London Q? 7th Wonder: Art Deco Beacon in Perivale?
Nov 12th, 2007, 07:12 AM
#21
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flanneur writes: <Unimpressive possibly to an American, since so much of that genre still survives in the US. But we didn't put much up in the first place. and an awful lot of it got torn down before it became conservation-worthy>
the same could be said of the Commonwealth Institute edifice that you think is a blight
lots of that ilk of architecture have been torn down - think Paternoster Square - so decades from now if it survives it could be as iconic as the Hoover Building beacon, which to me remains a typical factory of which my town (not Detroit) has several of alone.
Save the Commonwealth Institute, if not for the architecture then for the purpose and occasion it was built.
the same could be said of the Commonwealth Institute edifice that you think is a blight
lots of that ilk of architecture have been torn down - think Paternoster Square - so decades from now if it survives it could be as iconic as the Hoover Building beacon, which to me remains a typical factory of which my town (not Detroit) has several of alone.
Save the Commonwealth Institute, if not for the architecture then for the purpose and occasion it was built.
Nov 12th, 2007, 09:10 AM
#22
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<And check out both the immense Whole Foods Market emporium in Manhattan and Trader Joe's>
Trader Joe's i think would do much better in the U.K./London market than WFM
especially since their Aldi background gives them a European perspective
I can see Trader Joe eventually taking over the Hoover building groundfloor from Tesco. then onto the Cotswolds!
Trader Joe's i think would do much better in the U.K./London market than WFM
especially since their Aldi background gives them a European perspective
I can see Trader Joe eventually taking over the Hoover building groundfloor from Tesco. then onto the Cotswolds!
Nov 12th, 2007, 09:51 AM
#23
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I highly doubt Trader Joe would be that successful. German retail is quite different from UK retail to start with, not to mention quite strict planning approval process here. Anyway, we have Costco for at least nearly 10 yrs or so, and I don't think they have made much inroads.
Nov 12th, 2007, 10:21 AM
#24
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Wow you have the good Wal-Mart Costcos?
didn't know that
Cotsco is here a huge funder of very liberal causes - from drug law reform to medical marijuana and probably moveon.org
Love Costcos who also just bought the most Bordeaux wine from the great 05 vintage in the U.S.
didn't know that
Cotsco is here a huge funder of very liberal causes - from drug law reform to medical marijuana and probably moveon.org
Love Costcos who also just bought the most Bordeaux wine from the great 05 vintage in the U.S.
Nov 13th, 2007, 12:23 AM
#25
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I saw something in Trader Joes last night I've never seen in an American shop: dramatically longer queues than you'd ever get in Britain.
Only ever seen anything like it in "republican"-area Northern Irish post offices on Giro day.
Partly crap till technology, but mostly just not enough space for enough checkouts. The punters love it. And - unlike in London - there are an AWFUL lot of people near the store happy to buy lightweight, high-value, amounts of food.
Could it work in Britain? Possibly (but then so could WFM with the right stores and the right management). Does Aldi have the right management skills? Probably, but they're too bright to dissipate them on a medium size country when they're so small in the US (a lesson WFM hasn't learnt, which is why I doubt they'll decorate Ken High St for very much longer). Will Aldi invest what it takes in Britain? I very much doubt it: there are far, far, easier places to make money.
Only ever seen anything like it in "republican"-area Northern Irish post offices on Giro day.
Partly crap till technology, but mostly just not enough space for enough checkouts. The punters love it. And - unlike in London - there are an AWFUL lot of people near the store happy to buy lightweight, high-value, amounts of food.
Could it work in Britain? Possibly (but then so could WFM with the right stores and the right management). Does Aldi have the right management skills? Probably, but they're too bright to dissipate them on a medium size country when they're so small in the US (a lesson WFM hasn't learnt, which is why I doubt they'll decorate Ken High St for very much longer). Will Aldi invest what it takes in Britain? I very much doubt it: there are far, far, easier places to make money.
