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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Sep- 2019 -13 September
5 reasons why crowdsourcing is a valuable retail merchandising asset
Lacking resources, time and budgets are some of the biggest issues within the retail sector, as it means important tasks like store auditing and merchandising fall behind and ultimately, products do not perform as well and sales are lost. In an industry that changes daily, the retail sector risks falling…
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12 September
Beaverbrooks: Celebrating 100 years
What started out with three brothers moving to Belfast with just a suitcase full of silverware and a dream of selling fine jewellery and gifts has ended up as a thriving business celebrating a century of trading this year. Founded by Isaac, Harry and Maurice Adlestone, Beaverbrooks now operates some…
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12 September
Digital commerce and ‘the Goldilocks effect’
This is the single greatest barrier to digital commerce success for businesses and retailers alike. Take Black Friday as an example – there are so many moving components involved in launching a promotion on the biggest shopping day of the calendar year. All of these have to be stacked up…
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11 September
Time is critical: Getting ‘retail fast’ right
Stories of store closures seem to be near constant, and calls for “the death of retail” or “the end of the high-street” seem to happen every day. At the same time, a new wave of retailers – often with their roots in e-commerce – are investing in physical presence as…
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10 September
Providing a safe environment for staff
A couple of weeks ago we at Foot Anstey released the results of a survey we conducted with Survation into the issue of harassment in the retail sector. Some of the headline results are presented here. I hope you find the time to review. In some respects they make for…
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9 September
How small retailers can differentiate their business online
With so many UK consumers discovering small businesses online, there’s simply no reason not to have a digital presence. A recent study we carried out into consumer expectations of small business supports this. The research reveals that nearly two thirds (58%) of UK consumers expect small companies to have a…
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6 September
The festive season survival guide
As the uncertainties caused by the likes of Brexit, PSD2 and strong customer authentication swirl around retailers, life still presents its certainties: death, taxes and the mad rush produced annually by the approaching Christmas shopping season. No doubt the festive season is a positive for retailers, a spike in orders…
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5 September
Shifting the approach towards returns
In 2010, the e-commerce industry in the UK was worth £60bn. Fast forward to 2019 and its value has more than tripled to £182bn, according to the Ecommerce Foundation. Due to its convenience and 24/7 access, online shopping is becoming more popular than ever and by 2021 e-commerce sales are…
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4 September
Inventive independent retailers attract cautious customers
We’ve been hit with a barrage of reports that suggest big box retail is struggling to keep up with changes to the high street. In July, the British Retail Consortium released data that found retailers experienced their worst month of trading since records began, as Brexit, consumer spending and discounting…
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3 September
Fast fashion and the role that retailers have to play in tackling it
The fashion industry has never been without its critics, but today it seems to be drowning in them. PETA’s iconic ‘I’d rather go naked than wear fur’ billboard campaign of the early nineties, when the likes of Kim Basinger, Pamela Anderson and Christy Turlington were persuaded to get their kit…
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