# Brands that will Disappear in 2012 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 24, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676 "2011-06-24T05:51:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/1 "2011-06-24T05:51:14Z")
Over [here](http://247wallst.com/2011/06/22/247-wall-st-ten-brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/2/) is a little article that lists ten brands that will go the way of the Dodo in 2012. 1. Sony Pictures 2. A&W fast food places (the root beer will survive) 3. Saab (A shame, I like Saabs with big clunky buttons. 4. American Apparel never heard of it. 5. Sears they invented “internet shopping” before the internet and then let it go. Idiots. 6. Sony/Ericson mobile telephones 7. Kellogg’s Corn Pops (Is there no hope for Choco-Frosted Sugar Bombs) 8. MySPace 9. Soap Opera Digest (With the internet reach housewives, it is doomed. How does TV Guide stay in business?) 10. Nokia (In a decade will that annoying ring tone still be in our heads?) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/2 "2011-06-24T06:07:24Z")
A&W seems to be expanding here in Canada. Standalone locations complete with frosty mugs of root beer have returned in many areas (Collingwood, Peterborough, and Owen Sound locations I have been in within the past two months). ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/3 "2011-06-24T06:10:46Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > A&W seems to be expanding here in Canada. Standalone locations complete with frosty mugs of root beer have returned in many areas (Collingwood, Peterborough, and Owen Sound locations I have been in within the past two months). A&W is quite popular here in western Canada. But it is no longer connected to the American corporation. From [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%26W_Restaurants): > [@](#): > > The Canadian chain of A&W restaurants are operated by a separate company, called A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. While originally part of the American operation, the Canadian company no longer has any corporate connection to the American chain. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/4 "2011-06-24T11:50:04Z")
Other sources say RIM/BlackBerry is in serious trouble and may not make it to 2012. ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/5 "2011-06-24T12:49:39Z")
Given their partnership with Microsoft I find it hard to see Nokia going under. MS have put a lot of faith in Nokia to help Windows Phone 7 rival the success of iOS and Android so I can’t see them sitting back whilst Nokia flounder. I don’t think Myspace will close their doors either. They seem to have restructured as a music site rather than social networking and are a subsidiary of a very large group that can help them through any hard times if required. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/6 "2011-06-24T13:00:43Z")
These are the morons who proclaimed that KIA Motors was going to disappear at the very time that they were one of the _few_ auto companies who were thriving in the market. They admit this on page 1 of this new list, and note they were wrong on 4 of the 10… and they have an odd view of what compromises a company’s “demise.” The T-Mobile deal wasn’t a company’s failure… they were a valuable property that AT&T desperately wanted (and paid through the nose for). This list looks a little more realistic, but the Sony Pictures thing hinges on its being one of the _more_ valuable Sony brands, which lands it in T-Mobile’s circle of valuable properties, not the Blockbuster circle of failed properties. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/7 "2011-06-24T14:06:27Z")
Heh, my dad read this story to me the other day, that story gave the number of restaraunts for A&W at a few hundred. We counted up the number of them in our area and realized we have almost 2% of the franchises here. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/8 "2011-06-24T14:33:38Z")
I’m surprised to see Yum is looking to sell A&W. You’d think they’d want a hamburger chain as part of their fast food group. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/9 "2011-06-24T14:56:40Z")
I’m a little skeptical of this: > [@](#): > > The A&W Restaurant business is too small to be viable now. It had 322 outlets in the U.S and 317 outside the U.S at the end of last year. All were operated by franchisees The implication is that 639 locations is “too small to be viable now”, which is probably untrue in an absolute sense. What they probably mean is that A&W doesn’t have enough market muscle or enough profit margin to be a good part of Yum’s portfolio. I’m sure there are plenty of smaller, profitable chains out there, but they’re just not run by Yum Brands. A lot of those things on that list are ones that won’t so much “die” as will no longer be independent. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/10 "2011-06-24T14:57:05Z")
The Trollhattan factory is shut-no cash to pay the employees. The deal with China isn’t yielding the cash-meanwhile, the Russian banker/conman Antonov is angling for it. Another corpse of the automotive world. Is it a good time to buy one cheap? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/11 "2011-06-24T15:02:19Z")
