Beyond the call of duty

We have just hit the tenth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and it brought to mind an anecdote I heard from just before that period. Sir Fred Goodwin, chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), and Terry Leahy, chief executive of Tesco, were sharing a platform at a conference when the subject…

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What next for the UK’s busiest High Streets?

Some of the current discussions on the direction of the British High Street can be neatly encompassed within the London borough of Haringey. It is home to two shopping destinations which are geographically close but very different in terms of shoppers and retailers – Crouch End in the west of the borough with a population…

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Innovative Retailer: Music Magpie

Name: Music Magpie The Place: Up North. Founded in Stockport, with warehouses located in Macclesfield, but basically it’s a digital story through and through. The Story: Cast your mind back into the mists of time. Yes: Back to the financial crash of 2007/8. Yes: Back to when mortgage defaults were beginning to bite. Yes. Back…

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Get a little smarter at WIRED Smarter 2018

Retail Insider is pleased to be associated with Wired as a media partner of its forthcoming WIRED Smarter 2018 conference on October 9 and is looking forward to hearing a plethora of speakers that include some of the more progressive-thinkers around. The 2018 event incorporates multiple streams comprising the three major verticals – retail, energy…

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Online-only retailers spot opportunity on high street

In recent years many vacant retail units have been taken by food and beverage operators but as this sector has also come under pressure the level of empty units on high streets and in shopping malls is becoming an increasing problem. This situation has arguably been more acute in the US where even New York…

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Movers & Shakers Q&A – Tugce Bulut, founder, Streetbees

Tugce Bulut, founder, Streetbees What is the greatest opportunity for your business? The extent of change in the retail sector is enormous, and presents us with an incredible opportunity to disrupt an entire industry. New methods of consumption – online, via social media, even on TV – require a completely new way of understanding consumers.…

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‘Movers & Shakers in Retail Top 100’ 2018 report launches

Retail Insider has launched the 2018 edition of the ‘Movers & Shakers in Retail Top 100’ report highlighting the key individuals in retail that are most effectively using the power of digital to push their organisations forward. This is the ninth year that we have produced such a report, with the sponsor K3, and as always the findings shine…

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Maturing digital newcomers spell greater competition

  Mattresses and razors are among the product types that have been focused on by single-line specialist online-only retailers who have each sought to grab a small part of enormous target markets. The likes of Casper with its mattresses and Dollar Shave Club with its razors have been pioneers of such strategies and have led…

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Child-sized portions?

I’m very much hoping it was not an age thing but when on holiday recently I ordered two children’s meals on the same day – eating one at breakfast and the other at dinner. The child’s full English had been ordered by my son on the first morning of a two-night stay at The Bull…

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