Retail Diary: Marc Bolland’s Dutch roots start to rub off, Ao World tasks its coders with the decorating and Tesco appeals to the narrow boat enthusiast.
Dutch wine-tasting notes
Marc Bolland’s Dutch roots are clearly having an influence on Marks & Spencer signage, as seen in a Central London store. Good thing most shoppers carry their smartphones in their pockets for a spot of translation on the go – according to Google Translate, this £8.50 bottle of South Eastern Australia plonk (or should that be €11.74?) is a “fine blend, rich and spicy with an elegant aftertaste”. We’ll hold you to that Bolland.
We’re codin’ and I hope you like codin’ too
A tour of the Ao World office uncovers gems wherever you look. Rather than being tucked away in the basement, like in an episode of the IT Crowd, The IT team are given pride of place on the third floor. They have also been let loose on decorating the office. And what a great job they have done. One of their meeting rooms reveals a room full of code. This is not any old code, but the lyrics to some classic pop songs. Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ features alongside ‘We Don’t Need No Education’ and ‘No Woman No Cry’. They have fine taste in music up in Bolton.
A sign of the times
This picture of a sign outside a Tesco store in Rickmansworth, warning against non-customers “mooring” outside the shop, is doing the rounds on Twitter. Maybe it is a new Tesco initiative to lure in the vital boating demographic as the grocery war shows no sign of abating. A call out on Twitter for other twists on quirky signs revealed a gem from Miguel Flavian. He spotted a sign in Asda Peckham asking customers not to play loud music from their car stereos. If you have any more photos of signs that buck the trend, tweet us @rwpics.
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