Looks like Maplin and Toys R Us will close down, plus other retailers at risk. It's part of a continuing trend in retail sector. I worked briefly in the retail sector, for most of the week the shop was virtually empty, I always wondered how they made any profit at all. Obviously the answer was a high markup, but that makes them very vulnerable to competition. It doesn't take much in the way of competition from internet sales to destroy the profit margin of High Street retailers.
In the UK people just buy the cheapest junk they can find, they don't care about quality or source. However, companies that don't adapt business models are bound to fail. I guess you can blame the management, but shutting down all the shops and converting to an internet retailer like Amazon would be a pretty bold move.
My first introduction to electronics was via Maplin and mail order "please wait 21 days for delivery...". There were other specialist suppliers like Electrovalue, but Maplin was quite accessible. I can't say I would be sorry to see it go, clearly the current Maplin is about reselling consumer tat, it's a long way from it's roots.
About the only thing I regularly buy from Maplin is a particular component box branded "Proskit",
Storage Box with Removable Inserts, I haven't found another source with similar size and quality (and cheaper of course
).