There are quite a few A&Ws in my town, but they’re all connected with Long John Silvers; you can order off either menu. I wouldn’t be surprised if they disappeared. Bummer about Corn Pops, that’s one of my favorite cereals. Although I like the bagged competitor, “Corn Bursts”, even better. As long as they keep making those, I’m good. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/12 "2011-06-24T15:18:53Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > I don’t think Myspace will close their doors either. They seem to have restructured as a music site rather than social networking and are a subsidiary of a very large group that can help them through any hard times if required. I don’t know. One story I read recently said even the founders don’t visit MySpace very often anymore and Tom Anderson (the guy who automatically friends you when you sign up) hasn’t updated his status in a year. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/13 "2011-06-24T15:18:59Z")
I just read somewhere that Nokia is still the largest cellular manufacturer in the world. Most of Africa and Asia just want phones, not fancy hand-held computers. It does look like RIM has missed the boat. But then so has Microsoft, but they will still be around a good long time. I expect several newspapers will be gone in a year or so (Philadelphia Inquirer?). Sears still has both retail stores and a catalog operation in Canada. If they go under it will be because of bad business practices, though. For example, we recently had to make a pickup of a catalog order in a very inconvenient location because nobody in Bangalore could understand the phrase “Côte Vertu shopping mall” even when spelled out. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/14 "2011-06-24T15:22:00Z")
Q. How bad is Saab? A. [They can’t make payroll](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13885267)! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/15 "2011-06-24T16:25:48Z")
Since the article specifically discusses _brands_ that will bite the dust in 2012, it’s hard to see how A&W can make the list. Sure, the Yum! Brands subsidiary that runs A&W restaurants in the U.S. may die or get sold and turned into something else, but as posters upthread have mentioned, the independent Canadian A&W chain is thriving, and A&W brand root beer will continue to be in U.S. grocery and convenience stores, in 12-ounce cans and 2-liter bottles. The other thing I’d question is whether the Sears brand will die. That would seem a bad choice on the part of Sears Holdings, which owns Sears and KMart: > [@](#): > > D’Ambrosio only reasonable solution to the firm’s financial problems is to stop supporting two brands which compete with one another and larger rivals such as Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and Target (NYSE: TGT). The cost to market two brands and maintain stores which overlap one another geographically must be in the hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Employee and supply chain costs are also gigantic. The path D’Ambrosio is likely to take is to consolidate two brand into one–keeping the better performing Kmart and shuttering Sears. Maybe you’d want to keep the KMart _stores_, but c’mon, which _brand_ has more cachet? Who goes to a KMart first, if there’s a Target or WallyWorld nearby? Nah, you keep the Sears _name_, stick it on the KMart _stores_, and make sure any distinctive parts of Sears (e.g. Craftsman tools) are transferred to the KMart stores and are quite easy to find there. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/16 "2011-06-24T16:39:05Z")
Saab’s deal with the Chinese car companies probably won’t happen anyway. From what I’ve read, the Chinese government is trying to encourage consolidation in their auto industry. Currently, China has about a hundred car companies, and the government would like to see that number drop to around ten. Consequently, approval for these sorts of tie-ups is very hard to obtain. Saab has finally run out of gas. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/17 "2011-06-24T18:30:33Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I just read somewhere that Nokia is still the largest cellular manufacturer in the world. Most of Africa and Asia just want phones, not fancy hand-held computers. Yes, but Nokia is thoroughly dominated by Microsoft now, and Microsoft doesn’t give a damn about feature phones. To them, Nokia is their chance to buy their way into the smartphone market. I expect Nokia’s non-smartphone efforts to suffer accordingly. That doesn’t mean the Nokia brand will die within the year, though. Microsoft is pouring way too much cash into this, and the name is essential for their plan. They’re not going to let it die until it becomes clear that the gambit has failed. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/18 "2011-06-24T19:24:06Z")
I don’t know about Sears, either - they always seem like they should have gone under 15 years ago, yet they keep on keepin’ on (and irritating me with their marketing over the intercom). I buy things online from them fairly regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/19 "2011-06-24T19:34:24Z")
I really don’t see how Nokia is on this list and Borders isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676/20 "2011-06-24T20:18:12Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I really don’t see how Nokia is on this list and Borders isn’t. Borders was on the list two years ago (companies that would fail in 2010). Its death throws have taken longer than predicted. But I think they can count it as a correct prediction. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/586676.md?page=2)