Doomed Companies & Brands

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Last week, the New York Times had a great article about the number of blue-chip companies that are now floating tits up in the fish tank. That got my interest and I found a site that predicts companies and brands that are in real danger of going under.

already dead
Mercury
Plymouth
Saturn
Sabb
Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac (kept alive for the connivence of the government)
Gateway (no longer a consumer brand)
Merrill Lynch (the thundering herd!)
US NEws & World Report (now a monthly)

circling the drain
Newsweek
Architectural Digest
Reader’s Digest (as a US brand)
Palm
Eastman Kodak
Blockbuster
Palm
Old Navy (part of The Gap)
T-Mobile
Moody’s (A suicide, really)
Radio Shack (I could see this turning around)
KIA
Borders (people have been saying that for years)

Any more you can think of? I wonder if a corporate death pool might be a good game for next year.

2

That explains the T-Mobile store closing on the high street recently (my daughter said good riddance as they took over the Hagen Das store)

3

United Airlines was mentioned in the cite, but how can that be? They are our only US airline around here.

4

Radio Shack defies logic year after year. I though they were very profitable.

5

Err… what? KIA has increased market share in the US quite a bit over the last few years (even in 2009, where they and their parent Hyundai posted big increases even after the Cash for Clunkers program ended), and have had increases of nearly 20% in per-month sales this year over last.

6

I’d be surprised if T-Mobile went under since it is owned by Deutsche Telekom.

If the iPhone wasn’t exclusive to AT&T, T-Mobile would be the biggest beneficiary as they use the same wireless standards as AT&T. Of course, that will change by the time the likely end of the exclusivity agreement ends, as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile will all be using the same 4G standard.

7

Waitaminnit… fish have tits? :slight_smile:

8

You mean “The Shack”? Obligatory link to The Onion. One of my favorites.

9

I think there is a role for a chain of stores that sells resistors, memory card, all the stuff you need to make your own computer/ham radio. Radio Shack is now a cheap place for cheap cel phones.

10

I’m kinda surprised at Old Navy. They are a cheap, hip clothing store. You’d think they’d be doing ok in this economy. Better than their more expensive brothers and sisters.

Hmm…perhaps they aren’t hip anymore, tho. When I was in high school everyone had OLD NAVY across their chests. Now, you don’t hear anyone brag on the good deals they got there.

11

Can you provide a link to this article? I’d like to read it.

12

Sadly, the New York Times has just gone under. :smiley:

13

Let me look for it.

14

Sorry, it is not in Saturday, Sunday or today’s paper.

15

Try this

16

I was in Old Navy this weekend and bought a pair of shorts. The store was busy, it always seems to be when I go in. I like Old Navy for what it is, cheap clothing. They sell rubber flip flops cheap in a rainbow of colors, I have 7 or 8 pairs of them. I buy at least one pair a year for my husband also. Their t-shirts are perfect for work, where I have to look presentable but have the chance to ruin my clothing on a daily basis. I am assuming they have to sell a large volume of their “Made in a 3rd World Country” stuff to break even.

From the April 2009 report:

The latest report says they missed the mark on saying Gap/Old Navy was headed for closure.

17

Old Navy is always busy - it’s the Gap that’s a graveyard.

18

It always seemed to me that the Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic stores seems to sell roughly the same merchandise but at three quality and price points.

19

My wife manages or will until Thursday a Blockbuster at that time it will be the 3rd or 4th store in her area to close its doors in the last year. So put Blockbuster on the dead pool for 2011

20

But it appears that they had to let go all the Supermodelkins, I guess they just couldn’t afford to pay them all.