Job losses in Watford: Jessops announces closure (From Watford Observer)

‘Who said we are in it together?’ At least at the BBC senior staff can say they are all in the casino pig trough with all the perks and losing your job there is like winning the lottery even if you want to quit. Meanwhile, this closure is tough for short sighted gamblers who might miss out on lens advice from Jessops as FOBT (fixed- odds betting terminal) machines, betting shops and loans threaten to change the face of our high street.

It's a shame, but as the broadsheets commented/implied, Jessops diluted its focus, targeting both professional photographers and the retail consumer. It bet on a niche bubble, but the online stores won and the bubble for its business model has well and truly burst.

It's a difficult business and economic environment. Either businesses respond quickly and proactively to the environment or a lot more retailers will hit the wall.

I feel sorry for the employees.

A tragedy for the staff of Jessops and a harsh reminder for all of us that the economic crisis which began on Labour's watch is not yet over.
We may all be in it together but that Labour joker Tony Blair is counting his millions and topping up his tango tan, laughing all the way to the West Bank.
We can all take comfort that the steady progress made by the coalition will gradually tip the balance and we'll see a reduction in business failures from now on

Wacko Jacko wrote:
A tragedy for the staff of Jessops and a harsh reminder for all of us that the economic crisis which began on Labour's watch is not yet over.
We may all be in it together but that Labour joker Tony Blair is counting his millions and topping up his tango tan, laughing all the way to the West Bank.
We can all take comfort that the steady progress made by the coalition will gradually tip the balance and we'll see a reduction in business failures from now on

I doubt it very much. They have made a complete mess of Tier 4 student immigration controls, adversely impacting on legitimate colleges and universities. They introduced Student Loans for alternative providers without student number controls and precipitated a bubble with a number of unscrupulous alternative providers.

Net immigration targets have not been met and a multi-billion pound international student business has been hit hard, with many international students viewing the UK as hostile and closed for business, opting instead for Australia and the USA.

Net immigration is likely to increase in two years, negating any temporary benefit derived from targeting international students. Meanwhile the 'dodgy' visa colleges have shifted into Student Loans and franchise agreements for the same. Number controls are finally on the way to reduce the over-spending from the public purse.

The austerity measures could well support a triple dip recession. Meanwhile, multi-national companies fully utilise tax loopholes and pay very little corporation tax. Organisations develop tax avoidance products for their clients, with an estimated shelf life of one year and an average development cost of £1m per product. HMRC is only aware of 46% of such products, according to Parliamentary scrutiny of such arrangements.

There are clear rifts between the Lib Dems and Conservatives across a number of policies.

Yes ..... Tony Blair was probably a wolf in sheep's clothing, and he is making a mint, but good luck to him. There were benefits and excesses with Labour, but weren't there with the Conservative regime before them. Any political party that stays in too long is prone to complacency and abuse, in part suffering from the Business / trade cycle.

Little has been done to properly regulate the banking industry for fear that the likes of Barclays will re-locate and the witch hunt over Libor has led to the loss of talented individuals, such as Bob Diamond from Barclays. Strict capital requirements for banks have been relaxed and the division of the banking industry into separate retail and investment/riskier security business has not materialised, no doubt due to business pressure.

The pressure on banks to increase lending to small business has failed to materialise in any significant measure.

So, Wacko Jacko, I believe your analysis is skewed by your politics.

Razor, people typically criticise others for their own faults

Wacko, the facts speak for themselves.

I have a multitude of faults, if I didn't I wouldn't be human.

The current Government's track record to date is poor to say the least, so was Labour's at particular points and the Conservative's before them. Longevity in Government usually results in complacency.

shame you couldn't defend the current Government with hard facts.

'it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good'.
Perhaps the New Homes Bonus will see WBC turning blocks of our high street into dare I say into 'social housing flats' as the council looks to grab income shifting the balances on the night time economy.