Is Virgin going to shutdown?
I have a feeling Virgin is going to end up closing down at Marina Mall. I don’t think they’ve been doing good for a long time and the only thing they really have left is their electronics and video games section. Today I was at Marina and noticed Alghanim was opening up right in front of Virgin. Alghanim sells both video games and electronics for cheaper so whats really left for Virgin?
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Oct 22, 2008
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23 Comments, add your own...
1. Dalal arch | October 23rd, 2008 at 12:04 am
I was hoping that the people who run the avenues would consider the non-profitable value of opening a book chain like Borders or Barnes & Noble, but I don’t think thats what on their minds.
Some stores infuse a different feeling to a commercial space like what Virgin did when it first opened in Marina or what Baroue is doing in the Avenues for families with children.
2. hilaliya | October 23rd, 2008 at 12:15 am
Maybe if they stopped adding 50% margin on their products and hosted DVDS, Blu-Rays, the latest CD’s and new books instead of being a Car showroom, a cafe and a Wataniya counter, they would do better.
But then again MOI turned them into the joke they currently are now. So they cannot be blamed 100%.
3. DaLLy | October 23rd, 2008 at 12:33 am
Virgin in q8 is useless, no books no novels, no up-to-date magazines, even the music cds n video dvds r selected n limited! so, its better to shutdown!!!
4. ananyah | October 23rd, 2008 at 12:55 am
Well it may be because there is now no Virgin Megastores in the UK. Branson sold it to Zavvi a spanish company
5. Bu Jasem | October 23rd, 2008 at 1:21 am
Actually, the british chain was bought out by zavvi.co.uk; however, the middle east chains including kuwait the UAE, and Egypt is still running. When I asked the manager at Virgin Marina, he told me that they are opening a huge store in the next phase of the Avenues Mall.
6. Glardino | October 23rd, 2008 at 1:46 am
nice topic Mark
there are many reasons for closing soon
they are a lot’s of section of books like 25 % from vrigin shop area
they are few people reads books nowdays
and about music audio cd it cost 5 or 4 kd
every one in kuwait download whole album in few mins then put it in empty cd huhuhuhu
rotana reduce cost of there cd from 5 to 1 and half dinar
music section like 40 or 45 % from virgin mega store shop area
virgin rental i think more than 10000 kd in mounth because 2 reasons
1-location
2-large used area
i love arregment of there section
honestly i don’t find anything special in virgin MS
7. Anonymous | October 23rd, 2008 at 4:05 am
wait hold on… they don’t sell books there anymore?!
8. Randy | October 23rd, 2008 at 7:29 am
Good Riddance, Virgin!!
9. organic kuwait | October 23rd, 2008 at 8:12 am
i dont know about the electronics department in virgin but my childrens books are doing great at virgin we keep supplying them and they keep running out ( for more than 3 years now and the sales are better than ever ) which means they have thier loyal costumers …
10. Daddy's Girl | October 23rd, 2008 at 8:41 am
Like ananyah said… if virgin uk is currently non existant, it became Zavvi … a black and lime green thingy… insha2 allah do u think the lousy one in Q8 that keeps shrinking and shrinking will survive?
Their games are over priced, i would go to hawali to to buy them… their excuse for dvd section is hilarious, even video il jabriya has a better collection of dvds to offer. and their book section is just pathetic!!!
they are surviving on selling tshirts and novelty items!!!
Gone are the days when we would go and spend two hours in there, me leafing through books and my hubby grilling the salesmen regarding the latest pcs o laptops…
I do have a feeling they are closing down. I just wish they would do it with dignity, they should do it cold turkey… here today gone tommorow… rather than just closing bit by bit until they end up with a little stand with two dvds and layaleena magazine and then it would close down eventually…
Walla 7asafa :(
11. Sara | October 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
Poor virgin .. i was never a big fan of the place but feel sad to see such big businesses go dead in Kuwait. However, we are entering a phaze of local bussinesses with completely local concept. I would like to see more Slider Stations, Pink Moons, Dar Salhiyas … Yalla the market is open for a new local concept of cultural shops that sells what really matters for the local people and expats in Kuwait.
