Shopping mall operators in the US are proving an interesting investment opportunity for some of the country’s hedge funds who see them as worthy of their attention. But don’t think this is because they view them as growth stories whose values will increase. It is the complete opposite. They are placing bets on expectations that […]
About Glynn Davis
Author Archive | Glynn Davis
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Sara Prowse, CEO, Hotter Shoes
Sara Prowse, CEO, Hotter Shoes 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? International expansion, with continued growth in the US in particular. We are approaching this opportunity in two ways: through digital expansion; and through retail partnerships. 2. What is the biggest challenge to your business? External pressures. Consumer confidence is likely to […]
Budget 2017 – far from a multi-channel affair
On budget day this week Alex Baldock, CEO of Shop Direct, gave a super presentation at Retail Week Live on the beauty of operating as a pure play retailer unencumbered by the hassle of operating high street shops. He did not refer to business rates specifically but there is no doubt that they are proving […]
Short term pain for long term gain
For the first time in a decade H&M has made changes to the guidance it gives investors on its expectations for future performance. It is to now focus on achieving 10-15% growth in total sales each year rather than on the long established aim of a 10-15% increase in physical store openings each year. This […]
Digital Retail Innovations Q&A – Elevaate
Following the launch of the Digital Retail Innovations 2016 Report (sponsored by Webloyalty) a series of Q&A’s with the leading figures behind some of the key entries in the report are being published. Here is a Q&A with Simon Harrow, co-founder of Elevaate, which is placed at number 25 in the report. 1.Where did the original […]
Retail Insider Breakfast – Ewan Venters, CEO, Fortnum & Mason
Retail Insider held its first Breakfast Event of 2017 with Ewan Venters, CEO of Fortnum & Mason, who highlighted how the 310-year-old iconic retailing brand has never been stronger following a raft of initiatives over the past few years. Since taking on the CEO role in 2012 he says he has sought to both recognise […]
Innovative Retailer – The Unlimited Company
Name: The Unlimited Company. The Place: 14 stores currently spread around the UK fairly evenly and an increasing online presence too. The Story: You have to have your wits about you when you shop here. How so? If you visit a store in Norwich you are looking for the sign that says ‘Simply Health Independent […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Clare Johnston, joint-CEO, The Up Group
Clare Johnston, joint-CEO, The Up Group 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? The Up Group is Europe’s leading digital executive search and networking firm, finding exceptional talent for companies across the growth curve. Our clients are fast-growing pure-play businesses and more established multi-channel organisations undergoing transformational change, and they all increasingly require […]
Marketplaces lose some of their seamless experience
Ebay was a real pioneer when it emerged on the scene in 1995. Not so much because it provided a platform for people to buy and sell goods but because of its ingenious ratings system. It’s clever and very simple self-policing mechanism for buyers and sellers to rate each other was the gem that eBay […]
The high value of simplicity
If I had a pound for every time I’d heard businesses talk about simplifying their customers’ experience! Well, if they had managed to deliver on this not-so-straightforward objective then they would have been able to grab more than a few quid. Apparently, a slice of a massive $86billion would have been up for grabs. That […]
Innovative Retailer – Long Tall Sally
Name: Long Tall Sally The Place: Well, as you’re asking so nicely there are 10 stores in the UK, five in Germany, four in the US, and seven in Canada. As well as a big online presence of course. The Story: Back in the mists of time, well 1976 actually, an American called Judy Rich, […]
Move over coffee, tea is back in town
We all know you cannot walk along a high street or venture into a shopping centre without tripping over branded coffee bars. And just when you thought we must be close to reaching saturation point, think again. The UK branded coffee shop segment is set to reach to 9,400 outlets and hit £6 billion of […]
Following the launch of the Digital Retail Innovations 2016 Report (sponsored by Webloyalty) a series of Q&A’s with the leading figures behind some of the key entries in the report are being published. Here is a Q&A with Henry Harris-Burland, marketing manager, Starship Technologies, which is placed at number 47 in the report. 1.How did the original […]
Movers & Shakers Q& A – David Lloyd, director, Alibaba Group UK
David Lloyd, Director, Alibaba Group UK 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? Digital technology is creating something close to a borderless world, opening up new markets and new customer groups for the first time. As an e-commerce company, our biggest opportunity is bringing those new customer groups online and introducing brands to […]
Retailers must avoid alienating the ‘un-cool kids’
School can be a nightmare and one of the worst anybody can suffer is to be the last person to be picked when the selections are made for sporting teams. And let’s not even go near the potential embarrassment of being left on the sidelines of school dances/discos/proms. While being left out can be a […]
Innovative Retailer – Library of Things
Name: The Library of Things The Place: So far one outlet based in Norwood – which is sarf London to you. And all neatly enclosed in one shipping container. The Story: You know those weekends when you wake up and say to yourself: “This weekend I am going to learn how to play the ukulele?” […]
Reimagining the shopping mall
Regardless of how smart and glitzy some shopping malls are on the inside, the exteriors of pretty much all such structures resemble unsightly aircraft hangers with few redeeming features. In contrast, the beautiful buildings that house the stores, and the surrounding landscaped gardens, are key components that set Kilver Court Designer Outlet Village in Somerset […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Virginie Charlès-Dear, founder, Toucan Box
Virginie Charlès-Dear, founder, Toucan Box 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? Our biggest opportunity is to be able to deliver outstanding products to our customers. We use technology and personalisation to create hands-on creative arts and crafts projects, today focusing on children aged three-to-eight years-old and in the future developing to other age […]
Fashion rental firms not the threat many retailers envisaged
One of the big trends among Millennials is the embracing of a mentality of renting goods rather than purchasing them outright – hence the growth in market leaders like Rent the Runway. The obvious assumption here is that these organisations will take sales away from traditional retailers. This is not entirely correct. Hence the counter-intuitive […]
Dunelm makes serious digital play
The CEO of home-wares retailer Dunelm Group, John Browett, certainly has plenty of digital credibility – dating back to his days running the online business of Tesco in 1999 and then on to turning around the troubled Dixons business as it grappled with, and then embraced, the internet. His ease playing across multiple channels was […]
Innovative Retailer – Enclothed
The Name: Enclothed The Place: The office is in Islington while the warehouse is in deepest Berkshire, well Slough actually. The Story: This is a tale of men, pants and a reinvention of the way males shop through the subscription model. Crikey. You’d better start: Three years ago two young women decided that it was […]
Digital Retail Innovations Q&A – wiiGO
Following the launch of the Digital Retail Innovations 2016 Report (sponsored by Webloyalty) a series of Q&As with the leading figures behind some of the key entries in the report are being published. Here is a Q&A with Ricardo Silva, chief marketing officer of wiiGO, which is placed at number 7 in the report’s International Innovations table. […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Benjy Meyer, founder of VenueScanner
Benjy Meyer, founder, VenueScanner 1.What is the greatest opportunity for your business? The UK market for events is valued at over £50 billion annually and there is very limited consolidation in the market. The current experience for discovering, comparing and booking venues and associated event services is not designed in a user-friendly way. It’s a […]
IT challenges grow for established retailers
Life is not getting any easier for store-based retailers as the online specialists continue to outspend them with their larger IT budgets, which will likely put greater power in the hands of these smaller operators as they continue to commit more capital to new technologies. According to the new Martec International report (IT in Retail […]
