Author Archive | Glynn Davis

Welcome to our section of the site which focuses on the sustainable side of retail. It’s exciting times for anyone involved in this area as technology and retailers try to keep up with customers’ demand for all things ethical. From palm oil to fur farms, fast fashion to one-use plastic, excess packaging to food waste […]

Recent research from ThinkMoney on the retail spending habits of those aged 18-24 has revealed that the future is bright for clothing retailers whose ranges include celebrity-endorsed collaborations but not so good for banks. The study showed that the returns for retailers who collaborate with celebrity influencers are considerable – 49% of those consumers claimed […]

When designer and restaurateur Sir Terence Conran took over Quaglino’s in 1991, a small part of his rejuvenation of the large restaurant in the smart St James’s area of London involved creating a metal Q-shaped ashtray for each table. In the days of smoking in restaurants and pubs Quaglino’s also sold cigarettes, which helped the […]

Last year Retail Insider had an early look at Tottenham Court Road-based Lombok’s new Swyft range of easy assembly sofas but it has taken until now to officially launch the range which owner Keiran Hewkin hopes will disrupt the very traditional world of furniture retailing. According to Hewkin “The average person moves ten times and […]

Visiting New York for the first time in the mid-1990s involved many memorable experiences, one of them being dining out with a US friend and his mates and work colleagues. The food would hit the tables in the most gargantuan portions I’d ever seen and I’d feel full even before I picked up my fork. […]

Name: Harrods   The Place: Dominating its corner of the Brompton Road in London’s Knightsbridge since Victorian times. The Story: Everyone thinks they know Harrods. The green and gold bags, the vast emporium of lights stretching across the Brompton Road as far as you can see. But … But a lot of people will have […]

The main takeaways from the Dunelm SS20 show, which Retail Insider recently attended, were that the retailer would rather its shoppers bought smarter not more. It also looks like the success of its online operation, which has rejuvenated the brand, could lead the way to trialling pop-ups that would provide shoppers with guidance on dressing […]

Tessa Clarke, CEO, Olio 1.What is the greatest opportunity for your business? The greatest opportunity for OLIO is solving the problem of food waste in the home & local community, at scale, globally! There are two elements to how we do this: first, connecting neighbours to share their spare food when they go on holiday, […]

Welcome to this monthly column within our broader sustainability section which focuses on what fashion retail is doing to address the issues in its industry. Swapping clothes might just be the biggest new trend in fashion – brought to you by Retail Insider with Clipper and Give Back Box Name: ComeSwapAndShop Location: Hornsey High Street, London N8 […]

In the dim and distant past of my childhood, once a week a bell could be heard ringing at around 6pm at the end of my parent’s road, which was the signal to head out with dinner plates in hand as the Pie & Peas man with his food van had arrived. With his no-choice […]

Festive message from our editor to thank readers and sponsors for their support this year. Look forward to activities in 2020. pic.twitter.com/qcRNNZ8pKr— Retailinsider.com (@Retailinsider) December 20, 2019   From everyone here at Retail Insider we would like to thank you for your support and interest this year and we look forward to a whole new […]

Whose is this then?GiftNow from Loop Commerce is a godsend to anyone who a) cannot remember the clothes sizes of their nearest and dearest; b) cannot remember the favourite colours of their nearest and dearest; c) doesn’t really know their nearest and dearest at all actually. It was designed to make online shopping workable for […]

Whose is this then? Brainchild of Zappos.com which is based in the US. What’s the hack? It’s a new part of the Zappos retail platform called Goods For Good and it’s going to make it much easier to buy for your ethical friends and family who, much as we love them, can sometimes come with a […]

  The most relatively highly valued retailers are those that have been built upon models that rely massively on technology. We can include in this the likes of Amazon, Ocado, Farfetch, Boohoo, Asos and over the pond in the US the disruptors like Rent the Runway. But what these players must ensure is that the […]

This month sbe (not a household name but the owner of a large range of hospitality and leisure brands around the world) launched the first of a planned 20 outlets of its newest culinary brand EllaMia in London with a second unit to shortly open in Doha. The shop is attached to the St Martin’s […]

