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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Jan- 2020 -7 January
Northern Ireland’s business community want compensation for their Brexit troubles
To say that Brexit has been ‘divisive’ is both an understatement and also a cliché of the highest order. But Johnson’s election victory, as we are all now well versed, will not bring an immediate end to the arguing. Today we hear that business leaders and entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland…
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7 January
How retailers can use PSD2 as a force for good in online payments
The introduction of new regulatory standards contained within the Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) will, despite the revised deadline for compliance, represent a welcome layer of protection for online shoppers. However, the increased security measures being enforced will also introduce friction to the online shopping process – which is detrimental…
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6 January
As long as WW3 does not kick off, 2020 looks set to be a better year
All eyes on are on the rising tensions between the United States and Iran after president Trump ordered the assassination of Iran’s most powerful general, Qassem Suleimani. The oil price has risen, stocks have fallen this morning, and the threat of war almost always depresses global trade flows. But let’s…
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6 January
The magic formula for data monetisation
Moving into the new year, there’s a good chance that you already have a fairly clear idea of your company’s objectives over the next 12 months. And if finding new ways to generate revenue is amongst them, you’ll be unsurprised to learn that your company is not alone. Here at…
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3 January
Volkswagen’s unceasing nightmare is a lesson in honesty
Readers will recall the scandal surrounding faked emissions tests conducted by the car-making giant, Volkswagen, in recent years. In case you have forgotten, the controversy surrounded the manufacturer’s attempts to depress the emissions readings on regulatory testing of its vehicles in order to artificially meet the standards on CO2 that…
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3 January
Why personal data has become currency
Retail experiences are constantly changing, with shoppers using an ever-growing list of methods to find, buy and collect products. From paying with cash to biometric authentication, consumers have never had so much choice in how to complete purchases. But a recent study from Wirecard has revealed that not only do…
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2 January
How customer-centricity is the key to the online grocery market
The British online grocery retail market is set to grow by almost nine per cent over the next five years according to IGD—meaning the UK has one of most voracious appetites for grocery delivery. But that means supermarkets are now facing competition from multiple sources, including traditional retailers offering home…
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2 January
The internet need not be the scourge of every sector – just ask the CEO of Mountain Warehouse
The last decade in business was arguably characterised by one word: disruption. While the internet behemoths had already begun building serious fortunes in the 2000s, most would agree it was after 2010 that things really started motoring. Heralded as the great democratiser of information and services, the effects of a…
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Dec- 2019 -20 December
Finally, a government addressing the business rates fiasco
Regardless of your political colours, small businesses up and down the land will be pleased to hear of at least one policy which looks set to survive the transition from manifesto wish lists to actual policy and legislation, and that is a business rates overhaul. The prime minister, Boris Johnson,…
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19 December
Airbnb is the latest ‘big tech’ monolith to run rings around our outdated legal apparatus
It may seem tangential to those who do not work in real estate, but there is a court case on the continent with major implications for the future of many sectors, which reached a critical phase yesterday. It is the case of Airbnb vs the French tourism association, in which…
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