Why are there no Jeans shops anymore?

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Doodle-Noodle

Doodle-Noodle

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  • #1
    I had a day off today and went into town to get myself a new pair of jeans. My old Levis are literally falling apart and my other two pairs (both Jane Norman) have seen better days.
    So, you'd think it would be a fairly straight forward affair.
    But Jane Norman, it appears, have given up selling the jeans I've happily bought for the past few years (which actually fit me) and unless I go to a men's shop, I can't get a pair of Levis anywhere. Men's sizes seem to start at a 30 waist, which is too big, so that's no good.
    M&S jeans are awful, New Look are OK but not great quality, Next are rubbish, ended up getting a half decent pair in Zara.
    Anyhow, my point is .... why are there not specialist jeans shops anymore? When I was young, there were loads of them - Jean Machine, Jean Jeanie, Jean Junction etc, you could get all the to jeans labels in these shop (Levis, Wrangler, Pepe, Brutus, FUs....etc) they sold everything denim from shirts and waistcoats, to bags, belts, skirts and shorts.

    Thing is, everybody still wears jeans - I was looking at the other shoppers and at least 75% of people of all ages were wearing jeans. Is this not a huge gaping hole in the market? If not, why not?
     
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    Doodle-Noodle

    Doodle-Noodle

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  • #5
    The real points is .... why is it so difficult to buy a decent pair of jeans, and why are there no proper jean shops around anymore? I don't want to buy them online (which I could) as I like to try them on before I buy them. I will happily £90 plus for a decent pair of jeans (if I found a pair that fit properly, I'd actually buy 2 or 3 pairs in one shop!) which by my reckoning is a reasonable spend.
     
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    herewegoagain.

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  • #12
    Hello Doodle, the REAL reason there are hardly any specialist jeans shops anymore is the same reason there are hardly any real (in any numbers) speciality shops any more.... due to the supermarkets!

    £4 for a pair of jeans in Tesco !! - I would have thought the material had cost more than that, but I suppose Tesco are not bothered because they are paying some club-footed orphan in Outer Mongolia 2p per pair to make them !!

    If the supermarkets had stuck to selling food (instead of everything else under the sun as well) the specialists shops would still be there...

    Where are all of the hardware stores?, local butchers?, etc...

    Another reason of course is that the majority of the consumers out there want 'something for nothing' - and a lot of the time the quality (or lack of) of the product does not come into it !!

    They will pay the £4 for the jeans and not care if they drop apart in 2 months... they only see the £40 or so for a really good pair as too expensive - even though it will last several times as long...

    It all reminds me of a sign in saw in an antiques shop once - it read...

    'Please don't think our antiques are expensive, as you are standing there in your £100 trainers that are 6 months away from the bin'...

    It says it all really !!

    Quality specialist shops - use 'em or lose 'em !
     
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    michm

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  • #13
    I agree!

    I remember a few years ago there was a shop that sold mainly army clothing, trousers, thermal socks, gloves etc..... But, at the back of the store they sold Levi's jeans and t-shirts for a good price!! Unfortunately that shop has since closed!:(

    When I look around now the jeans I would like such as Levi's and Wrangler are only for men or a limited size for women. I also agree with Doodle-Noodle, I would rather try before I buy and would not buy jeans online.

    So, I only go to Debenhams, their designers are not a bad price and nice quality!
     
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    DavidAshdown

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  • #14
    herewegoagain. said:
    Hello Doodle, the REAL reason there are hardly any specialist jeans shops anymore is the same reason there are hardly any real (in any numbers) speciality shops any more.... due to the supermarkets!

    £4 for a pair of jeans in Tesco !! - I would have thought the material had cost more than that, but I suppose Tesco are not bothered because they are paying some club-footed orphan in Outer Mongolia 2p per pair to make them !!

    If the supermarkets had stuck to selling food (instead of everything else under the sun as well) the specialists shops would still be there...

    Where are all of the hardware stores?, local butchers?, etc...

    Another reason of course is that the majority of the consumers out there want 'something for nothing' - and a lot of the time the quality (or lack of) of the product does not come into it !!

    They will pay the £4 for the jeans and not care if they drop apart in 2 months... they only see the £40 or so for a really good pair as too expensive - even though it will last several times as long...

    It all reminds me of a sign in saw in an antiques shop once - it read...

    'Please don't think our antiques are expensive, as you are standing there in your £100 trainers that are 6 months away from the bin'...

    It says it all really !!

    Quality specialist shops - use 'em or lose 'em !
    Click to expand...

    Here, here I couldnt agree more. Unfortunately standards have dropped in recent years and people are happy to accept second best, which has been largely driven by supermarkets.