Super Sausage Cafe wins Britain’s Best Cafe Award
One of the UK’s great institutions was celebrated this week, with the announcement of the winner of the award for Britain’s Best Cafe of 2016, which was decided by the voting of thousands of cafe-goers around the country. At a lunch in the City of London the Super Sausage Cafe of Potterspury, near Milton Keynes, […]
Retailers need more intelligent delivery strategies
Home delivery is not exactly the most profitable aspect of any traditional retailers’ business but it does seem that merchants are not exactly helping themselves when it comes to managing this profit-draining service. The biggest issue is the continued stance of virtually all retailers to treat every customer exactly the same. They are clearly not […]
New quickly becomes old with retail technology and business mindsets
What was particularly interesting about the recent Wired Retail event was that it highlighted how newer technologies and thinking are taking apart some of the beliefs that the earlier digital developments put in place. For instance, Randy Dean, chief business officer at Sentient Technologies, argues that with the advent of AI (artificial intelligence) the incumbent […]
Sleepy mattress market wakes up
Mattresses are an odd thing. Living in a relatively urban location in north London discarded mattresses are a regular sight on street corners, which has always seemed rather strange. My household does not go through them at quite the same cracking rate as others. Whatever the circumstances behind this apparent rapid turnover in mattresses – […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Ross Bailey, founder, Appear Here
Ross Bailey, founder, Appear Here 1.What is the greatest opportunity for your business? If you look at what companies like Airbnb and Uber have done to the travel and hospitality sectors, I believe Appear Here has the potential to bring as much disruption to the retail industry. Lease lengths are falling dramatically, and retailers are […]
Love them or loathe them, retailers can’t live without stores
Talk about a polarised view – the physical store seems to either be a millstone around the neck of some retailers whereas for others with a predominantly online presence there is desperation to get some exposure to good old bricks and mortar. Amazon seems to be on the cusp of opening convenience stores – up […]
Innovative Retailer – Metro Bank
The Name: Metro Bank. The Place: The first one opened in Holborn, London, in 2010 and there are now 42 branches in the UK with the pretty hefty aim of opening one a month for the next five years, which makes a grand total of… a jolly big number. The Story: Shiny, shiny, shiny. Metro […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Martin Francis, chief customer officer, WoolOvers
Martin Francis, chief customer officer, WoolOvers 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? Before reading this interview you probably hadn’t heard of WoolOvers and that is our opportunity. If I told you about our expertise in knitwear since 1989, the breadth of colour and choice we have in our ranges (at a surprisingly […]
Digital Retail Innovations Q&A – Tossed
Following the launch of the Digital Retail Innovations 2016 Report (sponsored by Webloyalty) a series of Q&As with the leading figures behind some of the key entries in the report are being published. Here is a Q&A with Vincent McKevitt, founder, Tossed, that is placed at number 13 in the report. 1. How did the original idea […]
Retail Insider Breakfast – Richard Pennycook, CEO, The Co-operative Group
Retail Insider held its latest Breakfast Event with Richard Pennycook, CEO of The Co-operative Group, who recalled his early period at the company when there was a real chance the business would not survive the crisis at its banking arm. The first six to nine months of any turnaround are focused very much on survival […]
Entering the era of the data analyst and number cruncher
It seems that we might now be well and truly entering the era of the data and digital analyst in the retail industry. Recent research from OC&C Strategy Consultants found that 60,000 new digital and analytical roles will be urgently required by 2020 in the fashion industry alone. This is a big number and highlights […]
Innovative Retailers Top 25 Report launched
The first Retail Insider Innovative Retailer Top 25 report has launched with the objective of shining a light on the most innovative retail businesses that are proving great inspirations to the rest of the industry. Sponsored by PCMS Group it highlights retailers from across the board – from the youngest of operators right the way […]
The Wine Society has most improved UK drinks retail website in September
The Wine Society has leapt up the table of the top performing UK drinks websites in September, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse, as it climbed 11 places into seventh spot. The retailer achieved a score of 4.04 out of 10 compared with 3.04 in August when it stood […]
Changing living styles impacting on retail sector
If I told you that luxury house builders are beginning to reduce the size of the rooms in some of their latest developments in London you might think so what? But this move is indicative of the change in the way a growing number of people are living and as a result retailers should take […]
Innovative Retailer – Starbucks
The Name: Starbucks The Place: Well, obviously the whole universe is bloomin’ full of them, around 24,000 stores spread all over the world. The Story: Let’s pretend I am a hipster. This might take some time: What do I think when I see yet another Starbucks in front of me? Hang on, I’m still envisioning: […]
Digital Retail Innovations Q&A – Photospire
Following the launch of the Digital Retail Innovations 2016 Report (sponsored by Webloyalty) a series of Q&As with the leading figures behind some of the key entries in the report are being published. Here is a Q&A with Ger O’Meara, founder, Photospire, that is placed at number 35 in the report. 1. How did the original […]
Retail Insider ‘Movers & Shakers in Retail Top 100’ report launch with Simon Belsham, CEO of Notonthehighstreet.com
Retail Insider celebrated the launch of the Movers & Shakers in Retail Top 100 report with an evening event involving the CEO of a leading online retailer and a tutored craft beer tasting. The event at Sourced Market Marylebone attracted senior executives from a variety of retailers including John Lewis, House of Fraser and Reiss […]
‘Movers & Shakers in Retail’ 2016 report launches
Senior Apple executive Angela Ahrendts sits atop the ‘Retail Insider Movers & Shakers in Retail Top 100’ report for the second year running as the 2016 version celebrates the achievements of retailers leading the digital transformation of the industry. [Link to the 2016 Movers & Shakers Report] The annual report, sponsored by K3 Retail, this […]
Innovative Retailer – Pro Direct
The Name: Pro Direct The Place: Basically an online family business based in Devon with 350 staff and a big warehouse. But also boasting one stupendous shop in Carnaby Street, W1. The Story: Ah, websites and shops. How to integrate them. One of the great retail questions of the day. Is it? Yes. Often there […]
Bargain stores – low prices, big ambitions
As B&M casts its eye over the former BHS stores, with a view to further growing its presence in the UK, it highlights how the bargain stores are taking an ever greater slice of shoppers’ cash at the expense of others in the retail sector. According to Nielsen, British shoppers spent nearly £5 billion at […]
Luxury brands line up collaborations
Luxury brands need to initiate more collaborations with relevant partners if they are to successfully navigate the increasingly digitally-led marketplace over the next few years. This is a trend identified in research undertaken by WGSN for luxury brand alliance Walpole According to the survey – ‘How to Attract the Luxury Consumer in 2020’ – of […]
Landlords hungry for independents
Who has heard of The Fine Cheese Co.? Now, I’m betting that if you don’t live in Bath or London’s smart Belgravia then it is unlikely you will have come across this retailer. And that is probably just the way the landlord of its shop in the capital likes it. How about Traders or Pavilion […]
Marks & Spencer leaps up table of best performing UK online drinks retailers in August
Marks & Spencer has the most improved drinks website in August according to its progress up the table of the Top UK drinks sites tested during the month, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse, as it climbs 13 places into eighth spot. The retailer achieved a score of 4.02 […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Jon Owen, CEO of Ribble Cycles
Jon Owen, CEO, Ribble Cycles 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? At Ribble Cycles, we want to make it easy and enjoyable to build and buy a fantastic, customised bike online; avoiding the costs and hassle of the traditional store retail model, while delivering personalisation that stores can only dream of. The […]
Primark and Asos moving to the ideal retail model. Or not?