  Whose is this then? Dunelm. What’s the hack? Living area in the average UK home has been reducing steadily since the 1970s. Compact living is the positive way of looking at it. ‘Rabbit hutch’ Britain is the less kindly spin. Either way, it’s a fact that living and storage space is at an all time premium. […]

James Davidson, co-founder and CEO, Tails.com    1.What is the greatest opportunity for your business? We are currently serving over 9 million tailor-made meals a month and have around 200,000 dogs signed up on tails.com. And yet, there are around 9 million dogs in the UK. We therefore have a huge growth opportunity just in […]

  Name: Tupperware     The Place: Founded in Massachusetts in the mid-1940s but now absolutely global and trading in around 100 countries. The Story: Tupperware is fascinating. It has gone from making revolutionary plastic-sealed containers to helping NASA grow plants in space and still people tend to call any old plastic tat they stick their […]

Whose is this idea then? Step up to the rostrum – UK clothing charity Traid and London brewers Camden Town Brewery. What’s the hack?Ever got the feeling that people are staring while you carry your Christmas booze to the supermarket checkout? Well, no longer. Now you can walk the walk of the righteous and the just […]

Welcome to a monthly column within our broader sustainability section which focuses on what fashion is doing to address the issues in its industry brought to you by Retail Insider with Clipper and Give Back Box This month we focus on another one of the three big R’s operating in fashion sustainability currently ­­­­­– re-commerce –  which can […]

The Editor’s Award (sponsored by Clipper Group) is given every year to a company who have entered the awards but despite not winning their category have nonetheless caught the eye of Retail Insider editor Glynn Davis. In the Award’s third year he has chosen the work packaging consultancy Unpackaged has done with Waitrose & Partners […]

Last week the retail property industry gathered in Cannes on the south coast of France for MAPIC, its annual jamboree but with the addition of a leisure-dedicated day on top of the regular retail-focused, two-day programme. Real storm clouds gathered over the Cote d’Azur during this year’s event but the industry also finds itself in […]

When Retail Insider attended the UK launch of South Korea’s major beauty brand Nature Republic in central London a few weeks ago several key differences with the usual beauty retailing sector in the UK were noticeable. At a time when companies are increasingly thinking local, Nature Republic has a list of key ingredients, upon which […]

The Best Connected category (sponsored by SAP) in the Transforming Retail Awards always throws up a challenge to the judges as it can mean so many different things in a business but this year the judges felt that online furniture retailer Made.com’s newly refurbished showroom in Soho really led the pack. Here’s why… As a […]

Christmas Trends: London Christmas Tree Rental Catherine Loveless organised an event last year for children’s mini tree site Holly Berry she had no idea that the avenue of potted mature Christmas firs which children meandered through Narnia-style would come to be the stars of the show. But they were and she “inadvertently ended up becoming […]

Welcome to our series of articles on retailers that are operating in ways that provide some interesting and valuable lessons to the wider industry. Name: Lombok Location: Showroom in Tottenham Court Road, London In a nutshell: Honestly, you wait for decades for innovations in the furniture industry and then several come along at once. Furniture […]

The Best Newcomer category is one of the more popular categories in the Transforming Retail Awards so Zynstra fought off stiff competition to take the accolade. Set up by experienced technology entrepreneurs and backed by angel investors, Zynstra has grown from a small start-up in the Bath and Bristol area to a growing business of […]

Welcome to our section of the site which focuses on the sustainable side of retail. It’s exciting times for anyone involved in this area as technology and retailers try to keep up with customers’ demand for all things ethical.  From palm oil to fur farms, fast fashion to single-use plastic, excess packaging to food waste […]

One of the few irritating things about pubs is when somebody gets served ahead of you when you know you’ve been waiting longer. On occasion I’ve been so incensed by the injustice I’ve left the premises and taken my business elsewhere.   Therefore when I heard London-based company DataSparQ had developed AI Bar, facial recognition […]

