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The news that the bastion of familiarity on the British high street, Woolworths, is up for sale for the princely sum of, ahem, £1, has sent shockwaves along the high street.
Woolies’ ‘failure to modernise’ has been the reason given across much of the press, but although that has undoubtedly played a role, investors have been jittery where confidence in high street chains are concerned for some time.

Yesterday’s news has affected other high street chains, who, along with the rest of the retail sector, have lost half their value since January. The question for those watching the retail sector and trying to decide whether now is an awful time to buy or sell a business, would do well to take David Rhodes’ advice, who says the same rule that governs shares or residential properties should apply.

“What people should be looking at is not the value of the asset now but to look ahead and try to establish what the value of the asset will be within the time frame that they would NEED to sell”, posts Rhodes. So, if you have time to play with before selling, your situation is obviously a lot better than someone who, for a variety of possible reasons, can’t wait 5 or 10 years for the market to improve.