Remember when we all wondered why Discover PLC went to the wall?.
I'm no business guru (and assuming that the following do not come free and have to be paid for),I've just received an invite from the administrators of Discover to bid on the following websites that were presumably owned by Discover.
Are you ready?
Admittedly they're not all from Discover but a fair proportion are.
On the Instructions of P A Flint Esq. and M G Firmin Esq. of KPMG LLP, the Joint Administrators of Discover Leisure PLC and Signlease Ltd and also by kind instruction of a Retained Client
Picemeal (Subject to Conditions of Sale and Unless Sold Previously)
Timed online bids via www.bidspotter.co.uk
Bidding: Closes from 12 Noon Thursday 25 October 2012
Registered Web Domains of a Caravan Dealership & Construction, Professional & Travel Industries
Unique opportunity to acquire
Approx. 300 Registered Web Domains
of a Caravan Dealership suitable for the
Caravan & Motorhome Markets,
Insurance & Finance Sectors
&
Building/Construction, Retail, Trades/Professional,
Antiques, Food, Events and Travel Industries including:
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Domain names are not as crucial to success on the internet as they used to be. And the forces that have made it less important will continue to make it less important over time (especially the mobile-related ones). I'd still opt for a nice, clean name if I could get one, but I wouldn't consider it a must have, so no one is paying thousands for domains any more
Spending too much time keeping their web sites up to date to notice the queue of customers in the shop wanting to spend money?
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
Quote: Originally posted by markh1 on 16/10/2012no one is paying thousands for domains any more
Not really true as the good domains still fetch a decent amount. Recently Beds.co.uk sold for £80,000, GolfHolidays.co.uk for £22,500 and this year PersonalLoans.com went for $1,000,000
So I would still expect caravans.co.uk to fetch a decent amount.
They may well have picked a lot of these domains up cheaply with the intention of selling them on or just linking back to the main sight. For the sake of a few dollars they are worth having especially if it stops the competition getting them or worse still a fraudster using a domain like yours and selling stuff online they have no intention of posting.
Bill - I think there's a lot in what you say. I heard from a former employee that not long before they closed, at one branch they reassured staff that their jobs were safe - so safe, in fact, that Discover were in talks to buy an airline!
I presume he meant a line from a compressor, rather than the ones with aircraft!
Without researching the facts I believe they went bust because they were carrying too much debt following a management buyout. Ah the good old days. We thought we could borrow our way to untold riches.
When we bought a used van from them about 4 years ago it was all a bit shambolic.
As a former employee at Delamere branch they were gangsters from the day they bought out Harringtons been going for years with next to no problems.
As we were told after complaining about there bad customer policy : GO AND FLIP BURGERS IN F------ McDONALDS IF YOU DONT LIKE IT with male and female employees there. A lovely man Trevor Parker NOT.
As a former employee at Delamere branch they were gangsters from the day they bought out Harringtons been going for years with next to no problems.
As we were told after complaining about there bad customer policy : GO AND FLIP BURGERS IN F------ McDONALDS IF YOU DONT LIKE IT with male and female employees there. A lovely man Trevor Parker NOT.
Would this be the same Trevor Parker by any chance ?
I followed Telegraph advice a few years ago and bought shares in Discover, fortunately only £250 v, now worth nothing. Tried to buy a new Caravan in Darlington Discover, it was just like trying to buy a car fom Reg Vardy. They wouldn't match a deal offered from dealer in Leeds .....almost £1000 better.
I agree with Jim Oldham, go flip burgers was a stock answer to all dissent.
Born out of mass cars sales and with the backing of RBS, they thought they could transfer the business plan to caravans, difficult to say what the lack of money due to the recession had, but and to my mind, it was always doomed.
Difficult because the winter of 07/08 auction of vans at Measham saw vans selling at way below the market value of the previous summer, what no one knew was, it would be boom times but Discover were in no position to take any advantage.
I say no one but there was one, he bought over 100 and boy did he dip his bread that day!!
As for the domain list, it was common ploy for a successful name to be copied with a similar name in the hope of skimming of some of the goodwill, it would appear they thought of this and registered all similar names to stop anyone else using it later?
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Why did Discover go to the wall?
