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.
-
Nov- 2020 -9 November
How retailers can change the way they make decisions
How often have we heard of the demise of a retailer being linked to poor decision-making? For a long time (at least pre-pandemic), an inability to combat the rise of ecommerce was often positioned as the reason for many retailers’ struggles. Just look at Blockbuster – we’ve all heard how…
Read More » -
Oct- 2020 -30 October
Keeping up growth: How online retail teams can work smarter
It’s been a heck of a year for online retailers. But being so busy means teams are increasingly stretched. Growth in sales and increasing profit is fantastic, of course; but scaling brings both opportunities and challenges. With shoppers flocking online and ecommerce booming, the need for teams to work smarter,…
Read More » -
28 October
How temporary workers could make the difference to Covid-19 workforce planning
Today, on average just one in six firms (15%) rely on a flexible workforce; with 1.5 million temporary employees working in the UK today. In comparison, eight in 10 (80%) retail businesses have hired more agency workers during COVID-19, as unpredictable demand forces brands to re-think their staffing strategies and…
Read More » -
21 October
South Yorkshire to enter Tier three
South Yorkshire will be placed into the ‘very high’ alert level of Covid lockdown measures from Saturday (24 October), according to a statement by Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region. Pubs and restaurants must close unless they are serving substantial meals, while mixing with different households is forbidden…
Read More » -
Sep- 2020 -29 September
How to retain customers gained during the pandemic
Big life events like marriage, divorce, becoming parents, and the current once in a century pandemic, all have a huge impact on our shopping behaviour. This, in turn, creates an opportunity for retailers to establish new, profitable customer relationships. It’s no surprise that those with a strong ecommerce offering have…
Read More » -
21 September
The window of opportunity for pop-ups
The Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent events of this year have exacerbated the ongoing decline of the British high street, with footfall falling by 81% in April and 48% in July, according to the British Retail Consortium. From John Lewis to Carphone Warehouse to House of Fraser, it seems that no…
Read More » -
16 September
What to know: High street tenancies
As the Scottish Government considers extending the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act anti-irritancy provisions, which effectively prevent landlords from terminating commercial leases, speculation is increasing that temporary restrictions in England on landlords taking action against tenants in rent arrears may also be extended. What are those provisions and what do they mean…
Read More » -
10 September
How the retail experience is evolving in a contactless world
The goalposts have moved for digital customer experience and retailers the world over need to excel online now or risk losing out. Covid-19 has triggered a colossal shift in consumer behaviour and shopping habits after millions of non-essential businesses were forced to close for months with little warning. In the…
Read More » -
7 September
Rethinking your staffing requirements to survive the recession
With a new CBI survey revealing the highest level of retail job cuts since the 2009 crisis, lockdown restrictions, a lack of consumer confidence and less spending power continues to hit Britain’s high streets hard. While some businesses have remained resilient and are now back trading under revised conditions, a…
Read More » -
Aug- 2020 -25 August
Preventing fraud in ecommerce: how retailers should respond
It’s been nearly five months since the prime minister announced a state of lockdown in the UK due to the coronavirus. In this time, the retail sector as we know it has changed dramatically. Without much warning, retailers have had to close brick and mortar stores from the start of…
Read More »
