The Uptick: Fleabag, future food and in-store football pitches

This month, we’ll explore whether retailers should put growth on the back burner in favour of building a better business; why Adidas has put a football pitch in its new Oxford Street flagship; how Zalando’s boss has come clean about his carbon footprint; and why we’ll be eating jellyfish in 2030.

As seen on screen

Do you know anyone who dressed up as Phoebe Waller-Bridge for Halloween this year?

The writer and actor’s famed black jumpsuit from the cult BBC series Fleabag was one of the most sought-after costumes for last month’s festivities – but has also proved to be a real driver of fashion sales throughout 2019.

According to John Lewis’ annual retail report, Fleabag fever spurred a 66% surge in sales of black jumpsuits from the department store – just one of the fashion trends, also including a Peaky Blinders-inspired hat tip, which transcended the screen and ended up in our wardrobes so far this year.

Culture has also influenced how we fill our grocery baskets in 2019. According to Waitrose’s food and drink report, a third of consumers are eating less meat and fish than they were two years ago, with the same amount pledging to cut down further in the next two years. We had a look at how shoppers are thinking differently about their food shops and the new products, such as aonori seaweed and orange wine, that are being snapped up in place of traditional meat and two veg.

In a bid to align itself with changing customer expectations, Zalando’s co-founder and chief executive Rubin Ritter examined his carbon footprint and realised it was 20-times bigger than the global average. It was a move that prompted the etail boss to drive a wide-ranging initiative to make Zalando more sustainable while still making money, including making its deliveries and returns carbon neutral. We went to Berlin to see how the business plans to up the ante on sustainability and how it expects shoppers to respond.

Changes in store

When was the last time you went to a shop for a game of five-a-side? Adidas is hoping shoppers will do just that in its new Oxford Street flagship. The sportswear titan’s new store features an LED light floor and walls on which customers can play ‘interactive agility games’ related to sports ranging from football to basketball and tennis. We had a look around the ambitious, tech-fuelled store to see how the business aims to create a “hyper-local hub for consumers”.

Ask most people about how their DNA impacts their diet and you’ll likely be met with a bemused shrug. But Professor Chris Toumazou wants to change that. The Imperial College London professor has opened a DnaNudge store in Covent Garden, which offers shoppers on-the-spot DNA tests and a corresponding wristband to help them find out which foods are right for them based on their genetic predisposition to a variety of health issues. We visited the store to see how DNA testing could change how shoppers fill their shopping baskets.

From futuristic to decidedly old-school, HMV unveiled its new flagship in Birmingham last month called The Vault. A cratedigger’s dream, the store boasts 100,000 vinyl records and will also host concerts and events in store. We spoke to new boss Doug Putman about the store and why he’s confident HMV will be profitable this year.

How to be better

It’s a punishing time for retail and most businesses are looking anywhere they can to eke out an extra percentage point of growth, whether that be sales or the bottom line. But does the sector’s relationship with growth need a rethink? We explore how feasible it would be for business’ to rethink expanding and instead focus on improving their existing offer, and how to get shareholders onside to do so.

We also published two long reads exploring seismic changes impacting the retail industry and how they could change how businesses operate in years to come. First, sustainable retail – we looked at the businesses that are getting results in making their offers more sustainable from Iceland to Zara and the new breed of businesses, such as Everlane and Farmdrop, which are putting sustainability at the heart of their operating model.

And will we be eating store-grown jellyfish in a few years? In our future of food investigation, we explored the factors which will change what and how products are stocked on our supermarket shelves in years to come, from urban farms to ‘chuna’.

One last thing…

As the temperatures drop, why not warm your cockles with retailers’ latest raft of festive adverts? Have a look here if you’re looking for a dose of ‘market research’ to fill your lunch break.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the latest instalment of The Uptick newsletter. If there are stories, innovations, people or inspiration you want to us to report next month, please get in touch.

Grace Bowden, head of content