Topps Tiles Share Price (TPT)

Well I know that the "high enders" still exist in my neck of the woods and I certainly dont't live in "... an area with higher than average property values and with affluent residents ...", quite the reverse.

The real world has moved on since the start of the new millennium. Those high enders used to exist before the web stole their shirts. They closed up, the distributors who supplied them have also gone. Please don't get abusive about what I know, you'd be really surprised. If you think that shoppers go to TPT stores to find cheaper alternatives to some elite store, you are very much mistaken.

I'd beg to differ. I know of several niche, local retailers in my area alone who cater to the higher end of the market (and if they exist in my area of the world I assure you that they will definitely exist in yours too). They are there if you just care to bother to go to look (but it does mean that you'll have to get up from your computer and go out into the real world).

Who are these mythical high end retailers?

In the majority of town and cities, they simply don't exist. TPT are in direct competition with the DIY majors, in general they are cheaper, online cheaper still, independent tile specialists, competitive because they source direct from factories and move the stock less than TPT. In addition to the major online folks you listed, there are numerous others, it's so cheap to have an online presence. One of them offers direct from the factory pricing, bordering illegality but who polices the online space? No, I'm not naive in any way, the industry is harsh and demanding, as are the customers. It's widely recognised that UK isn't as prosperous as it was, so I believe more changes will follow

Relative to the price of tiles in speciality, high end, tile stores they are cheap. It's all relative.

You really do need to expand your narrow mindedness. When I said "pile 'em high, sell them cheap" you clearly didn't follow my drift. "Pile 'em high" = large volumes plus supplier volume discounts. "Sell 'em cheap" = relative to up-market, local, niche, low volume retailers.

Unlike you (obviously) a lot people are quite finicky about the tiles they buy. It's often a large outlay, so they like to touch them, feel them, compare patterns, matxh them with other fittings, compare them in different light etc. etc. That's hard to do online. This is exactly the same problem Amazon encountered and why they were forced to open bricks and mortar shops in the US after they'd driven all of the natural bricks and mortar competition to the wall. We all have different views on online vs bricks and mortar but one shouldn't just simply ignore the actions of one of the largest online retailers on the planet and simply persevere with the unproven view that bricks and mortar are dead. Don't be so naive.