Archive for October 2013
Insiders’ view of the world of headhunting
‘Excerpts from the life of a head-hunter’ working in the leisure/hospitality/retail sectors. [Unfortunately such is the sensitivity of the head-hunting profession that it is rarely possible that the names of the Insiders’ clients can be divulged] Mid-July – Everything’s gone quiet The nature of my world – and you cannot do anything about it –…
Read MoreMovers & Shakers Q&A with Harry Briggs, principal, Balderton Capital
Harry Briggs, principal, Balderton Capital 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business as an investor in the retail/consumer-focused sector? We don’t look for opportunities, so much as great, visionary entrepreneurs. When we meet an entrepreneur who’s identified an opportunity that others have overlooked, and we believe the entrepreneur has the talent and energy…
Read MoreNew era of apps
When you think of apps your mind is undoubtedly filled with consumer-facing applications that make life easier and more entertaining. But what we’ve yet to see, certainly in anger, is the use of apps for business-focused activities. But it is starting to happen and the potential for it to impact greatly on the retail sector…
Read MoreSupermarkets’ websites lowly performers among drinks retail sites
Major supermarkets continue to under-perform online compared with the websites of other merchants selling beers, wines and spirits, in the table of the UK’s leading drinks retailing websites for October. The big guns of UK grocery retailing Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer are all placed in the bottom half of the…
Read MoreData helped bring Dixons back from near-death
Apple has been in the news recently with the CEO of Burberry taking on the role of head of retail stores and online, which was previously held by John Browett who lasted only six months and now heads up Monsoon/Accessorize. This slightly tarnished the reputation of Browett, which is unfortunate because when you take a…
Read MoreInnovative Retailer – Tiger
The Name: Tiger The Place: 250+ stores across 19 countries, 24 of which are in the UK. And before you ask there is no online trading and I will thank you to remember that The Story: Tiger, Tiger burning (very) bright – what a success story this Danish chain begun in Copenhagen actually is. Whatever…
Read MoreRetail Insider Breakfast with Simon Russell and Tatiana Fokina
Retail Insider held its latest Breakfast event this week with Simon Russell, director of retail operations development at John Lewis, and Tatiana Fokina, CEO of Hedonism Wines, discussing the evolving role of the store in a multi-channel world. Senior retailers from the likes of House of Fraser, Laithwaites Wine, New Look, and Wayfair along with…
Read MoreGuest Slot – Analysis Insider – Sarah Wilson
One of the greatest attributes of the internet is that it helps bring together groups of people who are willing to contribute to a common cause. The likes of Wikipedia sprang up as a direct result of this phenomenon called crowdsourcing. With this idea of outsourcing work to a crowd of ‘workers’ now clearly proven…
Read MoreLooking for defensible positions in multi-channel world
Apparently the pure-play retailer has had its day. This was one of the memorable points made by Jacques-Antoine Granjon the inspirational and maverick founder of Vente Privee at the World Retail Congress (WRC) in Paris. Try telling that to the AO.com (formerly known as Appliances Online) that has garnered massive praise from customers, rapidly rising…
Read MoreMovers & Shakers Q&A with Gracia Amico, e-commerce director, Hobbs
Gracia Amico, e-commerce director, Hobbs 1. What is the greatest opportunity for your business? International. Although we deliver to 50 countries from our website and have concessions in various countries, we have a very busy time ahead focusing on international expansion. We have just launched our German website and are three weeks away from launching…
Read MoreReturn of the magalogue and death of the car
‘Magalogues’ is a clunky term that I really didn’t think I’d hear again. It was frequently bandied around in the early 1990s by mail order companies who liked the idea of mixing attractive editorial content with their products. It didn’t really work as the cost of printing these magalogues, with their non-revenue-generating column inches, was…
Read MoreOnline bottled beer market wide open
Premium bottled beers continue to see rising sales and within this category the beers from smaller craft breweries are enjoying spectacular growth. The market for these beers continues to grow alongside increased brewery numbers and the universe of pubs that stock such beers maintains its upward trajectory. The younger male drinker is at the forefront…
Read MoreInnovative Retailer – Zulily
The Name: Zulily The Place: It’s online, don’t you know. But operating mainly in the US, where it has 10 million members, and the UK. The Story: As if your children didn’t already have every luxury money could buy, they can now also have designer wear/toys/nursery furniture at a fraction of the price. Launched in…
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