Retailer Play.com closes direct retail business --HMV UK también--

[gonzalo MX]

¡Adios play.com!

Online retailer Play.com is to shut down its retail business to become a marketplace-only, from March.

The Jersey-based firm blamed the move on the ending of Low Value Consignment Relief, which allowed items less than £15 to be sold to the UK VAT-free.

All 147 staff in Jersey are to be made redundant as well as 67 in its Cambridge and Bristol offices.

Play.com will now become more like a shopping centre, no longer selling directly to customers.

The Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) loophole was closed by the UK government in April 2012.

'Hammer blow'
In a statement Play.com said: "Moving forward we are intending to focus exclusively on our successful marketplace, which is our main business area, and to phase out the direct-retail part of our business."

A spokesperson confirmed the changes meant they were completely pulling out of Jersey, but about 200 staff would be left in the restructured company, which will be based in Cambridge.

Jersey's Economic Development Minister, Senator Alan Maclean, said now in total about 600 people had lost their jobs in the island because of the end of LVCR.

Senator Maclean said: "I'm saddened, this is a Jersey business, set up in the island that did extraordinarily well, that became a global brand.

"We will work with other businesses and entrepreneurs to help them develop the next Play.com."

He said the government would do all it could to support those out of work.

David Warr, president of Jersey's Chamber of Commerce, said it was another hammer blow to the island's economy.

He said: "That's a significant increase in the number of people unemployed... and obviously that should be a concern to everyone.

"I think we are going to have to work very hard to find these people new places to work."

Garry Todd, a tax analyst from Ernst and Young, said LVCR ended almost a year ago and most businesses that would close have, indicating Jersey is through the worst of it.

In September 2011, Play.com was taken over by Japanese e-commerce operator Rakuten.

It paid £25m ($39.3m, 28.6m euros) for the company, which at the time had 14m registered users and was one of the largest online retailers in the UK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-20953357

Después de lo que nos hicieron con los Iron Man deje de comprar lanzamiento de play.com, lo siento en verdad por los empleados que perderán sus trabajos, pero con ese servicio a cliente tan pésimo que nos dieron, no me sorprende su cierre.

[gonzalo MX]

Y también HMV UK tiene problemas su pagina en internet esta cerrada hasta nuevo aviso

Customers were angered over HMV's initial stance on gift vouchers bought before the firm collapsed into administration.

Stricken retailer HMV has done a U-turn on its refusal to accept its own gift vouchers and will start accepting them again from 22 January, its administrator has announced. Accountancy firm Deloitte, which took control of retailer last week, also said that cash raised by HMV from the sale of charity releases, including the Hillsborough Justice Collective single, will be paid "in full as soon as possible".

Nick Edwards, joint administrator for HMV Group, HMV Music and Fopp, said: "I am pleased to confirm that, having concluded [an] assessment [of the business], we are able to honour gift cards.

"I can also confirm that all money raised by HMV for various charities will be paid in full. We recognise that both of these matters have caused concern for individuals and organisations affected and are pleased to have reached a positive outcome."

HMV gift cards and vouchers worth millions were declared worthless when the retailer collapsed into administration on 15 January 2013. The move angered consumers because HMV had continued selling the tokens after warning investors in December that the group expected to face a solvency crisis by the end of January.

A Deloitte spokesperson initially insisted the administrators had no intention of reviewing the decision to stop accepting vouchers. Edwards said the administrators were assessing the state of the business and added: "The ability of administrators to honour gift vouchers will depend on the specific circumstances of each case."

The move will be considered a victory for customers who mounted a high-profile campaign to convince the administrators to reinstate gift voucher purchases. Twitter hashtags were also set up by members of the public as a way for customers to share their memories of browsing and buying music from HMV stores.

Consumers greeted the news warmly on Twitter, though there was speculation as to whether many shoppers would already have thrown their vouchers away.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/...t-vouchers

[Lucho Cohaila Guzman]

en UK se han puesto muy exigentes con el tema de ventas on line... a Amazon le pusieron una multa fuerte por un tema de impuestos.... en fin.... ya los gobiernos se estan dando cuenta que no hay mucho control por este lado y esperamos que esta mano dura no llegue hasta el consumidor...... (si, si.... muy inocente mi comentario).... GOBIERNOS!!!!!!... MMMMMMM.....