Ideal World For Sale

[Jazzydrury]

Oh, I was only thinking of Steve Whatley the other day. I think he left Q (didn't he say something that was deemed beyond the pale) and then he got together with some other presenters (possibly Debbie Flint and Paul Lavers) to be in on the ground floor of IW. He'd be sad to see it go I am sure.

I have thought of Steve a few times, he would have been devasted to see IW dissapear.

 

[Paul B]

Having noticed that IW had disappeared from the listings I hopped on here to find out why.

I wonder where Pete 'laugh a month' Simon and Mike 'cor-blimey guvner' Mason will reappear? Sally Jacks will be okay, she can always find work as an announcer at any main train station or major sporting venue (100% green - no PA equipment required). There'll have been a lot of air let out of some very over-inflated egos this past day or so as they realised they've lost the gig.

 

[Deleted member 21838]

I think Steve would have been shocked at the situation. I cannot see him sitting there selling goods still under those circumstances. However smarmy and cheesey he came over at times, I think he had a moral code.

 

[User 23988]

I wonder which shopping channel will be daft enough to employ some of these presenters if any?
As a collective bid core group they have already been part of the demise of two shopping channels.
No doubt some will resurface but future employers beware

 

[donna255]

Mike Ashley takes no Sh*t! If he does buy, he will want to up market the channel he closed any House of Fraser that under performed. He owns Flannels, a very high-end company we had one on the top floor of my Fraser's Belfast moved up from just a normal House of Fraser because of very high sales. At one point he wanted to buy Debenhams but was blocked and look what happened.

 

[Deleted member 21838]

Young people aren't interested in shopping channels I think it's fair to say? They shop in an instant and want access to what they want to choose straight away - everything that shopping television doesn't do on screen. The concept has an ever deceasing shelf live as the target audience dies off. QVC is the domain of the 50 plus shopper and in less than 30 years or so all the customer profile base will be in that great telephone queue in the sky. Where QVC were and are sensible is with their buying power and their margins. Ideal World, clearly (at least with the latter) were not. At times they were virtually giving the stuff away and no business is going to survive on that basis as is proved with their current situation. Who would want them in their current form and business model? Nobody, I would suggest.

 

[Bettyboo]

I think Steve would have been shocked at the situation. I cannot see him sitting there selling goods still under those circumstances. However smarmy and cheesey he came over at times, I think he had a moral code.

The reason he was sacked was for using the name of Princess Diana to sell a ring (after she had passed away). Not very moral in my opinion.

 

[Deleted member 21838]

In the highly moral, emotional blackmail type selling tricks world of shopping television of course. Tune into QVC today and it won’t be long before you see another. What I am saying is I somehow doubt he would have sold the ring at all if there were actually no rings to send out.

 

[Jazzydrury]

The reason he was sacked was for using the name of Princess Diana to sell a ring (after she had passed away). Not very moral in my opinion.

Shopping Telly presenters have done worse since, Steve was the type who would have been a royalist probably, and I remember that ring, it was simular to what Diana wore, so maybe QVC didn’t have good morals then

Steve was cheesey but It was that what made him popular, he never took himself seriously

 

[Hammy60]

Mike Ashley takes no Sh*t! If he does buy, he will want to up market the channel he closed any House of Fraser that under performed. He owns Flannels, a very high-end company we had one on the top floor of my Fraser's Belfast moved up from just a normal House of Fraser because of very high sales. At one point he wanted to buy Debenhams but was blocked and look what happened.

No so sure he wants to run a TV channel per se, maybe saw IW in trouble and thought of making a quick buck out it, or maybe acquire it in a way where they aren't saddled with the existing debt and start again but with different branding.

From the few snippets of info we have so far.

Sports Direct took a minority stake in IW last year, increased that stake in May. Now IW Ltd is up for sale, if Sports Direct wanted IW they could have already bought it/taken control, why not?

Sports Direct gave IW a debenture loan last year and IW put its assets up as securities if it failed to repay, Sports Direct in the past few weeks have now tabled two charges at Companies house against IW regarding that loan.

In October, Sports Direct took over the lease of IW house (Studios & Warehouse) and sub let it to IW, IW house is now up for sale, and on the details for any prospective buyers it's already stated that Sports Direct (present lease holder) have contracted out of leasing the premises after the present lease ends in 2027. So that doesn't look like Sports Direct are planning a long term future at IW House where the studios/warehouse are.

