Make no mistake, this has to be one of the toughest times to be a retailer. With markets and consumer confidence still volatile, all retailers really needed was for the spring weather to fail to materialise. That is what has happened across much of Europe and beyond. In the UK, the government declared that the [...]
Thinking small about the big picture
No-one ever claimed that pursuing an international growth strategy was an easy path. In recent weeks there have been a growing number of retailers who can testify to that having found themselves in the spotlight for the varying degrees of success of failure in their international businesses. In the UK, the number one retailer, Tesco, [...]
Putting the customer at the centre of everything
It never ceases to amaze me the extent of the coverage the retail sector receives in the media. This is probably down to many reasons, not least of which is that everyone shops at some point and therefore has a view on who they like and who they don’t. Retail is also the most obvious [...]
The lifecycle of brands
The lifecycle of brands
In a world where life moves faster than ever; where attention spans shorten and long-held loyalties to companies and brands are being replaced by promiscuity, is it no longer possible to create a branded business than will still be with us in generations? Are the days long gone where fantastic heritage brands [...]
The challenge of change
With the world’s political, financial, business and special interest group leaders gathering in Davos for the World Economic Forum this week, it is interesting to read the many statements coming out of the Swiss mountain resort. Many newspapers have been asking attendees for their views on the key priorities and there is remarkable consistency around [...]
When the only certainty is uncertainty
Incredibly there are just two weeks to go now until this year’s World Retail Congress. But what is really striking is not the speed with which time has gone by but it is the sheer pace of change and events since the Congress last met. When this year’s programme was first being researched and constructed, [...]
The crazy days of summer
There was a time when the months of July and August would be pretty uneventful, when the pace of life would slow just a little as the summer months settled in over the northern hemisphere. But no more. I can’t recall a time on the economic, political and business fronts that have been so frenetic. [...]
Not so open for business
Over the last couple of weeks I have been spending some time as part of the judging teams for the second annual Global Fashion Awards run by fashion and consumer trend analysts WGSN. One of the categories covers Best E-tailer and has assembled a shortlist of some outstanding online retailers.
A number of things have struck [...]
Re-balancing retail
The last few weeks in UK retailing have been amongst the worst experienced for quite some time. Major retail names have finally succumbed to the economic climate and changing consumer demand with businesses disappearing or announcing major store closures. The number of retail jobs lost just in these last few weeks are now running into [...]
A question of leadership
Ask any retailer which retail business they admire the most or believe has set the pace for others to follow and I would guarantee that the name Apple would come up pretty quickly. So how many retailers instructing executive search teams to find a new CEO will have said: “what we really want is someone [...]