Retail Insider celebrated the launch of the first ‘Leisure & Hospitality Benchmark Report’ at a dinner with guest speakers Roger Wade, founder of Boxpark, and Charlie McVeigh, founder of Bunker Projects. The report, sponsored by Webloyalty, investigates the leisure & hospitality sector through interviews with an Advisory Panel of some of the key thought-leaders in the […]

Phill Burton, COO, Bloom & Wild   1.What is the greatest opportunity for your business? There is an opportunity to be a truly global flower gifting company which customers love. I think we’ve made a great start in the UK, and latterly France and Germany and our offering has really resonated with customers but there […]

At Hotel Chocolat’s recent festive preview the staff transformed its Covent Garden store into Christmas-land before staying behind very, very late to return it to Halloween-land for the next morning. Here’s our pick of the range.   The Advent Calendar For Two Why should only one half of the partnership have all the fun with […]

In the hard-fought Best In-Store Experience of the Year category it was Specsavers who won out for its impressive range of services offered in-store. In the optical retail sector, the main challenges that Specsavers identified were the threat from online and a lack of professional resource (Optometrist and Audiologist). To keep people in-store, rather than […]

The Best Delivery Innovation category is one that often produces the most interesting entrants as companies find ever more ingenious ways to propel their products in front of consumers. This year’s winner John Lewis/Waitrose was no exception to that as it launched its ‘While You Were Away’ app which sufficiently impressed the judges to ensure […]

Following the launch of the Digital Retail Innovations 2019 Report (sponsored by Webloyalty) a series of Q&A’s with the leading figures behind some of the entries in the report are being published. Here is a Q&A with Dr Jackie Mulligan, founder of ShopAppy. How did the original idea come about? It came from a few issues including a […]

  Like many towns up and down the country, Doncaster in South Yorkshire has a long relationship with markets, which have been the focal point of the town since its creation. There’s the Corn Exchange indoor market alongside an outdoor equivalent, and a covered food market with fishmongers and butchers well represented.    There’s also […]

The winner of the Overall Innovation category in our Transforming Retail Awards was US-based Entrupy – currently working with several UK retailers. Product counterfeiting with its associated brand dilution is a global problem, it displaces billions in legitimate business activity, which then reduces tax revenues and contributes to criminality also exposing consumers to potentially dangerous […]

Name : Body Shop    The Place: Oh, everywhere.  But around 250 units in the UK and several thousand more globally. The Story: Is there anyone in the UK who has not, at some point, set foot in the beloved beauty institution that is Body Shop? Ummm: Well, the answer is no. Everyone has been […]

Welcome to our series of articles on retailers that are operating in ways that provide some interesting and valuable lessons to the wider industry.       Name: Whiskers & Cream Location: Holloway Road, London In a nutshell: Whiskers & Cream is one of only two cat cafes in London. By bringing experience-led retail to […]

Retail Insider held its latest event with guest speaker Manju Malhotra, co-COO of Harvey Nichols, who discussed the plans and thinking at the renowned department store ahead of a wine tasting. Attendees of the event that was set within Harvey Nichols‘ flagship Knightsbridge store included senior executives from Marks & Spencer, Secret Sales, Fortnum & […]

The main takeaway theme of Aldi’s Christmas range in 2019 is that more is, well, more but don’t rock the boat with too much new-fangled stuff. This year traditional favourites are super-sized and new products are variations on a theme. Old-fashioned glamour is back with a vengeance whether it is gold-dusted desserts or velvet plush […]

Winning out in the ‘Most Intelligent Use of Data’ category (sponsored by Software AG) was McDonald’s for its use of Dynamic Yield technology. In 2019 McDonald’s bought Dynamic-Yield, which provides algorithm-driven ‘decision logic’ technology. It is now moving to fit-out its restaurants with upgraded, Dynamic Yield-powered smart menu capabilities, which will use data to move […]

Senior retail executives gathered at Sourced Market in central London to celebrate the third Retail Insider ‘Transforming Retail Awards’ aimed at highlighting some of the most exciting innovations to happen in the retail sector over the past year. The categories being judged this year by an independent panel of retail experts were: Best Connected Experience, […]

