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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Jun- 2020 -8 June
Retaining the value of stock in a circular economy
The equivalent to 350,000 tonnes of clothing, worth around £140 million, ends up in UK landfill each year, according to Clothes Aid. More consumers and retailers have come to realise the significant impact of unsustainable business on the environment, creating a momentous change and a huge growth in the circular…
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May- 2020 -28 May
The time for retail to be re-imagined
2020 has seen retailers experience some of their most challenging times, an unprecedented fall or rise in demand during a global pandemic never before seen on this scale. As retailers grappled with their immediate response to Covid-19, it’s undoubtedly a once in a generation test of business continuity. As retailers…
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27 May
Collaborating with landlords in a post-lockdown world
Earlier this month the government published its roadmap to ending the lockdown. It’s clear from the document that retail’s exit from lockdown will be slow and taken in phases. Even when retailers are allowed to reopen bricks and mortar stores, they will have to contend with a dip in economic…
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21 May
Dealing with true demand today to help customers for the coming months
With the COVID-19 novel coronavirus on the rise worldwide, retailers are being forced to rethink their supply strategies on the fly. Demand for sundries and medical essentials is booming – especially via “buy online, pick up in store” (BOPIS) as well as curbside and home delivery channels that aid with…
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19 May
Secondary market represents the key to survival during a crisis
As the Coronavirus outbreak lead to the forced closure of non-essential businesses across the nation, apparel retailers seem to have stopped in time. Relying on online-only purchasing and the movement of essential goods, retailers have witnessed a standstill of stock waiting for the pandemic to pass, are set to be…
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19 May
N Brown secures new funding as sales drop 25% since lockdown
Jacamo, JD Williams and Simply Be owner N Brown has revealed it has secured a new £50m funding facility as it looks to weather the impact of the coronavirus pandemic which saw its sales fall by 25% over the last six weeks. In a trading update the company said it…
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15 May
Embrace new data practices to survive and thrive in challenging times
The retail sector is in uncharted territory with exceptionally tough trading conditions for many. It is an environment set to remain challenging for the foreseeable future. Although it’s impossible to control external forces such as macro economy and pandemics that make trading extremely difficult, it is possible to control and…
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13 May
Three ways supermarket behaviour has changed after seven weeks of lockdown
While the beginning of lockdown was marked by empty shelves, panic-buying and a lack of delivery slots – have we now adapted to the new way of shopping for groceries? There’s no doubt that shopping is a very different experience from a couple of months ago; a life before socially…
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12 May
The impact of extended returns policies for retailers and customers
Many retailers have announced that they will be extending their returns policies to help customers adapt to the current situation. Coronavirus has certainly forced businesses to make critical decisions over a very short space of time, with the ability to engage in normal shopping practices removed and adaption required immediately.…
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11 May
From dark store to hybrid store – adapting to a new world order
It’s safe to say the embattled UK high street had a rocky start to the year, with a reported 18,248 retail jobs lost and 1,211 shops closed in the first two months of the year alone. In fact, in February, the high street saw a 7.8% drop in footfall, as…
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