Coffee shop market still wide awake and hyper-active

A few years back there were many detractors of the rapidly expanding coffee shop market who were continually forcasting the “froth to be blown off the coffee market”. Coffee shop market: comfortable with its level of froth. But it never really happened and such is the acceptance of the ongoing high growth rates of this category that today nobody…

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Retail property market further polarises

Now we all know that Rotherham is no London. But the difference in the vacancy rates of shops at these two locations could not be more stark. Rotherham: UK towns become ghost towns. The recent National Retail Barometer from Colliers International shows vacancy rates in the centre of Rotherham are running at almost 30% whereas on London’s…

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Customer loyalty finally arrives at restaurants

Customer loyalty solutions have been used to great effect within the retail sector for many years and even its most vocal opponents have ultimately succumbed to recognising that points and prizes means regular shoppers. Brucie would have recognised what points mean. Asda in particular has long rubbished loyalty programmes, instead preferring to focus on its Every Day…

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Latest retail fashion accessory – the international CEO

With the world’s developed markets universally on the skids there has been much talk among retailers of expanding into new growth markets. Retail growth in the developed world. Some have done so while others have been all mouth and little action. But what is interesting is just how many large retailers now have internationally experienced executives in…

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Next big food frontier – garden centres

Ever since Tesco surprisingly bought garden centre chain Dobbies way back in 2007 for £155.6 million it has kept rather quiet about the activities at its unlikely off-shoot. Tesco: keeps quiet about this one. One thing Retailinsider.com did predict (rather predictably) before the deal was completed was that an increase would be seen in the level of food…

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