Comment
Comment features expert perspectives and thought leadership from across the UK retail industry. This section includes opinion pieces, analysis, and commentary from senior retail executives, analysts, and sector specialists on the commercial, strategic, and operational forces shaping retail. Retail Sector’s Comment coverage explores issues such as consumer behaviour shifts, technology adoption, sustainability, regulation, and leadership — providing retail professionals with authoritative insight to inform decision-making and strategic planning.
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Feb- 2021 -22 February
The restructuring options for retailers before it’s too late for rescue
Despite a glimmer of hope that Government may extend more Covid-19 support measures, retailers shouldn’t leave their future to chance if they want to boost their prospects of surviving the pandemic. Up until recent days, it looked like retailers were facing a so-called perfect storm. A moratorium protecting retail tenants…
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22 February
Retail needs to adapt to the new necessities
“Who are these people buying heels?!” one of my team members asked in wonder today, when discussing how spending habits have changed so dramatically in the last 12 months. She couldn’t imagine why anyone would be buying anything other than more sweatpants and slippers. I didn’t tell her about the…
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19 February
E-commerce: The benefits and hidden dangers for an independent retailer
Over the past year, repeated lockdowns and tiered restrictions have forced retailers to close their premises and halt trading. Customers have had little choice but to do more of their shopping online. For independent retailers, e-commerce could provide an opportunity to take advantage of recent shifts in shopping behaviour and…
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17 February
How retailers can succeed in the era of anonymised digital marketing
As we peer out of the fog of Covid, and look towards a time when we can emerge from Lockdown in the weeks ahead, it is clear the retail outlook has altered dramatically forever. Many titans of the past few decades have collapsed and the genie is fully out of…
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15 February
How to put customers at the centre with Google Shopping automation
It is impossible to discuss retail without assessing the impact of Covid-19. The pandemic has sparked profound change across society, with lockdown measures rapidly changing consumer behaviour and forcing retailers to adapt in order to survive. Much of this change stems from the acceleration towards ecommerce. Data from the ONS…
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10 February
Has the pandemic driven a permanent shift in consumer behaviour?
New Era If anyone was in any doubt about the future of retail, the purchase of Debenhams by Boohoo has surely sealed the deal. When an online-only retailer can snap up one of the UK’s high street stalwarts – and refuse to take either the physical stores or the warehouse…
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10 February
David Berkley QC: Interruption and insurance in the age of Covid
As we emerge from one of the most tumultuous periods in living memory, it perhaps comes as little surprise that insurance has been thrust into the spotlight. The unprecedented impact of the pandemic has brought a renewed focus to the issue of business security and, more specifically, business interruption coverage. …
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9 February
How the fashion industry can survive and thrive post-lockdown
Back when the effects of the coronavirus pandemic first hit in March 2020, everyone seemed to expect the worst for both physical and online retail. Fast forward to 2021 and initial predictions for online retail could not have been more wrong. Propelled primarily by a surge in demand for makeup…
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5 February
Top of the shops – retail trends to drive success in 2021
2020 was clearly a challenging year for the retail sector. However the shake up from the global pandemic means massive change in the industry, bringing with it potential benefits for retailers and consumers alike. Change is the only constant and the brands that are set to thrive in 2021 will…
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5 February
Two common AI powered frauds – and what you can do to stop them
When put to use for good, automation and artificial intelligence provide powerful ways to help businesses become more efficient and more powerful. Smart machines, for instance, are paving the way for significant growth in the retail sector. But with that potential comes risk. For the very same reasons businesses are…
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