    I think this also applies to food, its not what it was, yet most people have become so used to eating junk, that they wouldn't know a decent cut of meat from a chicken nugget !
     
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    Talay

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  • #16
    "The public get what the public want" was the tune of the day some time ago, perhaps truly before its time in a retail sense. However, it is never truer than ever today.

    I used to buy Pepe jeans back in the 1980s, which were relatively expensive in their day. I then went to Lee for a while, as they had a better style. I guess few others came and went over the teenage years but rarely Levi I remember. Yet the differential pricing I was paying was a few pounds extra over some "basic" model.

    Fast forward a few years and some fool thought it ok to pay £100 plus for a pair of Levis. Other "designer" rip offs got in on the party and filled their boots. Essentially they created a vacuum for the "own brand" and "value" ranges because that is what jeans were essentially, the value and long wearing utility trousers.

    Now the market has fragmented and you have the overweight and unemployable lardasses shopping for £3 jeans at Asda and the skinny fashionishas brainwashed into parting with £100 plus for marketing nonsense on the back of Princess Di, Kate Moss and whoever else has since taken up their mantle.

    You can't have many or huge in town stores catering to the wannabes and the out of towners cater to the chavs from the estates leaving only M&S and the like to cater to the middle road.

    As an aside, I knew someone who had a jeans production business for donkeys and up until the turn of the century but China killed him and drove his business into the ground. It was all price led, quality largely went out of the window but even lower quality gives fairly decent durability.
     
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    Doodle-Noodle

    Doodle-Noodle

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  • #17
    You are all absolutely right - I don't want $£jeans from Asda or Tesco, they don't seem to cater for my size anyhow, but the fabric is thin, the quality not great and the cut does not suit me. I've tried them, lots of them, Primark, Tescos, M&S .... they don't look or feel right.
    I wear jeans everyday .... and I will pay decent money for a decent pair. Cost per wear makes it worth while (a good pair will last me years provided I don't get paint on them).
    Debenhams in Basingstoke don't do Levis/Wranglers for ladies - they only do them for men and the sizes are too big for me. Even ladies sizes in most shops are awkward - as I'm tall (I need min 32" inside leg, 33/34 if I want to wear heels) and am a size 8 (26/27" waist which is between 8/10 I think) so I realise it's not exactly standard, but neither is it that out of the ordinary. I used to be able to get them easily enough, so why not now?
    I can find them online - I just don't want to buy them online, I WANT to try them on!
     
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    the Chocolate

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  • #21
    Doodle-Noodle said:
    You are all absolutely right - I don't want $£jeans from Asda or Tesco, they don't seem to cater for my size anyhow, but the fabric is thin, the quality not great and the cut does not suit me. I've tried them, lots of them, Primark, Tescos, M&S .... they don't look or feel right.
    I wear jeans everyday .... and I will pay decent money for a decent pair. Cost per wear makes it worth while (a good pair will last me years provided I don't get paint on them).
    Debenhams in Basingstoke don't do Levis/Wranglers for ladies - they only do them for men and the sizes are too big for me. Even ladies sizes in most shops are awkward - as I'm tall (I need min 32" inside leg, 33/34 if I want to wear heels) and am a size 8 (26/27" waist which is between 8/10 I think) so I realise it's not exactly standard, but neither is it that out of the ordinary. I used to be able to get them easily enough, so why not now?
    I can find them online - I just don't want to buy them online, I WANT to try them on!
    Click to expand...

    Move to London :)
     
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    Matt1959

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  • #23
    Can only think that the likes of tesco jeans appeal to a limited Market or am I wrong? Must be plenty of people like the OP who are happy to pay £100 a pair. Whilst I am fussy about jeans, and nearly too old for them lol, I wouldnt goto £100 but nor would I buy supermarket or primark tat. Try GAP, sub £30 , nice fit etc, I,d buy there again....
     
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    Doodle-Noodle

    Doodle-Noodle

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  • #25
    I will NEVER be too old for jeans - I'm 50 now and intend to still be wearing jeans when I'm 70, why wouldn't I? No way on earth I'm getting into elasticated waistbands or crimpolene thank you very much!
    I actually think that once my generation hits the nursing home circuit it will be quite comical - don't forget we are the generation that founded punk rock ...
     
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    WilkoWilko

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  • #26
    Hi noodles,

    Yes I think you are right, i was thinking the same a couple of years ago, how come there isn't a chain store that specialises in jeans? and other high quality trousers like chinos ect.

