An infamous gaffe by the chain's founder, Gerald Ratner, in 1991 - when he described one of its wares as "total crap" - rendered the brand the disgrace of the jewellery trade.
At 15, I remember viewing the first movie that I felt a strong urge to walk out of because out of sheer boredom and because, well, I thought the offending film was totalcrap.
In 1991 it took just two words - "total crap" - from then chairman Gerald Ratner, who was describing one of the company's products, to torpedo consumer confidence and bring it to the brink of bankruptcy.