Breaking out of the legacy cycle

Visiting a renowned brewery in Yorkshire recently involved a tour around its Victorian architecture and equipment that reminded me of the scenario facing many retailers in the UK in ensuring they are not hidebound by legacy infrastructure. The impressive copper brewing vessels date back to the early nineteenth century and are evocative of the era…

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Mixing it up at MAPIC

As the days tick down to the major European retail property show, MAPIC, on the South coast of France in Cannes the key themes to be covered have been highlighted at a preview event in London. This year’s exhibitors and speakers will again highlight the ongoing move away from old school retail involving simply flogging…

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It’s never too early for…Tesco Christmas range preview

Retail Insider this week attended the Tesco Christmas range preview event in East London which, given that the mince pies and chocolate Santas are already in the supermarkets, did not actually feel far too early. As with last year the great thing about this event is that alongside the displays of food and the executive…

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Reassessing Direct-to-Consumer model

Dollar Shave Club took the world by storm when its 2012 YouTube video featuring founder Michael Dubin promoting the launch of its unique razor subscription service went mega-viral and kick-started a generation of new DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) businesses. The idea of newly-created brands totally bypassing third-party retailers and going straight to consumers to sell their products…

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On the right tracks

In 2007, when I was given a tour around the St Pancras station redevelopment by its co-owner, London & Continental Railways, the place was still very much a work in progress, with builders and heavy machinery scattered across the sprawling site working towards hitting the impending opening deadline. With a hefty 8,000 square metres of…

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The threat of ongoing incursions from retailers

Wandering around the reopened Waitrose store in Finchley, north London, on the preview night, it was clear that the food-to-go element had been turbo-charged and the plan is to feed some of the new innovations in this store into the rest of the retailer’s estate. Waitrose joins a growing band of retailers looking to grab…

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