Taking a short cruise down the Rhine in Germany this summer involved a rush to grab waterside seats on the open-air upper deck. A similar scenario was played out below, where those eating in the dining room sought tables next to the windows. Nobody wanted to be seated on the inside of the boat. It […]

Retail Insider held its latest event with guest speakers Jo Jenkins, CEO of White Stuff, and Alex Murray, digital director of Lidl UK who helped celebrate the launch of the ‘Movers & Shakers in Retail Top 100 Report 2019’. Attendees of the event at Bedale’s Wine shop in London’s Smithfield Market included senior executives from […]

Retail Insider has launched the 2019 edition of the Movers and Shakers report highlighting some of the key people in retail that are most effectively using the power of digital to push their organisations forward. Now in its 10th anniversary year, and produced in conjunction with sponsors K3, the panel of judges have chosen their pick of the most significant […]

Welcome to a monthly column within our broader sustainability section which focuses on what fashion is doing to address the issues in its industry brought to you by Retail Insider with Clipper and Give Back Box Ask most people whether they might consider darning a hole in their favourite socks and the answer is probably a resounding no. Ask […]

Retail Insider is pleased to launch a new publication the Retail Insider Digital Champions Report 2019(sponsored by Software AG) that highlights some of the retailers, and individuals within them, that have taken the decision to be proactive in this new digitally-led world of retail. A batch of retailers have been selected who we believe are […]

When I took a job with a US financial institution it involved making regular phone calls to its European offices during what was often a very long day with little time for lunch breaks, as the Americans wanted their pound of flesh. One day I called the Geneva office at 1pm to be answered by […]

Welcome to our brand new section of the site which is going to focus on the sustainable side of retail. It’s exciting times for anyone involved in this area as technology and retailers try to keep up with customers’ demand for all things ethical.  From palm oil to fur farms, fast fashion to one use […]

Important life choices such as leaving the parental home, first house purchases, and marriage are being made are now being made significantly later in life, which is impacting spending patterns and retailers’ fortunes. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) is not usually known for its exciting press releases but there was a lot of pick […]

Retail’s Big Show, also known as NRF, rolled into New York for what is the big annual retail technology jamboree, which this year brought together 37,000 people – including 16,000 retailers from 3,500 different companies. There is no disputing the fact that it is an extremely big show and that as such it arguably has […]

The main takeaways from the Dunelm SS20 show, which Retail Insider recently attended, were that the retailer would rather its shoppers bought smarter not more. It also looks like the success of its online operation, which has rejuvenated the brand, could lead the way to trialling pop-ups that would provide shoppers with guidance on dressing […]

Zoe Colegrave, head of online and marketing, Fortnum & Mason  1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business?
 While there are many, growth in Asia is a current focus. We’ve successfully launched three shop-in-shops in Shinsegae’s department stores in Seoul and our relationship with Lane Crawford goes from strength to strength. This year we’ve re-evaluated […]

Airbnb is a phenomenal company that continues to disrupt the hotel industry. It’s a beast of a competitor with about five million listings on its website while 3.5 million people stayed at an Airbnb property on its best night in August this year. This has helped it gain a valuation of more than $30bn but […]

Welcome to our brand new series of articles on those retailers who choose to concentrate only on one very specific product or expertise. In a world where so many are jacks of all trades – we meet the masters of one. Name: Bridgewood & Neitzert Location: Stoke Newington Church Street, Hackney. Specialism: The making and […]

A host of senior retail executives gathered yesterday in central London at Sourced Market to celebrate the second Retail Insider ‘Transforming Retail Awards’ aimed at highlighting some of the most exciting innovations in the retail sector over the past year. The Awards attracted many entries of a very high standard giving the judges a particularly […]

Regardless of whether it is driven by the increasingly time poor characteristic of most people or simply their growing impatience we are moving into the era of the ‘micro shopping’ trip that is defined as taking less than five minutes. The trend is being further fuelled by the emergence of in-store services linked to online […]