Innovative Retailer – Paper & Cup

Brought to you by Retailinsider.com and PCMS The Name: Paper & Cup The Place: Shoreditch, London E2 (and soon also in Mile End, London E3) The Story: Mixing hospitality and charity is not easy. Well-meaning it may be but stylish it usually ain’t. Until now. Step forward Paper & Cup, recently opened by Diane Abbott…

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Kicking the habit of the promotions drug

The retail world is awash with discounting. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The idea was that the recession would prompt a certain amount of offers and promotional activity and then things would return to normal. Offers are not special anymore  But this hasn’t happened and there is a growing realisation that discounting might…

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Movers & Shakers Q&A with Scott Weavers-Wright

Brought to you by Retailinsider.com and K3 Retail Scott Weavers-Wright, chief executive of Kiddicare 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? Kiddicare is embarking on an exciting new store roll out into former Best Buy units, acquired with Morrisons earlier this year, which presents its own challenges to a previously primarily online focused…

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Guest Slot – Analysis Insider – Sarah Wilson

When Starbucks decided to get a bit more intimate with its customers it took to writing their names on its paper coffee cups. While this might have worked on some levels it quickly began to look a little bit too prescriptive. Not that nice. Such initiatives highlight how tough it can be for large companies…

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Evolving life of in-store kiosks

Who remembers the clunky kiosks that Argos was playing around with in its stores years ago? Not that many people probably. Not just because it was years ago but because of the fact that they just weren’t any good. Kiosks: can they stand on their own two feet. The technology was rather primitive – there…

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Retail Species – The Changing Man

The Person: Chris PowellThe Company: StanfordsThe Job Title:  Chief Executive The Story: Say Stanfords to most people and they say ‘Ah yes, the best travel bookshop in the world.’ Which is all well and good unless you say it to Chris Powell when it is definitely not the right answer. The correct answer here is…

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Lovehoney – Top 10 tips on running a web business

In the final part of Lovehoney Week on Retailinsider.com we hear from co-founder Neal Slateford, who runs through the top 10 things he has learnt from setting up the business. 1. We don’t know anything, you don’t know anything, but don’t let that stop you. Before setting up Lovehoney it was a toss-up between creating…

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Movers & Shakers Q&A with Richard Longhurst of Lovehoney

  Brought to you by Retailinsider.com and K3 Retail Richard Longhurst, co-founder of Lovehoney 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business?  Spreading the sexual happiness message into the mainstream. The impact of Fifty Shades of Grey on our sales this year has shown that there is a genuine appetite for adult toys in…

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Lovehoney Week – Top 10 best sellers

Lovehoney Week continues with the big announcement that the online adult products company has launched a range of branded ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ products. The success of the book has led to a collaboration between Lovehoney and the book’s author E L James to develop a range of merchandise that featured in the publication. The…

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Innovative Retailers – Lovehoney

  Brought to you by Retailinsider.com and PCMS The Name: Lovehoney   The Place:Well, it’s basically an online business but there is a shop in London, WC2 under the Coco de Mer brand, which Lovehoney recently bought.   The Story: Neal Slateford and Richard Longhurst (yes, the most successful online sex toy retailer in the…

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It’s Lovehoney Week on Retailinsider.com…

Ann Summers has been the acceptable face of the adult market for some time and has largely had the category all to itself. But not any more.   Fuelled by being featured on a Channel 4 documentary this year and the publication of the ’50 Shades of  Grey’ book, the online business Lovehoney has leapt…

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