Analysis

Will retailers of organic produce make a comeback?

Whole Foods, which was acquired by Amazon in August 2017, started off the year with a cut-and-dried plan to invest profits strategically. In what CEO Jason Buechel called “a 10-year vision for leading the company into the future”, the organic produce retailer aims to set records for new store growth,…

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The current discourse surrounding John Lewis

Recent news of John Lewis’ plan to shake up its partnership model, which sees that staff are treated as shareholders, has received a number of very passionate responses. Andy Street, who was the John Lewis managing director from 2007 to 2016, went on record to say that, should the employee-owned…

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Private equity is changing supermarkets

After being dethroned as one of the Big Four supermarkets by Aldi in late 2022, Morrison’s most recent blow came in the shape of £1.5bn worth of losses one year after being acquired by Clayton, Dubilier and Rice (CD&R) in October 2021 for £7bn with a debt-led takeover.   Morrisons, which…

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What the Amazon strikes mean for the retail industry

Last month, Amazon workers staged its first ever strike in the UK, with hundreds of fulfilment centre employees voting to walk out “in anger” over the company’s 50p per hour pay offer and poor working conditions. An industrial action ballot saw a majority of more than 98 per of workers…

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How ChatGPT could affect the retail space in 2023

ChatGPT is the new tool taking the world by storm. The AI language processing tool can give you recommendations for a new trip you’re going on, write cohesive essays on a number of topics, and even generate music for you. The sophisticated chatbot interface of ChatGPT works similarly to a…

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Could budget supermarkets dominate ‘the big four’?

The big four – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons – were once the undisputed favourites for supermarket shopping. However, when the drastic cost-of-living crisis emerged in 2021, it made many households rethink their priorities when it came to buying their essentials and non-essentials.      At the tail end of 2022, Aldi…

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A ‘fall from grace’: what went wrong with Made.com

Made.com was once a force to be reckoned with in the retail landscape. Having launched 12 years ago, the group had since enjoyed a rise to dizzying new heights. The company used sleek marketing to tap into its millennial customer base, and became one of the most popular destinations for…

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Primark’s relationship with online shopping

As a company that has hand-waved away online shopping as unnecessary to its business model, Primark has finally relented in a small way with its recent launch of ‘Click and Collect’ for just 25 locations.  Primark notoriously operates on the cheapest end of the clothing market and so has previously…

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Sephora’s return to the UK could spell competition for Boots

The French cosmetics retailer, Sephora, has recently returned to the United Kingdom with the launch of an online store, with plans to open a flagship store in London sometime during Spring 2023. Though the location of Sephora’s new flagship store and opening date have not been disclosed yet, for many…

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How can retail companies prepare for a more scrupulous festive season?

After two years of Covid-impacted festive periods, any hopes that the retail industry had for a return to normal in 2022 has been thwarted by the cost-of-living crisis. Springboard has recently forecast that footfall across all UK retail destinations will decline on a month to month basis by -4.9% in…

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