr, 2008 5:47 pm

It may well be that companies like this have done us all a favour, buy giving us all the motivation to stay out of the cheap end of the market and do something better.

Mind you if you are in the right place, you can still sell this sort of stuff without having to present it as something cheap. There's a gallery in Dartmouth which sells loads of Art group and similar stuff, but it is well presented and priced for profit. I know this because some of it comes to me for framing. It's just a matter of being in a up-market location, without the down-market big store competition.

I wonder what's gonna happen to all those prints!

osgood · Post by **osgood** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 7:54 pm

Grahame Case wrote:For crying out loud,

Mary had logged in on MY CMC computer! how dare she!

Send here to her room, Grahame! And no dinner for her either!
Naughty, naughty Mary, deserves to be punished!

Moglet · Post by **Moglet** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 8:28 pm

Whatever the circumstances, I think it is always sad to hear of people losing their jobs. Just like us they still have all the bills to pay, and possibly children to provide for, too.

kev@frames · Post by **kev@frames** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 8:47 pm

... but on the bright side, whene are the liquidated stock auctions?

Not your average framer · Fri 04 Apr, 2008 9:02 pm

kev@frames wrote:... but on the bright side, whene are the liquidated stock auctions?

Don't tell my wife. She tries to stop me buying stuff from auctions. I never could resist a bargain!

Post by **prospero** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 9:46 pm

Keep an eye on E-Bay.

Not that I want any of their old cr*p.

The Jolly Good Framer #1 · Fri 04 Apr, 2008 11:32 pm

200 people out of a job? That’s not good.

I wonder if the directors are out of a job and on the bread line with the bank breathing down their necks waiting to have the house repossessed?

Grahame, put the hand bag down.

kev@frames · Post by **kev@frames** » Sat 05 Apr, 2008 7:15 pm

yes 200 out of a job is no laughing matter, and sympathy to them. Thankfully its not like the 80s, and most have a fighting chance of getting a new job. And I'm sure we all wish them the best.

Not wanting to get personal, but I'd also doubt the directors will suffer, few ever do in that size company.

To some of us, operations like that might seem "cowboy", but the other side of the coin is that their directors, already planning the next venture, may think of us lot as daft pond life who scrape a living rather than run a "real" business.
After all, they had a ready market for their product, and a long innings.

Nipping to the golf club in your jet ranger, kind of takes the sting out of a "failed" business