Asos, Boohoo, Missguided, and Shop Direct are just a few of the online-only fashion retailers that are continuing to deliver outsized like-for-like sales increases. Leader of the pack Asos delivered a leap in sales of 30% for the four months to June compared with the same period last year and Boohoo’s recent numbers have been […]
Innovative Retailer – Sue Ryder
The Name: Sue Ryder The Place: 455 charity shops all over the country The Story: If I say to you “charity shop” what’s the first word that comes into your head? Musty: Right, how about “donations”? Waterfalls. What? Those weird pictures of waterfalls they always have. Or highland cows: Okay. Now how about “Sue Ryder”? […]
Threat to retailers from brands selling direct-to-consumer moves up a notch
Everybody reading this will have heard of Unilever but probably fewer people will know of Dollar Shave Club (DSC) in the US. Well, the big news from across the Atlantic was that the former has just bought the latter for $1 billion. So what, you might ask. Well, the ramifications could be enormous for not […]
BEERmerchants.com most improved UK online drinks retail website in July
BEERmerchants.com has stormed up the table of the Top UK drinks websites in July, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse, as it delivers the most improved performance this month. It’s strong improvement, which has seen it climb 14 places to eighth spot in the table with a score of […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Matt Truman, CEO of True Capital
Matt Truman, CEO, True Capital 1.What is the greatest opportunity for the retail businesses you are involved with? There is a fundamental lack of growth in the retail industry but we are investing in disruptive businesses. There is a step-change in the value proposition for customers and the incumbents cannot compete. Take ‘Tyres On The […]
Digital Retail Innovations Q&A – GoInStore
Following the launch of the Digital Retail Innovations 2016 Report (sponsored by Webloyalty) on July 6 a series of Q&As with the leading figures behind some of the key entries in the report are being published. Here is a Q&A with André Hordagoda, co-founder of GoInStore that is placed at number 23 in the report. […]
Variety keeps The Fine Cheese Co. nicely maturing
Newly opened The Fine Cheese Co. store in London’s ultra smart Belgravia typifies the flexible retail formats that are becoming increasingly visible on high streets across the UK and not just those in the country’s flashier enclaves. It focuses mainly on cheese – as its name rather obviously suggests – but as well as selling […]
More intelligent returns management needed
Margins on online sales are of significant concern to retailers because compared with selling via stores the delivery of goods to the home and via Click & Collect are somewhat slimmer. Profitability via non-store channels is a sensitive and problematic issue and one of the key components of this are returns, which are the bane […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Brian McBride, chairman of Asos and Wiggle
Brian McBride, chairman of Asos and Wiggle 1. What is the greatest opportunity for the retail businesses you are involved with? I think every e-commerce business has the same phenomenal opportunity as we can clearly see the percentage of the retail market served by online rising inexorably daily, weekly, and monthly. If we perform averagely […]
Digital Retail Innovations report launch event
Retail Insider celebrated the launch of the Digital Retail Innovations Report 2016 with an evening event involving influential guest speakers and a tutored wine tasting along with a few additional surprises. The event and report, both sponsored by Webloyalty, attracted senior executives from a variety of retailers who enjoyed a first view of the report, […]
Time to introduce new metrics in-store
As the customer experience in-store becomes so much more than just about flogging goods to anybody who crosses the threshold there is a need for different ways of measuring performance. Retailers are now starting to incorporate much more technology in-store including tablets and smarter Point-of-Sale devices for rich ‘clientelling’ activity that can massively enhance the […]
Search for Digital Movers & Shakers 2016 underway
Finding the Movers & Shakers of 2016 in the digital space is firmly underway following the completion of the Advisory Panel morning this week that sits to deliberate who the most impressive people are in the UK. They are helping find the most impressive individuals who will take their place in the Retail Insider Movers […]
Airport retailers on different digital plane
Distinguishing between retailers successfully navigating the digital world and those failing to acclimatise to the revolutionary change now taking place around them can be quite tough when you are on the outside. What might make this task easier is if we took it as a given that retailers who successfully operate airport stores are much […]
Digital Retail Innovations Report 2016 launched
The ‘Digital Retail Innovations Report 2016’ has launched with Amazon commandeering the top end of the table with three innovations listed in the top 10 places. To access the report please click on the link below: Digital-Innovations-Report-2016 This year’s report, sponsored by Webloyalty, includes the Top 50 innovations in the UK and Ireland so it […]
The Whisky Shop returns to top spot among major UK online drinks retailers in June
Specialist whisky retailer The Whisky Shop has delivered the most improved performance in the table of the Top UK drinks websites in June, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse, and shares the top spot with Budgens this month. It climbs four places with a score of 5.58 out of […]
Innovative Retailer – Kochhaus
The Name: Kochhaus The Place: Various affluent and cosmopolitan cities in Germany, but it all started in Berlin which now has three branches The Story: Have you ever come across a concept so simple that you thought ‘That’s not an innovation, there must be loads of people doing that already’? I certainly have: Well, you […]
Digital Retail Innovations Q&A – MyCheck
Ahead of the launch of the ‘Retail Insider Digital Retail Innovations Top 50’ report 2016 (sponsored by Webloyalty) on July 6 here is one of a series of Q&A’s with the leading figures behind some of the key digitally-driven innovations in the retail industry. (Click here to view 2015 report) Q&A with Gil Hazan, MD […]
Poor online service will ultimately kill the worst offending retailers
Almost three-quarters (73%) of shoppers would switch to another retailer if they suffered a poor experience when buying goods online, according to findings from JDA/Centiro in the Customer Pulse 2016 report. What makes this worse is the fact that over half (53%) of consumers had actually experienced a disappointing experience when buying goods over the […]
Retail Insider Breakfast – Craig Inglis, customer director of John Lewis
Retail Insider held its latest Breakfast Event with Craig Inglis, customer director at John Lewis, the man behind the company’s phenomenally successful Christmas advertising campaigns. He recalled joining John Lewis in 2008 and focusing on developing the emotional connection between the company and its customers. After a couple of forays he found his stride with […]
Technology must be used intelligently for personalisation
Since technology has traditionally been used to drive efficiency gains in businesses it is not surprising that it has been given the task of personalising the online experience customers receive – whether that is through tailored landing pages or the delivery of more bespoke search results. But great care has to be taken because relying […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Neil Sansom, CEO of Woolovers
Neil Sansom, chief executive of Woolovers 1.What is the greatest opportunity for your business? Increasing the brands awareness as we are very much an unknown but have very loyal customers once they experience our product and service. 2.What is the biggest challenge to your business? We’re changing our IT infrastructure over the next 12 […]
Revolution taking place at Woolovers
There’s a great yarn to be told about a woollen sweater retailer that’s set to jumper ahead of the competition. Okay, that’s enough, you’ve no doubt heard far too much pun-laden writing and the fact is it is not exactly clever so there will be no more of it in this piece. Woollen uppers specialist […]
Take a leaf out of Inditex playbook with RFID
Inditex has long led the race for efficiency in the supply chain, with its Zara fashion chain the global exemplar in managing stock, and one of the key tools in its armoury is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Whereas most other retailers have not bothered utilising the technology there is a growing acknowledgment that as the […]
Spar (UK) holds top spot in table of major UK online drinks retailers in May
Spar (UK) fends off competition in the table of the Top UK drinks websites in May, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse, as it holds the top spot with the best performing website this month. It’s score of 6.36 out of 10 – the same as in April – […]
Innovative Retailer – Unmade
The Name: Unmade The Place: Although the lovely Somerset House in London WC2 is where the office is based this is mainly an online retailer at present. And it has had a pop-up store in Selfridges for a brief stint. The fact is to be honest they’d rather not be a retailer at all, […]
Digital Retail Innovations Q&A – yReceipts
Ahead of the launch of the ‘Retail Insider Digital Retail Innovations Top 50’ report 2016 (sponsored by Webloyalty) on July 6 here is one of a series of Q&A’s with the leading figures behind some of the key digitally-driven innovations in the retail industry. (Click here to view 2015 report Q&A with Alexander Kayser, co-founder […]