What all that means i have not a clue, but obviously somebody has a plan.

 

[Hammy60]

The reason he was sacked was for using the name of Princess Diana to sell a ring (after she had passed away). Not very moral in my opinion.

Was it not the night as the accident, just after news of her death? I didn't see the show where the comments were made, but vaguely remember he was gone the next day and saw somewhere it was because he had said something inappropriate but it didn't mention what he said.

 

[Jazzydrury]

Apparently I read a rumour, Frasers group bought a big stake in the company last friday, and that if Ideal World are put into administration tomorrow, they could get the company on the cheap

 

[Deleted member 21838]

I think he’s more than paid for any selling transgression from twenty plus years ago now anyway.

 

[Deleted member 21838]

This is the Wiki entry on the issue. Misguided perhaps, yes. But far from a sacking issue these days, where nowadays he would have been promoted for the same!!

In September 1997, after 4 years working at the channel, Whatley left QVC after what was seen as an excessive discussion of Diana, Princess of Wales in his presenting of a "Today's Special Value" item of jewellery the day before her funeral. The "Today's Special Value" item closely resembled Diana, Princess of Wales' diamond and sapphire engagementring. QVC had ordered there to be no mention of Diana, Princess of Wales in relation to the ring, but Whatley decided otherwise and described the ring as "a fine tribute to a loved princess".

 

[Jazzydrury]

This is the Wiki entry on the issue. Misguided perhaps, yes. But far from a sacking issue these days, where nowadays he would have been promoted for the same!!

In September 1997, after 4 years working at the channel, Whatley left QVC after what was seen as an excessive discussion of Diana, Princess of Wales in his presenting of a "Today's Special Value" item of jewellery the day before her funeral. The "Today's Special Value" item closely resembled Diana, Princess of Wales' diamond and sapphire engagementring. QVC had ordered there to be no mention of Diana, Princess of Wales in relation to the ring, but Whatley decided otherwise and described the ring as "a fine tribute to a loved princess".

Wasn’t it simular to something she wore, why didn’t they change their TSV that day, and air it at a later date, surely they knew viewers would see it was simular and would buy it

 

[daps]

From the Local Cambridge rag..


A Peterborough- based shopping channel has appointed administrators - with many staff made redundant with immediate effect. Ideal World Limited operated a TV channel and online retail service for more than 20 years.

The company, which employed a total of 275 people at its Peterborough head office, had an annual turnover of £55m prior to the appointment of administrators Michael Lennon and James Saunders on Wednesday, July 5.


Due to the company’s financial position, trading operations were suspended prior to the Administration. Administrators have confirmed trading will not recommence and 'the majority of staff have been made redundant with immediate effect'.

The administrators said they intended to 'work with the remaining employees to complete an orderly wind-down of the business'. Existing customer orders will be fulfilled where possible.

Michael Lennon, Managing Director of Restructuring, Kroll : “Over the last few years, the Direct Response TV (DRTV) sector globally has suffered a decline in viewer and customer numbers as consumer spending habits changed.


"Whilst Ideal World TV had brought in a significant number of new brands and retail partners to the channel over the last year, overall trading was not strong enough for the business to continue in its present format. Our immediate priority is to provide support to all the employees impacted by the Administration.”

 

[Sazza]

Shock as Peterborough's Ideal World TV staff say they have been made redundant

Staff at Peterborough’s Ideal World TV say they have been made redundant after a plea for a buyer for the company failed to materialise.A member of the 250 strong workforce at the TV and online shopping channel said workers were told at a meeting today (July 6) at the firm’s Newark Road offices...

www.shoppingtelly.com

 

[maymorganlondon]

Shock as Peterborough's Ideal World TV staff say they have been made redundant

Staff at Peterborough’s Ideal World TV say they have been made redundant after a plea for a buyer for the company failed to materialise.A member of the 250 strong workforce at the TV and online shopping channel said workers were told at a meeting today (July 6) at the firm’s Newark Road offices...

www.shoppingtelly.com

What a shame.

 

[Lilo Lil]

End of an era?

 

[jimapak]

Hopefully Qvc won’t employ any of those failed bid Tv presenters again. How must they feel working on another failed channe? Must say something about them. No more Sally or Jess for now. Great news.

They will probably be transferred to ideal worlds sister channel Craft Extra