This cartoon by Blower from The Daily Telegraph is a comment on the bleak start to 2013 for British high-street retailers. In the space of less than a week, Jessops, HMV, and Blockbuster all called in administrators. In December, electrical retailer Comet also ceased trading.
The cartoon shows the store fronts of the three failed chains with 'Closing Down' notices. Meanwhile, people are flocking to a shop in the form of a laptop computer—a metaphor for online shopping, which is being blamed for the demise of the bricks and mortar stores. (The "Proceed to Checkout" button is what you click on when you want to buy something online.)
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While the recession and the internet are the most frequently cited reasons for these firms’ collapse, that doesn't give the whole picture, because while they have failed, other high street chains – both new and old - have seen their fortunes soar. This article from Yahoo! Finance identifies eight reasons that separate high-street winners from losers.
