It's now confirmed that TG Jones are closing many of their stores across the UK. Up to 150 risk closure, and that might only be the beginning. The Coventry branch (shown above) will close in June, and Leicester and Hull are also confirmed.
We can cast blame for the reasons but rather than me doing a long post focusing on that you can read more about it on John Freeman's Down the Tubes blog at this link:
This is very bad news for British magazines and comics. Although supermarkets such as Asda and Tesco have a magazine section these days they don't have the range that TG Jones have.
Many magazines and comics survive now because the majority of their sales are through subscription, but shop closures mean that they're likely to lose new readers buying mags / comics to try them out. Existing readers could start subscribing but not everyone can afford the expense of paying a big 6 to 12 month sub fee in one go. Especially if you're accustomed to buying several magazines a month. (2000AD have a good subscription model where readers are charged per month. Much easier on the bank balance.)
Casual buyers will also be affected. For example, I only buy SFX, Scream, Commando and others if the content interests me. I'm not going to take out a subscription for every issue.
Smaller, independent comics that aren't stocked by the supermarkets will be affected. I'd like to be optimistic about this situation but at the moment it's not looking good.
Sympathies of course to all the shop staff set to lose their jobs. This is a worrying time for them, and for everyone who will be affected by the knock on effect of the closures.
- Lew Stringer
©2026 lewstringercomics.blogspot.com
1 comment:
I'm not clear if Mondea intend to reopen in other premises. Their policy is to quit if rent rises can't be negotiated down. They are also pushing to reduce the normal timescale for closure/moving where a Post Office is attached to the branch.
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