Nov 13th, 2007, 05:49 AM
#29
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flanner: as always great insights
Trader Joe's - you can't judge them or WFM by their Manhattan stores of course - i haven't been to TJs outside my own area but here the lines are typically shorter than the typical supermarket and they have parking
Their stores are very small vs WFM where the whole display and looks is important. I'm surprised it took me so long to see the Aldi link as TJ's has relatively few selections and thus the need for smaller display areas. they made their name her in part on the $2 buck Chuck wine - Charles Shaw which still sells for $2 in some markets but $2.99 mainly. The wine comes from a Calif wine mogul who formerly ran one of the big box type brands - a leader and he sold it and now collects surplus grapes but produces a wine that competes favorably in blind taste tests with $10/btl wines (Wall St Journal said the Cabernet Sauvignon did especially well)
I buy a lot of stuff at TJs but go to WFM mainly for the show and a few items that are cheaper or better for the price than at Kroger's, U.S. #2 supermarket retailer i guess.
Yes the check out tills seem primitive but the jungle shirt wearing staff seems to work harder than the typical supermarket ones and the turn over seems very low - same young folk there for several years now - a good sign and WFM seems to have the same staff retention.
You are right no doubt about TJ having huge expansion possibilities in the U.S. and Canada before venturing abroad but sometimes the lure seems irrepresible, like WFM it seems who is facing stiff competition at home now by numerous regional knock offs all trying to built emporiums more impressive even than WFM
Well i find the whole food market intriguing and value your expert comments and putting up with a lay opinion like mine.
Trader Joe's - you can't judge them or WFM by their Manhattan stores of course - i haven't been to TJs outside my own area but here the lines are typically shorter than the typical supermarket and they have parking
Their stores are very small vs WFM where the whole display and looks is important. I'm surprised it took me so long to see the Aldi link as TJ's has relatively few selections and thus the need for smaller display areas. they made their name her in part on the $2 buck Chuck wine - Charles Shaw which still sells for $2 in some markets but $2.99 mainly. The wine comes from a Calif wine mogul who formerly ran one of the big box type brands - a leader and he sold it and now collects surplus grapes but produces a wine that competes favorably in blind taste tests with $10/btl wines (Wall St Journal said the Cabernet Sauvignon did especially well)
I buy a lot of stuff at TJs but go to WFM mainly for the show and a few items that are cheaper or better for the price than at Kroger's, U.S. #2 supermarket retailer i guess.
Yes the check out tills seem primitive but the jungle shirt wearing staff seems to work harder than the typical supermarket ones and the turn over seems very low - same young folk there for several years now - a good sign and WFM seems to have the same staff retention.
You are right no doubt about TJ having huge expansion possibilities in the U.S. and Canada before venturing abroad but sometimes the lure seems irrepresible, like WFM it seems who is facing stiff competition at home now by numerous regional knock offs all trying to built emporiums more impressive even than WFM
Well i find the whole food market intriguing and value your expert comments and putting up with a lay opinion like mine.
Nov 13th, 2007, 07:26 AM
#30
PG - you are sooooo full of it. "<i>they made their name her(e) in part on the $2 buck Chuck wine</i>"
TJ's has been a hugely successful chain since loooooong before Charles Shaw was even a glimmer of an idea. Years and years. Maybe YOU never discovered them until they started dirt cheap wine . . . . . .
TJ's has been a hugely successful chain since loooooong before Charles Shaw was even a glimmer of an idea. Years and years. Maybe YOU never discovered them until they started dirt cheap wine . . . . . .
Nov 13th, 2007, 07:29 AM
#32
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made their name here - yes here when i first heard of them was the $2 chuck and still folks say that
I don't know the history of TJ though i guess started in Needham MA and Ca
but here in my town that's what me and others were drawn to it by.
I don't know the history of TJ though i guess started in Needham MA and Ca
but here in my town that's what me and others were drawn to it by.
Nov 14th, 2007, 11:43 AM
#33
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W9:
If you're bemused by Gladston & Disraeli, you shouod see what the Fabulous Bakin Brothers are cooking up down in tyher Cpotswolds:
http://www.bakinboys.co.uk/html/p-05-3.htm
If you're bemused by Gladston & Disraeli, you shouod see what the Fabulous Bakin Brothers are cooking up down in tyher Cpotswolds:
http://www.bakinboys.co.uk/html/p-05-3.htm
Nov 14th, 2007, 01:26 PM
#34
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I love the Hoover building though I've never bothered going inside - has any of the original art deco interior survived the conversion to supermarket?
As for the black cat building opposite Mornington Crescent - the old Carreras cigarette factory - I used to work in it for a few years when I worked for Thomson then TUI. They've since relocated to a particularly dreary part of Luton (that's saying something) so I'm glad I left before that!