Retail Insider Breakfast – David Buttress, CEO of Just Eat
Retail Insider held its latest Breakfast Event with David Buttress, CEO of digital marketplace for take-away food Just Eat, who told the story of how the first month the UK business accrued only £34 of revenue while today it brings in £350 million across its various markets. It is also a tale of how the […]
Amazon trying fashion for size
Amazon is undoubtedly a threat to all parts of the retail industry. Whichever part of the sector it turns its gaze on will inevitably come under pressure and right now it has fashion firmly in its sights. To this end it has invested in an extensive photo studio and appointed fashion writing specialists that have […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Richard Houlton, former director of channels, Clarks
Richard Houlton, former director of channels for UK & ROI, Clarks 1. What is the greatest opportunity for retailers in today’s digital world? The greatest opportunity is to interact with consumers in a personal way and to use the simple and cost effective ways that the digital world now enables – for the collection of […]
Innovative Retailer – Zara
The Name: Zara The Place: All over the world pretty much, with more than 2,000 shops in just about any place where young women own bank cards. Actually there is a menswear line too so the other half of the population is also catered for. The Story: Founded in 1975 by one fashion-loving Spaniard Amancio […]
Ultimate ‘Online Mystery Shopper’ service launching September
The table of the top online drinks retailers published each month by Retail Insider is to be re-launched in September as a ranking of the results from an ‘Online Mystery Shopper’ service provided by Sitemorse that will accurately reflect the experiences faced by customers online. It will be the ultimate authoritative measure of real customer […]
Poundland – breaking through the pound barrier
99p stores never had quite the same pedigree as Poundland so when the latter bought its cheaper-priced rival it was always going to be a tough task to bring things up to the required retailing standards. One of the achievements of the present management – led by the outgoing CEO Jim McCarthy – has been […]
British Airways Wine Club flies up table of major UK online drinks retailers in Apr
British Airways Wine Club flew up the table of the Top UK drinks websites in April, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse, as it recovered most of the fall that it suffered earlier in the year. It moved up 20 places into second spot with a score of 6.30 […]
Not yet a cashless society
Through the evolution of payment options from paper and coins to electronic methods, many have been quick to speculate the rise of a cashless society. The Cooperative supermarket’s recent report on consumer behaviour and spending predicted that by 2025 mobile payments will take over cash and card payments. Stalwart, the Royal Mint responded, defending cash […]
Retail Insider Beer Tasting Event – with Michael Durbridge, director of omni-channel at B&Q + Duncan Sambrook, founder of Sambrook’s Brewery
Retail Insider has held its latest event – combining a tutored Beer Tasting with Duncan Sambrook of Sambrook’s Brewery and a talk by Michael Durbridge, director of omni-channel at B&Q – that highlighted both the vibrancy of the UK beer scene and the opportunities for retailers from developing multi-channel propositions. Senior executives from John Lewis, […]
Digital Retail Innovations Q&A – Doddle
Ahead of the launch of the ‘Retail Insider Digital Retail Innovations Top 50’ report 2016 (sponsored by Webloyalty) on July 6 here is the first in a series of Q&A’s with the leading figures behind some of the key digitally-driven innovations in the retail industry. (Click here to view 2015 report) Q&A with Tim Robinson, […]
Innovative Retailer – Tossed
The Name: Tossed The Place: Around 26 units currently, including several in Dubai, and more than a handful located in Welcome Break stations around the UK. The Story: So, shall we begin our tour of a very successful salad provider with more than a decade’s experience in the very competitive business of healthy eating. […]
We know about the Millennials but what about the seniors
All the talk is of the Millennials and how they are the group that every company has to attract. Yes, it is fair to say, they are the future and that retailers’ longevity will be inextricably linked to doing business with them – now, or in the future at some point when they mature. But […]
Budgens reclaims top spot in table of the major UK online drinks retailers in March
Convenience store business Budgens has reclaimed the number one spot in the table of the Top UK drinks websites in March, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse. It moves up one place to head the table after Spar (UK) has lost some momentum and slips four places. Such moves […]
Fighting for digital expertise
Employment in the retail sector has been in the news over the past few weeks with the headlines highlighting the dramatic forecast that one million jobs will be lost from the industry by 2025. Whatever the ultimate figure, there is clearly going to be some big changes taking place – with the big driver digital. […]
UK department should take a leaf out of Nordstrom playbook
Upmarket US-based department store Nordstrom was founded in 1901 but it hasn’t lost its mojo and become the equivalent of UK TV’s sitcom store Grace Brothers from Are You Being Served? Rather the opposite in fact as it has become the go-to store for cutting edge pure-play retailers looking to gain exposure to bricks and […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Dave Elston, digital director Europe, Clarks
Dave Elston, digital director Europe, Clarks 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? To continue to grow our business internationally is a definite opportunity. We’ve a recognised brand overseas but not to the same extent as in the UK. We want to be a global brand. Our digital transformation goes hand in hand […]
Reductions in retail employment far from a done deal
Recent figures from the BRC predicting that the number of people employed in the retail sector will reduce from a present three million to nearer two million by 2025 paints a very worrying picture. In the same way that retailers are having to completely overhaul their IT infrastructures, they are also embarking on serious reinventions […]
Social media sceptics need to revisit their thinking
Retailers continue to grapple with social media. For every organisation that regards it as a distraction, there is one that fully embraces it and uses it as a key tool for engaging with customers. The former camp will argue that it is it is difficult to put forward a business case for committing serious resources […]
British Airways Wine Club crashes down table of top 25 UK online drinks retailers in February
The wine club of the UK’s former national carrier British Airways has delivered a weakened performance online that has seen it hurtle down the table of the Top 25 UK drinks websites in February, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse. It had held third place last month with a […]
Revolution in retail employment
Online sales continue to grow at a fair clip – from a present base of 10-15% of total sales across the whole retail industry – and with this, the landscape for employment in the sector is at the early stages of a revolution. Until this point retailers have used rubber bands and sticky tape to […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Gillian Drakeford, country retail manager, IKEA UK & Ireland
Gillian Drakeford, county retail manager, IKEA UK & Ireland 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? The biggest opportunity for IKEA is a transformation in the customer experience. We’ve worked hard over a number of years to invest in the physical and digital spaces for our customers and this has brought a lot of […]
Retail Insider Breakfast – Anthony Fletcher, CEO of Graze
Retail Insider held its first Breakfast Event of 2016 with Anthony Fletcher, CEO of healthy snacks company Graze, who highlighted how data has been fundamental to the success of the business. Senior executives from Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Monsoon Acessorize and Amazon were among those who heard how the company was good at logistics […]
The day Venda tried to sue me out of my house
Watching Powa Technologies call in the administrators Deloitte last week was very sad but not necessarily that surprising to the market. In my opinion, even though its founder Dan Wagner had been claiming it was worth almost £2 billion a few months ago, his businesses suggest this was more about over-hyping than actual reality. The […]
CMA crack-down on unmarked sponsored content
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) publicly shamed five brands in February for suppressing negative reviews and not providing a ‘complete picture (for consumers) when making buying decisions’. The CMA renewed its commitment to ensure transparency in user generated content (UGC) in January, and is on the prowl for firms misrepresenting themselves on third-party sites […]
Innovative Retailer – Bloom & Wild
The Name: Bloom & Wild The Place: In your letterbox right now! Actually it’s an online business started in the Autumn of 2013 but letterboxes are going to figure highly, trust me. The Story: We’ve just had Valentine’s Day when Bloom & Wild were probably dealing with a lot of stressed and difficult people with […]
Small independent retailers need to embrace digital
Everybody likes Independent shops. Even those people who never cross the threshold of such businesses would undoubtedly say they are great fans of them if ever questioned in a survey about their shopping habits. What this says about surveys is that they have to be treated with a little dose of scepticism – some more […]
