Internet damaging 20,000 U.K. stores Internet damaging 20,000 U.K. stores

• 1 What do you or your family buy on the Internet?

• 2 Were they pleased with what they bought?

• 3 Was it cheaper than in the shops?• 4 Did it arrive quickly?

• Do you enjoy shopping? Why /not? • Have you ever bought anything from a catalogue

or shopped online? What did you buy?• How safe do you think it is to shop online?• Do you know anyone who is a shopaholic?• Are you saving up for anything at the moment? If

so, what?• How has the way we shop changed over the last

fifty years?• How do you think the way we shop will change over

the next few years?

• brainstorm all the words you can think of associated with shopping.

SHOPPING: What are the pros and cons of these ways of shopping? Complete this table with your partner(s).

Pros Cons

• Online • In malls • Shopping streets • Via catalogues • Markets • Garage sales

• shopping is boring and a waste of time

• shopping is great fun. 

• clothes shops  • music stores  • bakeries  • electronic goods shops  • bookshops  • toy stores  • furniture shops  • sports shops

TRUE / FALSE

• aF• bT• cT• dF• eT• fT• gF• hF

Synonym match1.naturea.character2.direb.terrible3.releasedc.issued4.predictsd.forecasts5.demisee.downfall6.rangef.variety7.emptyg.vacant8.roughlyh.approximately9.lurei.tempt10.nostalgicj.sentimental

• The Internet has changed the nature of the way we shop. More and more of us are shopping online instead of in "bricks and mortar" stores. In the United Kingdom, this is having dire consequences for the traditional high-street store. A respected business leader has released a report containing grim statistics on the future of U.K. retailing. CEO Bill Grimsey warns that 47 per cent of Britain's chain stores are "horribly stressed financially". This amounts to some 20,000 shops. He predicts a quarter of these will be out of business within the next three years. Mr Grimsey has also said that the continual demise of traditional shopping streets has led to what he termed as "ugly" town centres.

• Mr Grimsey provided a range of reasons for the degeneration of Britain's downtown areas. Over 40,000 of Britain's shops are empty; roughly eleven per cent of all retail space. Grimsey said many stores have not sufficiently risen to meet the challenge posed by the Internet. He said that rather than looking to the future, and at innovative ideas to lure customers back, many stores are still stuck in the past. In particular, he said companies were too "nostalgic". Another reason is that multinational companies are draining local areas of money. He said: "It is not difficult to keep local money within the local economy, but it doesn't work if…we are listening too much to big firms."

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

• 1.As "bricks and mortar" stores• 2.Dire consequences• 3.Grim statistics• 4.5,000• 5.He said they were ugly• 6.11%• 7.Ones to bring customers back• 8.Nostalgia• 9.Multinational companies• 10.By listening to big companies

How did the article describe traditional shops?

a) as online storesb) as being old-fashionedc) as being concerned with natured) as bricks and mortar stores

What kind of consequences is theInternet having on stores? a) dietary b) dire c) positive effects d) unfair

What did a report contain?  a) photos of every closed store b) a way forward c) bleak statistics d) innovative ideasHow many shops could go bust within the next three

years? a) 5,000b) 47%c) 20,000d) 11%

How did a CEO describe the look of town centres?

a) modernb) comfortablec) uglyd) original

What percentage of retail space in the UK is vacant?

a) 10b) 11c) 12d) 13

What ideas have stores not been looking at?  a) ideas to move location

b) nostalgic ideasc) ideas about new technologyd) ones to bring customers back

What feelings did the CEO say stores had too much of? 

a) nostalgiab) pityc) angerd) relief

What is draining local economies of money? a) sewage systems

b) touristsc) multinational firmsd) nostalgia

How can local economies make things difficult for themselves?

a) by not offering huge discountsb) by listening to big companiesc) competing with the Internetd) closing early

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

the internet has changed the nature of the way we shop more and more of us are shopping online instead of in "bricks and mortar" stores in the united kingdom this is having dire consequences for the traditional high-street store a respected business leader has released a report containing grim statistics on the future of uk retailing ceo bill grimsey warns that 47 per cent of britain's chain stores are "horribly stressed financially" this amounts to some 20000 shops he predicts a quarter of these will be out of business within the next three years mr grimsey has also said that the continual demise of traditional shopping streets has led to what he termed as "ugly" town centres

mr grimsey provided a range of reasons for the degeneration of britain's downtown areas over 40000 of britain's shops are empty roughly eleven per cent of all retail space grimsey said many stores have not sufficiently risen to meet the challenge posed by the internet he said that rather than looking to the future and at innovative ideas to lure customers back many stores are still stuck in the past in particular he said companies were too "nostalgic" another reason is that multinational companies are draining local areas of money he said "it is not difficult to keep local money within the local economy but it doesn't work if…we are listening too much to big firms"

Sewage system •  facility consisting of a system of sewers for carrying off liquid an

d solid sewage sewage works, sewer systemfacility, installation -•  a building or place that provides a particular service or is 

used for a particular industry; "the assembly plant is an enormous facility“ infrastructure, base - the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of acountry or area; "the industrial base of Japan“

• sewer, sewerage, cloaca - a waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water

• sewer line, sewer main - a main in a sewage system• Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012

Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

re•tail(ri te l ) ɪ

n.1. the sale of goods to ultimate consumers, usu. in small quantities (opposed to wholesale).

adj.2. pertaining to, connected with, or engaged in sale at retail. adv.3. in a retail quantity or at a retail price. v.t.4. to sell at retail; sell directly to the consumer. 5. to relate or repeat in detail to others: to retail scandal. v.i.6. to be sold at retail.• [1375–1425; (n.) late Middle English < Anglo-

French: a cutting, derivative of retailler to cut =re- re- + tailler to cut (see tail2);(v.) Middle English retailen < Old French retailler

• re′tail•er, n.• Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K

Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

•DEFINITION bricks and mortar

• Bricks and mortar refers to businesses that have physical (rather than virtual or online) presences - in other words, stores (built of physical material such as bricks and mortar) that you can drive to and enter physically to see, touch, and purchase merchandise. This term is used as the basis for the term clicks and mortar, a business that sells products and services on the Web as well as from physical locations.

• de·mise  (dĭ-mīz′)n.• 1.a. Death.• b. The end of existence or activity;• termination: the demise of the streetcar.• 2. Law Transfer of an estate by lease or will.• 3. The transfer of a ruler's authority by death o

r abdication.

• degeneration•  (d d n re n)ɪˌ ʒɛ əˈ ɪʃə• n1. the process of degenerating• 2. the state of being degenerate• 3. (Biology) biology the loss of specialization, function, or s

tructure by organisms and their parts, as in thedevelopment of vestigial organs

• 4. (Biology)a. impairment or loss of the function and structure of cells or tissues, as by disease or injury, often leading todeath (necrosis) of the involved part

• b. the resulting condition• 5. (Electronics) electronics negative feedback of a signal• Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged,

12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

• lure in to• lure someone or something in to something• and lure someone or something into • entice someone or something into something or a place. • The thief tried to lure the tourist into an alley to rob him. Using an old trick, the thief lured in the tourist.

• McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

• go bust Definitions• to become bankrupt

• Synonyms go bankrupt, fail, go under, break, be

ruined, be wound up, go to the wall, be liquidated, go into receivership, go into liquidation, become insolvent, cease trading

• The end!• http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com

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