Comments on: Gay retailer clonezone goes into administration

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:04:02 +0000

I think this is a scandle. Not paying your staff or your suppliers and your still an owner in the business? How can this be even legal. Oh! Is called a prepackaged administration. Clonezone Rip Off!

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By: Ian Powell

Ian Powell — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:17:15 +0000

As a DVD company it is sad to see what is happening to Clone Zone, who I have worked with for many years. Currently the law prohibits me selling my R18 DVDs directly to UK customers via mail order from within the UK, so stores like Clone Zone and Prowler remain tremendously inportant for the UK market

Interestingly the company which sells my 18 rated DVDs also just went into administration due partly to the Woolworths, zavi demise. here I am able to sell directly by mail order and sales here have remained pretty much unchanged. The suggestion is really that people are shopping much more online and that stores like Clone Zone (Who have legal restrictions over what they can sell online) are considerably disadvantaged

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By: steve barrett

steve barrett — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:52:57 +0000

I agree . ive worked for clone zone for years , not once getting a pay rise , hardly ever getting any interest in the shop from the guys that owned it ..bitter and f"ked off ! damn right .ive now got to get another job quickly ..because the gutless wonders that owned it didnt even have the decency to tell us what was going on .we had to hear it from the managers of the other stores being closed down one by one . no pay for the last month served , we have to try and claim that back through administartion company .office staff told in the evening after they had done there day at work ..still no back pay for them .6 stores were shut last week with there stock being sent to the last 4 including birmingham , soho , earls court and manchester ..the remaining 4 will be closed and after most of stock sold . a company in london CDL will be buying these stores [apparently] .we tried to advise the owners what our customers wanted ..but it fell on deaf ears , we still got time and time again the crap that no one wanted .this is why we died .stale stock and stale ideas .the real sad story is the shop floor staff who worked there butts off , had a great raport with there customers , and in the end GOT SHAFTED .all i can say now is CLONE ZONE owners …you deserved it . may i wish every success to prowler , and guys …..listen to your staff !

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By: Embittered

Embittered — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:30:56 +0000

A sad day? Absolutely not! Thank god this shower of crooks are gettting their just desserts. An outdated concept charging over the top prices to satisfy the greed of the owners. I truly hope that the 'remaining trading stores' are credit crunched within the coming weeks – the Gay High Street will be a better place without them. Hopefully Prowler will capitalise and crush this dinosaur of retailing asap.

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By: Robert

Robert — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:41:53 +0000

I am sorry to hear of the misfortune of clonezone and to those guys that will loose their jobs, it might be fine that so much is available at competitive rates on the internet, but it will mean yet again less choice on the high street. More importantly clonezone provided a a safe haven that was fun to browse and shop in and a great place for gay social interaction, I wil be sorry to see it go.

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By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:32:32 +0000

A very sad day – Clone Zone were much more than a shop to me and I suspect many others. It was a safe place, half way house to venture into when I was 'coming out', and over the years I am aware they have fought and supported many legal battles to further the gay cause. A beacon of normality and respectability that has served our community for 25 years (that I know of)! I suspect their demise can be linked to the demise of the gay villages and midweek bar scene (Clone Zone was always a stop on a night out as we moved between bars), and as we have gone more mainstream and accepted, the need to band together, support our own gayowned businesses has fallen away. I dont think the younger crowd appreciate how isolating it used to be to be gay, and obviously the internet has played its part, now everything is available online. Yes, I'm one who will be very sorry to see the brand close and offer my thanks and thougths to all the staff who have lost their jobs.

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By: jo

jo — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:20:13 +0000

The story isn't really accurate and is lazy journalism, if the pink paper website could get to the truth then why couldnt Pink News!? clonezone are continuing to trade, most likely under new management and their Soho, Earls court, Birmingham, Manchester and online stores are all running and will continue to and you never know Dan, maybe it's the right time to shed that naff image that you're talking about.

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By: Sister Mary Clarence

Sister Mary Clarence — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:45:39 +0000

I wonder if they'll be honouring gift vouchers ….

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By: Stuart

Stuart — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:52:42 +0000

Cockrings? How the hell do you get through so many cockrings?! lol

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By: spanks

spanks — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:52:15 +0000

Not good at all

Maria, try exclusivelyeve.co.uk for those rings & accessories

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By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:41:45 +0000

Bugger… where will I buy my cock rings now?

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By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:35:59 +0000

I am really sorry and it's horribly sad to see Clone Zone go, it was a laugh to go into one of their stores. They were sadly hanging on to such an outdated naff gay lifestyle image. It was just a matter of time.

Were we to expect, as times move on, that gay lifestyle shopping should be defined as a bunch of hi-nrg cd's, scary sex toys and overpriced fetishwear?

Hopefully Expectations and Prowler will survive the downturn.

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By: Riondo

Riondo — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:46:53 +0000

Requiescat in Pace. I've never seen anything I wanted to buy in Clonezone shops, but they are a lot of fun to wander around. A sad day.

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By: Flapjack

Flapjack — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:59:08 +0000

A Clonezone insolvancy sale? Does that mean the kinky underware is coming down?
I'll get my coat!

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