Time to think about artificial intelligence
Retail’s Big Show (organised by the National Retail Federation), aka NRF, in New York City each January is the big opportunity for IT suppliers from around the world to showcase their latest retail technologies. Most are simply the latest iterations of existing solutions and as such there are never many genuinely radical things on show […]
The Drink Shop climbs table of top UK online drinks retailers in January
Independent drinks retailer The Drink Shop delivered the most improved online performance among the Top UK drinks websites in January, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse. Its strong performance took it into the top 10 as it moved up eight places with a score of 3.61 out of 10 […]
Innovative Retailer – Eataly
The Name: Eataly The Place: Well if you live in Italy or Japan you virtually can’t move for Eataly stores and there are around 30 globally – dotted about, one in Sao Paolo, one in Munich, one in Moscow. But none in the UK until a joint partnership opens in Selfridges later this year. Oh, […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Stan Laurent, group CEO, PhotoBox
Stan Laurent, group CEO, PhotoBox 1.What is the greatest opportunity for your business? The personalisation market is massive and is continuing to grow, with Europe alone believed to be worth £6-7 billion. We are only a £275 million business today, meaning that there is a huge amount to play for. As well as working hard […]
Complex issue of returns perplexing for fashion retailers
Reducing returns is an objective of every online fashion retailer and as the level of returned items is expected to outpace the growth in online sales the problem looks set to grow. But it would be a mistake to reduce returns at all costs as this would undoubtedly lose a retailer sales volumes. The fact […]
Food retailers ignore Millennials at your peril
Millennials are certainly a demographic grouping that secures its fair share of discussion in the retail industry as this 18 to 34-year-old age group has long been seen as attractive – based on their disposable income levels and the potential for merchants to grab them as future long-term loyal customers. Despite recognising their value, it […]
Critical evolution of Point-of-Sale
Not that long ago retail technology was predominantly about Point-of-Sale (PoS) but things changed dramatically following the earthquake known as the internet, which disrupted things dramatically and in its wake myriad new IT solutions hit the industry. But PoS solutions still remain at the heart of in-store activities. They just happen to have developed into […]
Retailers must up their game online or lose out to rivals
There’s a bloodthirsty battle going on for shoppers online and making the situation even more cut-throat is the fact that 77% of shoppers would be likely to switch to shopping with an alternative retailer next Christmas as a result of a poor online festive shopping experience. These are the findings from the second annual JDA/Centiro […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Siobhan Fitzpatrick, e-commerce & marketing director, Maplin
Siobhan Fitzpatrick, e-commerce & marketing director, Maplin 1.What is the greatest opportunity for your business? Maplin already has a huge strength in our customer service programme which believes in ‘Customer First’. It is evident in our service policies and also in the way our colleagues engage every day. Our greatest opportunity is becoming a fully […]
Innovative Retailer – Great British Exchange
The Name: Great British Exchange The Place: Mainly online but also one showroom in Harrogate. The Story: Patriots arise! Your country needs you. I’m ready: I have a stuffed bulldog. Mmmm, not really the style I wanted. I’ve got Union Jack underwear. Too much information. I’m singing Rule Britannia. Again, it’s one way to show […]
Spar (UK) regains top spot as best performing UK online drinks retailer in December
Spar (UK) has reclaimed its crown as the best performing retailer in the table of the Top UK drinks websites in December, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse. The supermarket moved up four places with a score of 6.79 out of 10, which compares favourably with the 4.31 it […]
Santa’s European delivery schedule is revealed
It’s that time of year again and with 45% of people stating they will do most of their Christmas shopping online, postal and carrier companies are going to have a bigger job than ever keeping up the pace to deliver gifts on time. But, across Europe, gift giving is far from identical and not just […]
Death by a thousand cuts for Daily Deals sites
Daily Deals websites have been a feature of online retail for some years. Pioneered by Groupon in the US this area quickly grew into a red hot part of the market as a host of me-too propositions appeared and wooed shoppers with this new way of buying. But it has gradually died a slow death. […]
Apps and mobile will determine online fashion winners
The popularity of mobile phones and apps for shopping will determine the small number of winners from the vast majority of also-rans in the world of online retail. While people are spending increasing amounts of time on smartphone apps – up 24% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2014 to 37.3 hours, according to Neilsen […]
Customer-centricity and the role of the Chief Customer Officer
John Lewis, Apple and Amazon are regarded as the most customer-centric brands in the UK, according to research undertaken by Oresa Executive Search, but questions about this result were raised at a recent event held by the company. Attending the event at the St Pancras Renaissance hotel in London Tim Mason, former marketing director at […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Anthony Fletcher, CEO of Graze.com
Anthony Fletcher, CEO of graze.com 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? The food industry is relatively underpenetrated by technology compared to most other major industries. By placing technology at the core of what we do, graze continues to disrupt the food industry and revolutionise snacking. Our intelligent use of data has facilitated […]
Sainsbury’s is most improved UK online drinks retailer in November
Sainsbury’s stormed up the table of the Top UK drinks websites in November, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse, taking it to eighth spot. The supermarket climbed 11 places with a score of 4.23 out of 10, compared with 2.95 last month. This strong performance contrasts with that of […]
Amazon developing new era of store retailing via Seattle book shop
Amazon recently opened a small book store in Seattle that taken at face value provides further evidence that the good old physical book store has plenty of life left in it yet, despite the havoc the behemoth itself has wreaked on the category over the last decade-and-a-half. Or does it? The likelihood of Amazon going […]
Innovative Retailer – Graze.com
The Name: Graze The Place: Through your letterbox – so anywhere in the UK and now launched in the US too. The Story: Snacks are very big business, agreed? I should coco. You can’t move for family bags of salted nuts in my house: OK, what about super kale and edamame bean snacks? Well, slightly […]
Adaptive innovation: Five considerations for start-ups on the bleeding edge
Setting up and running a start-up is becoming increasingly popular. Talented individuals are eschewing working for someone else, and instead looking to make their fortune by working for themselves. According to Startup Britain there were 581,000 new companies created in 2014, the most on record. And 2015 is expected to be another record-breaking year, with […]
Small is increasingly beautiful for UK shoppers
Asda recently announced it was to slow the pace of its openings in London and Sainsbury’s meanwhile stated that it was, in sharp contrast, to continue to open new units at a cracking rate. We’re talking about convenience stores, which have certainly been in the news of late and the coverage has highlighted how the […]
The delicate task of handling technology
Let’s face it technology can be a real pain. It costs a fortune to implement and then it never really does what you want it to do. Retailers have had their fair share of pain over the years from being over-sold the next big thing that’s been hyped to the hilt – only for it […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Steve Rothwell, founder, Eagle Eye
Steve Rothwell, CTO and founder, Eagle Eye 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? As a software service business you’d expect me to say digital or wearable technology wouldn’t you. Actually I think the greatest opportunity is the high street. There was some Kantar research released recently showing that over a three month […]
Back to the future for loyalty
Loyalty schemes were supposedly dead. The consensus was that they served little purpose when all the focus of shoppers and retailers was firmly on delivering the cheapest possible prices. Nothing was deemed worthy of distracting them from this mission. Such was the downbeat mood music around loyalty programmes that Tesco had its insight division Dunnhumby […]
Spar (UK) moves into top three best performing online drinks retailers in October
Spar (UK) improved its online performance in October to climb into third place in the table of the Top UK drinks websites this month, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse. It moves up six places in the table with a score of 4.85 out of 10 compared with 3.59 […]
2015 Movers & Shakers Multi-channel Top 100 report launched
The ‘Retail Insider Top 100 Movers & Shakers in Multi-channel’ report for 2015 has been launched to celebrate the stars of the sector that are making a difference in pushing their businesses to become more digitally focused. At the head of the report, which is sponsored by K3 Retail, sits Angela Ahrendts of Apple closely […]
