J BAMFIELD
Recent activity
Comments (3)
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Comment on: Lord Myners questions Cameron's appointment of Portas
I agree with Ian Middleton. There are two issues. One is that although she is a knowledgeable celebrity she is probably not the right person for this sensitive task. The second issue is that she seems to see the problem as being about the needs of independent stores, but the death of the high street is now mainly about the problems of decent multiples as the independents have all gone. In other words she is looking through the wrong end of the telescope. The industry has lost those political retailers of yesteryear and apart from Rose it is hard to come up with a better name.
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Comment on: The Mary Question
With any government initiative, I always ask myself "Would Tony Blair have done this?" Obviously he would. I suppose the problem is that to retail outsiders Mary P sounds like someone who knows what she is talking about and speaks up for the independent retailer. It is only retail-focused people who say this is a bit superficial and she is becoming a universal expert much like Jeremy Clarkson. The best response is to hope she can get something done about parking, yellow lines, and planning permission. It would be wrong to expect more than yet another report and some small concessions.
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Comment on: Consumer loyalty to own-brand products here to stay
I wonder how true this really is? In the early 80s, there were many commentators explaining that the rise in 'generics' (remember those?) meant that retail power had definitely passed out of the hands of manufacturers of consumer brands. Now the onset of recession has brought those opinions to the fore again. I would have thought that retailers need a careful balance of proprietary brands and own-brand merchandise. The positioning and strength of proprietary brands v. own-brand will alter when the recession is over, but it is unlikely we will be in own-brand paradise. Brands are successful for a reason and we will increasingly see over the next 12 months the onset of what we term 'frugality fatigue'. Time will tell who is right. Prof Joshua Bamfield Director, Centre for Retail Research, Nottingham