As for the black cat building opposite Mornington Crescent - the old Carreras cigarette factory - I used to work in it for a few years when I worked for Thomson then TUI. They've since relocated to a particularly dreary part of Luton (that's saying something) so I'm glad I left before that!
Nov 14th, 2007, 08:11 PM
#35
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The supermarket's actually behind the office block, which is what we all think of as the Hoover building. It occupies part of what used to be a very undeco production line. Inside, the store's just another supermarket, though you go in through a newly added deco facade.
The building we all know by sight still seems a mystery. Going to the store to shop, you can't really get to the front office bit, which is really far too big for the store to use, and certainly isn't a local Tesco office. Whether it's been sublet as office space, simply destroyed or remains untouched, I've no idea, never been able to find out and can't find from a quck web search.
Anyone else know?
The building we all know by sight still seems a mystery. Going to the store to shop, you can't really get to the front office bit, which is really far too big for the store to use, and certainly isn't a local Tesco office. Whether it's been sublet as office space, simply destroyed or remains untouched, I've no idea, never been able to find out and can't find from a quck web search.
Anyone else know?
Nov 15th, 2007, 12:58 AM
#36
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I love this style of architecture, and an art deco favourite of mine are the houses at Frinton-on-Sea.
Oliver Hill, purveyor of art deco tube stations etc, wanted to build an entire art deco town - houses, churches, cinema, town hall etc all in the one style. Unfortunately, only a small number of buildings were completed, but in a little enclave just on/off the sea-front they are still quite impressive.
The Round House (originally the site office, complete with mosaic floor plan of the entire town) came up for sale a few years back. I was very tempted.......
Oliver Hill, purveyor of art deco tube stations etc, wanted to build an entire art deco town - houses, churches, cinema, town hall etc all in the one style. Unfortunately, only a small number of buildings were completed, but in a little enclave just on/off the sea-front they are still quite impressive.
The Round House (originally the site office, complete with mosaic floor plan of the entire town) came up for sale a few years back. I was very tempted.......
Nov 15th, 2007, 01:06 AM
#37
hi, PalQ
I've just come in on this thread - like the trains, better late than never.
I'm not sure about train travellers [I refuse to call them customers] never seeing the "real" Britain ie endless rows of semi-detached houses. My happpily vague recollections of commuting from East Croydon to Victoria are that there was nothing but. Perhaps that's a part of the UK that even you haven't reached?
regards, ann
I've just come in on this thread - like the trains, better late than never.
I'm not sure about train travellers [I refuse to call them customers] never seeing the "real" Britain ie endless rows of semi-detached houses. My happpily vague recollections of commuting from East Croydon to Victoria are that there was nothing but. Perhaps that's a part of the UK that even you haven't reached?
regards, ann
Nov 15th, 2007, 02:37 AM
#38
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Although it pains me to say it; if you like the Hoover Building you'll love the East Stand at Highbury (the so called "marble halls"
which is the only bit of the stadium left now (it will be the frontage of a residential block)
It still smells though.
http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?t...ury+Highlights
now I want a bath.
which is the only bit of the stadium left now (it will be the frontage of a residential block)It still smells though.
http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?t...ury+Highlights
now I want a bath.
Nov 15th, 2007, 10:16 AM
#39
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Perhaps that's a part of the UK that even you haven't reached?
No i know that area quite well
I've biked several times from Heathrow to Crystal Palace thru similar housing and i've been in East Croydon a few times - took the tram from Wimbledon once going thru endless such dwellings
and i always stay in and around Eltham/Lee in B&Bs in such semi-detached rows of housing.
And i do like that area and you can see more than enough of such houses from the Overground raised train lines.
The Cotswold Hills alas probably have few of these diminuitive houses save perhaps in Cheltenham 'Spa'
The view from the Hills does not often reflect that of most of the country you know. And hard to see from behind those high walls.
No i know that area quite well
I've biked several times from Heathrow to Crystal Palace thru similar housing and i've been in East Croydon a few times - took the tram from Wimbledon once going thru endless such dwellings
and i always stay in and around Eltham/Lee in B&Bs in such semi-detached rows of housing.
And i do like that area and you can see more than enough of such houses from the Overground raised train lines.
The Cotswold Hills alas probably have few of these diminuitive houses save perhaps in Cheltenham 'Spa'
The view from the Hills does not often reflect that of most of the country you know. And hard to see from behind those high walls.
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