Retail Insider Breakfast + Movers & Shakers Top 100 Launch
Retail Insider held its latest breakfast event with Andy Harding, chief customer officer at House of Fraser, who helped launch the Multi-channel Movers & Shakers 2015 report. Senior executives from John Lewis, B&Q, New Look, White Company and T2 were among those who not only heard how House of Fraser is tackling the move to […]
Innovative Retailer – Startisans
The Name: Startisans The Place: London only, in fact only one site to date – Shelton Street in Covent Garden although goodness knows they are searching hard for sites. Oh and there was a pop-up too for a bit. But as you will see there is a network through which successful startisans can progress. The […]
Dark days could be getting lighter for major grocers
Rather like a listing supertanker Tesco continues to battle rough seas to right itself as it struggles with the after-effects of a space race that has left it drained of financial resources and lacking in differentiation in the marketplace. Speaking at the recent IGD Big Debate 2015 conference Dr Clive Black, head of research at […]
Growth of the hound pound
When pet shop chain Pet Pavilion announced it would be selling a non-alcoholic beer for dogs to enjoy when they accompany their owners down the pub then you know there is something happening (however odd) in the pet sector. The brew called Snuffle joined an array of upmarket products the business sells – across its […]
Loyalty is the key to our mobile payments
The mobile payments landscape has been a confusing one for retailers and leisure companies alike. Myriad start-ups and global giants have asked business leaders to put their faith in these newcomers’ hands before embarking on the mobile payments journey. These mobile payment companies have also dished out over-zealous press releases making extravagant claims that have […]
Rethinking in-store employees
We all know the store is changing in terms of how the physical space is being used but this is not the only thing that we shall see adapt because the way store employees are used in-store is set for an upheaval too as a result of the impact of digital. This is a key […]
Budgens retains top spot as best performing online drinks retailer in September
Budgens kept its position at the head of the table of Top UK drinks websites in September despite a reduced lead ahead of the second-placed retailer, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse. Budgens achieved a score of 5.90 out of 10 compared with 6.08 last month just ahead of […]
Consumer demand lures yet more reluctant retailers online
Both Poundland and Aldi have recently announced plans for launches of online stores after much deliberation and questions over whether the channel stacks up financially for value retailers. And Lidl has also been talking of making the plunge. The argument for going online continues to ratchet-up because every bit of research you care to read […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Tim Robinson, CEO of Doddle
Tim Robinson, CEO, Doddle 1.What is the greatest opportunity for your business? For us it’s about being the company that revolutionises the way people deal with parcels, becoming the parcel service you can’t believe you lived without. The quest to eradicate the ‘sorry you were out’ card is also a driving force for Doddle. We […]
Innovative Retailer – Spar UK
The Name: Spar The Place: 2.4k stores around the UK, so very prevalent basically. And if you are talking global reach then 12k shops around the world. The Story: Spar, I hear you cry. What, that corner shop mainstay with its Kingsmill bread rolls and Heinz baked beans. What on earth is innovative about that? […]
Retail Insider Breakfast – Mark Lewis, online director at John Lewis
Retail Insider held its latest Breakfast Event with Mark Lewis, online director of John Lewis, who highlighted how his present role will soon become extinct as the channels all converge and e-commerce directors become a “dying breed”. Senior executives from Marks & Spencer, Boohoo.com, Dobbies Garden Centres, and Farfetch were among those who heard how […]
If only pure-plays had stores
Hardly a week goes by without some news of a pure-play about to open a physical store or rumours circlulating that a big-gun of the online world is investigating joining the multi-channel fraternity through adding bricks and mortar. This has been particularly prevalent in fashion and the reason is because the online-only guys have significantly […]
World Retail Congress say hello to Alcoholics Anonymous
When senior executives from established retailers convene around a table or share a conference platform it can often feel like a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous where the group gain some comfort and solace from sharing their experiences and problems. But it is not alcohol that is the problem for these business leaders at the moment […]
From auction to fixed price in only 20 years for EBay
Time flies when you’re having fun. Can it really be 20 years since Pierre Omidyar created eBay and sold the very first item on what was then a rather unusual beast – an online marketplace. Since then there have been marketplaces opened up by all and sundry but none have gained the presence that eBay […]
Innovative Retailer – T2
The Name: T2. The Place: It’s Australia-based (with 60 stores in the country) but well and truly over here now. Six outlets in the capital from old money Chelsea to new money Shoreditch and opening fresh outlets like topsy. It’s all so exhausting I need to put the kettle on for a nice cup […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Simon Harrow, CEO, Elevaate
Simon Harrow, CEO, Elevaate. 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? Elevaate has an exciting year ahead. Our core platform is delivering for our customers but there are so many legacy tools holding retailers back. The prospect of building an increasingly innovative and intelligent SaaS platform for retailers and suppliers to grow their […]
Pop-ups now a permanent retail fixture
When pop-ups first appeared on the retail landscape they seemed to have more than a whiff of short-term fad about them. They looked to be a very temporary solution to fill the numerous empty shop spaces that had become features across the UK’s high streets in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008. Brands […]
Oddbins romps up table of top performing online drinks retailers in August
Oddbins has shot up the table of the Top UK drinks websites in August, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse, to earn it a place just outside the top five. This is a rapid turnaround for the retailer that was languishing in 21st spot in May with a score […]
Start-ups need to show a clean pair of heels
Making a return visit to the young meat retailer Muddy Boots as it begins to grow-up has thrown some interesting light on the challenges faced by a typical start-up and how important it is to constantly flex the model. Having initially been a branded supplier to Ocado and Waitrose of meat products the company 15 […]
Made.com looks to make its multi-channel mark
It is not exactly a small time aspiration to become a pan-European rival to global behemoth IKEA but this is the aim of Made.com as it says it is targeting former customers of the flat-pack and meatball specialist. The raising of £38 million last week will have done its cause no harm at all as […]
Disabled Access Day – boosting the ‘purple pound’
Retailers have made great strides in improving disabled access over the past few years but there is still much more that can be done. Thousands of businesses are losing out on revenue by not offering adequate disabled access. The former Minister for Disabled People claimed last year that UK high streets could be overlooking £212 […]
Selfridges storms up the table of top 25 UK drinks websites
Selfridges climbs into the top 10 of the table of the Top UK drinks websites in July, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse, which marks a remarkable improvement. It moves up nine places to seventh spot with a score of 4.02 out of 10 compared with 3.20 in June. […]
Retailers begin to admit the true cost of click & collect
Avoiding cliches is a major rule in journalism but I’m forgetting that now because the recent decision by John Lewis to impose a £2 charge on click & collect orders just has to be described as throwing the cat among the pigeons. The reality is that for most retailers fulfilling online orders – in a […]
Innovative Retailer – Pirch
The Name: Pirch The Place: It’s an American concern with eight showrooms dotted around the big cities. The Story: Who hasn’t seen that really funny joke on social media which goes along the lines of: “Just been to the toilet in B&Q…Mind you not sure the staff liked it – seems they’re not plumbed in.” […]
Michael Durbridge, director of omni-channel, B&Q
Michael Durbridge, director of omni-channel, B&Q 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? We’ve the right mix of a large number of stores and ambitions for digital growth. We kicked off our five-year digital plan two years ago and believe the home improvement market is big and made for digital. People research, they […]
Retail Insider Wine Event – Jon Rudoe, digital & technology director at Sainsbury’s + Julia Stafford, founder of Wine Pantry
Retail Insider held its latest Event this week – a combined talk by Jon Rudoe, digital & technology director at Sainsbury’s, discussing the challenges and opportunities of multi-channel, and an English Wine Tasting with Julia Stafford, founder of Wine Pantry. Senior executives from John Lewis, Moss Bros, Made.com, and Snow + Rock were among those […]
Can we hope for mid-paced fashion?