By the way: Anybody knows a female canadian photographer called Monica? she works in Kuwait and i cant find her contacts.
Please help?
Sara
12. Mark | October 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 am
only canadian female photographer in kuwait i know of is called lisa
13. Patrick | October 23rd, 2008 at 11:15 am
About time. Good riddance.
14. Zohak | October 23rd, 2008 at 11:16 am
Virgin here is soooo bad its untrue.
They seem to think the only new US/UK music is Rap or R&B and even then its pretty rubbish.
I’ve stopped bothering to look now and just wait until I go home to stock up.
Not everybody wants to be a slave to Apple and its I tunes
15. o__O | October 23rd, 2008 at 11:32 am
Virgin is SucKs………….
16. croco rock | October 23rd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Guys, I think you’re being a bit unfair on Virgin.
Compare and contrast the sad Virgin in Kuwait with the fabulous one(s) in Dubai.
I don’t think Virgin choose to stock 3 DVDs or 2 CDS…..
You can point the finger at only one person here. Our baby sitter government who censors our every thought.
17. naserm | October 23rd, 2008 at 1:14 pm
7ASAFA I LOVED GOING 2 VIRGIN
18. Ghaith599 | October 23rd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Well, I asked a virgin employee about why the kept reducing the size of the store and having bad movie collection, he told me that the Kuwaiti government banned virgin from selling new movies before they approve them by a special media department, which could take up to 6 months. In addition to that they had to remove many movies from the shelves because of government regulations.
just wanted to share the info.
19. Ali | October 23rd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
i hope it duznt , its the only pls wre i cn buy classic doctor who dvds
20. Sheep | October 23rd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Okay virgin is really not that bad.. they sell books.. books are awesome.. more people should read them..
They brought cool tshirts that everyone seems to be into… I bought a kelly shirt when they were selling them.. who would think anyone in kuwait would be selling kelly merchandise? (if you dont know who kelly is.. youtube “kelly – shoes” and “let me borrow that top” and “text message break-up”)
anyway.. I know theyre music selection seems to be limited.. but what choice do we have? Can anyone name any other stores here that sell music cds?
I download.. but I also love collecting albums.. I have a nice collection in my car.. And virgin occasionally brings cds that i wanna buy.. like the porcupine tree album.. and they brought the new muse DVD <3
SAVE VIRGIN :(
21. Lunardream | October 23rd, 2008 at 8:58 pm
1) No longer the good movies sections and Boxsets, because of *&$% MOI.
2) No longer the excellent collection of novels, comics and graphic novels because of *%$*MOI.
3) Latest public hate against them was in the newspapers because they were selling Budhha statues as toys for kids for 4.5 KDs, mentioned around two weeks ago in Al-Watan newspaper with pics. They are glowing (I think) little buddha statues, which is banned in Kuwait.
4) Removal of all their excellent music catalouges, because of the *&$% MOI.
5) The act of closing the store by *&%$MOI hurt their reputation so bad, that all participating stores pulled out afterwards (i.e. Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Yamaha, etc.).
6) Crazy over-pricing for video games, consoles and accessories, i.e. wiimote/Nunchuck for 45 KD (I have pic of that). I can’t imagine myself buying from them anyway. The ipod prices are high too. And who buys pal anyway? (xbox offer)
7) Since the video of a dancing girl in Virigin circulated the net, and it has been under public watch and pressure for being something out of kuwait, and the enrollment of guards at their store is just a big joke, who they hell think? Tiffany’s?
8) In order to restore Virgin, it should go back to its original owners (not Al-Saleh) so that MOI can’t even lay a hair on them and start up again start selling evil black metal and satanic music!!
22. UK PMSL | October 26th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Not sure if the same company has the franchise here, but their new store in Bahrain City Centre looks so much better.
23. moe | October 28th, 2008 at 12:25 am
Well their video games are marked up 10000x the price and realy who needs another video game retailer when you Al-Rehab its has more then 40 video games shops!!!
i am not really sure about books … since i order mine online but i am sure the one in muthana would suffice.
CDs well… to be honest like REALY honest 9/10 who have iPods either get the songs from each other (flash memory, trading etc…) or iTunes.com or the arabic ones (ALOT of them too many to list)
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