    I mean going by this report http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/press-releases/173/jeans-market-goes-from-rags-to-riches the market is apparently worth £1.45 billion in the UK. Granted this report is a little out off date now, produced in 2007, but it still shows a sizable market and clearly jeans are likely to always be part of the average persons wardrobe.

    I do think there could be a chainsaw for jeans like lasensa is for womans underwear. Especially since there are so many different styles and fits, I think people would like a extra help and advice when picking a pair, so a specialist jeans shop with helpful staff i think would work.

    Personally I dont think the supermarkets take a large share of the market, there is probably statistics somewhere for this, but I think most people buy mid priced jeans from h and m, topman, river island ect. Supermarkets are probably the fastest growing sector of the market though. I think a shop selling high quality, premimum brands like levi and wrangler would do well still, I mean levi turnover 4.4 billion dollars global.

    To be honest, I think the real reason why you don't see many independent specialist jeans shops is because i think it is quite hard to get accounts with the big brands. Not only do you have to have a shop that meets their luxury/premium image, you would also be competing with their own brand stores. Also it must be quite expensive to set up, since most brands expect you to order at least 10-20k of stock, across say 5 brands that's like 100k of stock alone. Maybe its just a case of there isnt many entrepreneurs out there in the clothing market with that capital to invest. I think because of all these reasons, it just leaves the market open to the highstreet big boys like house of fraser and debenhams

    thats how i see it, i could be wrong though
     
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    DavidAshdown

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  • #27
    Doodle-Noodle said:
    I will NEVER be too old for jeans - I'm 50 now and intend to still be wearing jeans when I'm 70, why wouldn't I? No way on earth I'm getting into elasticated waistbands or crimpolene thank you very much!
    I actually think that once my generation hits the nursing home circuit it will be quite comical - don't forget we are the generation that founded punk rock ...
    Click to expand...

    Roll on Jean Jeanie.......(is there life on mars).......you rock !
    However, I think there is some people who should grow old gracefully. ;)
     
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    Matt1959

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  • #28
    captaincloser said:
    I was thinking about this earlier.What age is too old for jeans...40 ?

    I do know that women tend to s****** at guys in black leather jackets after a certain age.
    Click to expand...

    Lol you will be too old for jeans when the waist band enters into Simon cowell territory:) so long as your belly hangs over the belt, they will be fine;)

    Edit
    We,re taking about blokes here btw....
     
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    DavidAshdown

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  • #31
    Doodle-Noodle said:
    I don't intend to grow old gracefully. I shall be as disgraceful as I can for as long as I can. I've earned the right to party.
    Click to expand...

    Doodle-Noodle, you rock.......I'm with you 100%.

    Some cant pull it off though and they are the one's im referring to, oldies who are really goldies :redface:
     
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  • #33
    Doodle-Noodle said:
    What's age got to do with it?
    There's a real misconception that once you hit 50 you should be sitting at home draped in some polyester monstrosity playing online bingo and saving up for a stair lift. It's outrageous!
    Click to expand...

    Your right, but don't get it wrong, some are good for it others are not. Some should be put out to pasture and some will rock on. its a fact !
     
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    DavidAshdown

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  • #36
    Doodle-Noodle said:
    Well I intend to remain within the rock camp. I see 20 somethings waddling around in jeans large enough to house an entire country in, puffing and sweating 'cos they've had to walk more than 5 steps to the nearest lard stockist so they can top up their cholesterol levels....
    Click to expand...

    LOL, I agree, thats probably because they wear their jeans so far down their backside that they can't walk properly. Bring back tight jeans, they are far more complimentary than anything modern :)
     
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    captaincloser

    captaincloser

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  • #37
    Doodle-Noodle said:
    I will NEVER be too old for jeans - I'm 50 now and intend to still be wearing jeans when I'm 70, why wouldn't I? No way on earth I'm getting into elasticated waistbands or crimpolene thank you very much!
    I actually think that once my generation hits the nursing home circuit it will be quite comical - don't forget we are the generation that founded punk rock ...
    Click to expand...

    The generation before founded Glam Rock with Roxy Music, Bowie,Lou Reed and before that The Rolling Stones and Dylan...and so it goes on. All headed for crimpolene and drinking from a beaker....all except Lulu of course:D

    Nobody expects the nursing home.I plan to embrace it.
     
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    Talay

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  • #38
    Doodle-Noodle said:
    Well I intend to remain within the rock camp. I see 20 somethings waddling around in jeans large enough to house an entire country in, puffing and sweating 'cos they've had to walk more than 5 steps to the nearest lard stockist so they can top up their cholesterol levels....
    Click to expand...

    I'm with you there girl :)

    When I was at school, we laughed at the fat kid. Now they laugh at the thin one :eek:
     
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