We’ve all heard of fast fashion but what about slow fashion? It’s an emerging trend that looks to reduce waste through encouraging fewer purchases of clothing, drive greater use of environment-friendly materials, and promote an embracing of ethical sourcing practices. Slow fashion involves a more pedestrian supply chain hence the name. This ultimately means it […]
Oddbins stages comeback in table of top 25 UK drinks websites
Oddbins was the most improved drinks retail website in the table of the Top UK drinks websites in June, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse. It moved up 10 places to 11th spot with a score of 3.58 out of 10 compared with 2.32 in May that prompted a […]
Even mighty IKEA recognises the winds of change
In only the past couple of months there has been a stream of announcements from IKEA that all contribute to what it has been describing as its ‘transformational agenda’. It announced the opening of its smallest retail location so far – in Canada, it opened a pop-up breakfast-in-bed cafe in East London where beds could […]
Digital Wildfire takes hold
Over the years the extent of the digital landscape of retailers has grown like ‘digital wildfire’ and can to some extent be viewed as a real threat to their future capabilities. For retail this presents an emerging and what is becoming a significant problem Retailers must have an understanding of what exactly constitutes their entire […]
Innovative Retailer – Argos
The Name: Argos The Place: Oh everywhere. Almost everyone lives within ten miles of an Argos store apparently. The Story: Innovation, you say. Argos, you say. It can’t be done, you say. Actually I haven’t… Well, this column is about to prove to you once and for all that a big company with a catalogue […]
Doddle ranked top digital retail innovation 2015
Doddle has been ranked the leading innovation in the second annual ‘Retail Insider Digital Retail Innovations’ report 2015 ahead of Starbucks pay ahead app and Waitrose Hiku home scanning solution. The high placing of Doddle reflects the prominence of logistics solutions in this year’s report and highlights how retailers are still grappling with fulfilment and […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Steve Robinson, CEO, Achica
Steve Robinson, CEO, Achica 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? Younger business are fortunate not to have the same constraints as older ones; difficult to exit leases, hard to change cultures, historical pension commitments, expensive to change legacy systems etc. Starting with a clean sheet of paper allows you to be agile, […]
Retailers must embrace digital
Far too many retailers are unskilled in the area of digital and this puts them in a sufficiently precarious position as to threaten their very existences. The mindsets of executives at the top of a whole raft of retailers must be changed if their companies are to fully grasp the challenges and opportunities of digital […]
Big book catalogues reach final chapter
Even very recently catalogues were seen as integral to the likes of Shop Direct, N. Brown and Argos – with millions of them distributed each year. But the acceleration of online sales has dramatically reduced these retailers’ reliance on paper-based catalogues over the past few years. Such has been the extent of the internet’s impact […]
Retail Insider Beer Tasting Event – with Robin Phillips, omni-channel and development director, Boots UK + Paddy Johnson, co-founder, Windsor & Eton Brewery
Retail Insider has held its latest event – combining a tutored Beer Tasting with Paddy Johnson of Windsor & Eton Brewery and a talk by Robin Phillips, omni-channel and development director at Boots UK – that highlighted both the vibrancy of the UK beer scene and the opportunities for retailers from developing multi-channel propositions. Senior […]
Poundland looking for certainty with 99p Stores purchase
There are few certainties in business and the retail sector specifically operates in an environment where there are now ever fewer guarantees. Where once growth was driven by simply adding physical stores, today’s digital world means things are a lot more complicated. What might have been regarded as a rare certainty was a green light […]
Naked Wines suffers poor online performance in May
As Naked Wines is acquired by Majestic Wines its website endures a disastrous month with its performance deteriorating dramatically to push it way down the table of the Top UK drinks websites in May, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse. It slipped 19 places to the bottom of the […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Jon Wragg, director of e-commerce and marketing at Supergroup
Jon Wragg, director of e-commerce and marketing at Supergroup 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? The greatest opportunity never changes – it is to continue to create product that our customers love, and to give them access to that product and to our Brand through whatever medium they choose. We are fortunate in that we […]
Innovative Retailer – Mast Brothers
The Name: Mast Brothers The Place: New York City, London and soon to be Los Angeles. And expanding. The Story: Let me ask you a question. What’s the definition of a difficult sell? Well, let’s see, there’s snow and Eskimos: Harder. Coals and Newcastle. Harder. Give up: Trying to get people to part with £8 […]
Retail’s disastrous use of social media
Arguably the most important customers to retailers are those whose spending power will increase over time and who therefore represent the future revenue streams of merchants. These are the younger generation and it is they who are, not surprisingly most courted by retailers, advertisers, and brand owners. Everybody wants their custom. What connects these […]
Unwanted self-service checkouts in the shopping area
For years shoppers have been told that they really do like to use self-service checkouts. But do they? Well, judging by the findings of a recent bit of research by Morrisons, consumers don’t actually like self-service checkouts. In fact, it found a whopping 96% of its customers prefer to use a staffed checkout. Not surprisingly […]
Beer Insider joins Retail Insider stable
As many friends and readers of Retail Insider will know the editor Glynn Davis also writes about beer and pubs for a number of publications and has on occasion slipped such aspects into Retail Insider. For those people out there who found those pieces of interest then you might like to know that a sister […]
Delivering the Holy Grail in the land of hype?
The Americans have a reputation for selling well and have managed to become world renowned for their ability to convince us of the worth of their products and services – with hype playing its part in this. There are few areas where things are as over-sold and over-hyped as technology – especially in Silicon Valley. […]
Viewpoint – Transformational month for fashion retail
If there was ever a sign that the world of online fashion has grown up it came this past month with luxury fashion retailers Yoox and Net-A-Porter announcing their merger. There is no other way of describing this bit of corporate activity other than transformational. Not only for the parties directly involved but also for […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – David Walmsley, director at M&S.com
David Walmsley, director, M&S.com 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? How we join together the physical and digital experiences of M&S for our customers. 2. What is the biggest challenge to your business? For the digital channels, the challenge remains being obsessive about listening to our customers and then turning the insight […]
Fortnum & Mason and Iceland slip down table of top performing UK drinks sites in April
They might operate at different ends of the pricing spectrum but both F&M and Iceland suffered declines in their website’s performances in the table of the Top UK drinks sites in March, according to analysis undertaken exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse. F&M slipped eight places to 19th spot with a score of […]
Viewpoint – Keep changing the proposition to stay relevant
Pret A Manger is a pretty successful business as evidenced by its recent results that showed it enjoying strong sales growth of 16% for 2014 – it has been in the double-digits annually for some years. But like any decent business the company continues to challenge itself in order that it does not go stale […]
Innovative Retailer – Cannibal NYC
The Name: Cannibal NYC The Place: New York City The Story: This is the tale of how you can buy a unit with one purpose in mind only to find it hijacked by the customer who has quite different ideas about what they want you to do with it. Cannibal is a B&B with a […]
Retail Insider Breakfast – Bertrand Bodson, chief digital officer at Home Retail Group + Gillian Drakeford, country manager for UK & Ireland at IKEA
Retail Insider held its latest Breakfast Event this week with Gillian Drakeford, country manager for UK & Ireland at IKEA, and Bertrand Bodson, chief digital officer at Home Retail Group, who discussed the future of the physical store. Senior executives from John Lewis, The White Stuff, TM Lewin, The Entertainer, Cook and Farfetch were among […]
Kingfisher boss doing it her way – but is it right
All new bosses look to make their mark early in their tenures at the top but it is questionable whether some of their more radical moves are always relevant. Are they sometimes merely making changes for changes sake. The decision by new Kingfisher CEO Véronique Laury to rejig her top team’s responsibilities and restructure […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Alison Lancaster, interim marketing director, McArthurGlen Group
Alison Lancaster, interim marketing director, McArthurGlen Group 1. What is the greatest opportunity for retail businesses? To digitally transform their businesses in order to better serve customers anytime, anywhere, anyhow. Digital transformation will be a brand differentiator and essential ‘enabler’ for retailers (new and old) to compete and win on a global scale. This […]
Viewpoint – Dragging furniture into the digital era
Furniture is bulky, it’s not a particularly frequent purchase, and arguably such high value items require a bit of touching-and-feeling before customers commit to making a purchase. This suggests the category is not particularly well suited to online transactions. Not so it seems as there has certainly been some action in this area […]
Innovative Retailer – Audi City
The Name: Audi The Place: Very selected showrooms: Piccadilly in London and also Beijing and Berlin. The Story: So the thing with selling cars is this – they’re big and you can’t get many into a small showroom and the rents on a large city showroom would be astronomical. And then, oh dear, you […]
Viewpoint – Easter puts spring into step of garden centres
Retail Insider and K3 Retail bring you a monthly column taking a look at some of the most pertinent and interesting topics of the day in the big wide world of retail. Easter is almost upon us and the big action in the retail sector is without doubt happening in the gardening sector. Apparently we […]
Changing world but consumer demands remain consistent
Retailers might well be adapting at a rapid rate in order to keep up with digital trends but they can at least console themselves with the fact consumers the world over all seem to have the same requirements. The over-arching demand is for convenience. From Australia to China via Russia they all want shopping to […]
Bargain Booze regains crown as top performing UK drinks site in March
Bargain Booze reclaims the top spot as the best performing UK drinks website this month while The Wine Society crashes down the ranked table, according to tests conducted on the online stores of the top drinks sellers in March exclusively for Retail Insider by online specialist Sitemorse. The value operator moved up four places […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Matt Stead, multi-channel director, Pets at Home
Matt Stead, multi-channel director, Pets at Home 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? Continue to be totally focused on our customers and their needs. 2. What is the biggest challenge to your business? It’s a retail business there are always exciting challenges in every area of the business. In the multi – […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Nadia Shouraboura, founder of Hointer
Guest international Multi-channel/e-commerce Movers & Shakers Q&A: Nadia Shouraboura, founder, Hointer 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? Definitely to unleash the power of in-store shopping by bringing the best of online technologies to physical stores. It’s a great opportunity for Hointer and for my fellow retailers. While with Amazon, for many […]
Viewpoint – Innovations in ubiquitous click & collect
Retail Insider and K3 Retail bring you a monthly column taking a look at some of the most pertinent and interesting topics of the day in the big wide world of retail. Innovations in ubiquitous click & collect Everybody has to offer a delivery option nowadays it seems. Before the internet hit the retail scene home […]
Naked Wines bounds up table of best performing drinks retail websites in Feb
Naked Wines storms up the table of the best performing UK drinks websites this month while Fortnum & Mason moves in the opposite direction crashing down the rankings, according to tests conducted on the online stores of the top 25 drinks sellers in February by online specialist Sitemorse. Naked Wines moved up an impressive 20 […]
Viewpoint – Raise a glass to successful beer retailers
Retail Insider and K3 Retail bring you a monthly column taking a look at some of the most pertinent and interesting topics of the day in the big wide world of retail. Raise a glass to successful beer retailers As painful as it is to see that beer sales in my beloved pub industry have been […]
Innovative Retailer – Community Shop
The Name: Community Shop backed by parent company Company Shop. The Place: Two locations currently, Barnsley up north and Gypsy Hill in South London. But you have to be a deprived area to get one so be careful what you wish for. The Story: Actually I’m sure it would be very nice to have a […]
Retail Insider Breakfast – Peter Williams, chairman of Boohoo.com + Alan White, chairman of Hotter Shoes
Retail Insider held its latest Breakfast Event this week with Peter Williams, chairman of Boohoo.com and Alan White, chairman of Hotter Shoes, who discussed the issue of bringing a digital mindset to retail businesses. Senior executives from Tesco, Sweaty Betty, Wyevale Garden Centres, Cook and Muddy Boots were among those who heard how they both […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Neil Sansom, omni-channel director, Moss Bros
Neil Sansom, omni-channel director, Moss Bros 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? Development of our single customer view across all our channels and between our retail and hire businesses. Hire is probably what Moss Bros is well known for but it represents less than 20% of the business. Customers tend not to […]
Value retailers’ popularity now perennial
Retail Insider and K3 Retail bring you a monthly column taking a look at some of the most pertinent and interesting topics of the day in the big wide world of retail. Value retailers’ popularity now perennial A few years back at the start of the recession Sir Terry Leahy suggested the discount retailers were enjoying […]
Multi-channel and omni-channel – you’ve had your day
Retail Insider has waded into the debate about the term omni-channel before – siding with the camp that think it’s a redundant term. Our belief has been that it was merely invented by consultants and other ‘knowledge providers’ as the next solution to sell because they’d wrung all they could out of multi-channel. In reality […]
Viewpoint – Not the end of the story for high street book shops
Retail Insider and K3 Retail bring you a monthly column taking a look at some of the most pertinent and interesting topics of the day in the big wide world of retail. Not the end of the story for high street book shops The resurgence in supposedly dying categories on the high street continues. In the […]
Movers & Shakers Q&A – Paul Coby, IT director, John Lewis
Paul Coby, IT director, John Lewis 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? To test the boundaries of omni-channel retailing, all the while listening to what it is the customer wants and needs. 2. What is the biggest challenge to your business? To manage effectively the amount of technology enabled change we […]
Top start to the year for Bargain Booze
Bargain Booze consolidated its position at the top of the table of the best performing UK drinks websites this month, according to tests conducted on the online stores of the top 25 drinks sellers in January by testing specialist Sitemorse. The company scored 8.28 out of 10 compared with 7.56 in December, which puts it […]
Innovative Retailer – Gekås Ullared
The Name: Gekås Ullared The Place: Tiny village of Ullared near Falkenberg on the west coast of Sweden The Story: We’ll start with a quiz. What in your estimation might be the top tourist attraction in Sweden in terms of visitor numbers? Ah, The Abba Experience centre: Nope. Wait. The Absolut Vodka distillery tour: Not […]
Shop Direct – hero of UK e-commerce?
Is Shop Direct the real hero of UK e-commerce? Lots of retailers selling online have been held up as the next big thing in the sector – particularly in Shop Direct’s fashion category – I’m thinking of Asos, Boohoo, and even Burberry off the top of my head. But not really Shop Direct. These others […]
Waitrose tackling increasingly complex customer journeys
Today’s myriad customer journeys have made things so complicated for retailers. Where once it was simply a case of customers walking into a shop and buying the product, we now have numerous channels that have created a complex web of touch-points for retailers to manage. Speaking at Retail’s Big Show, organised by NRF, in New […]
Many more anniversaries expected for greetings card stores
Retail Insider and K3 Retail bring you a monthly column taking a look at some of the most pertinent and interesting topics of the day in the big wide world of retail. For something as simple as a bit of folded card with an image on the front and some words inside, greetings cards have looked […]