All articles by Kate Doherty
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AnalysisRetail Horizon 2024: Industry optimism amid consumer caution and global uncertainty
Retailers are emerging cautiously from recent macroeconomic challenges. As inflation moderates and supply chain pressures ease, businesses are looking ahead with measured optimism.
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AnalysisRetail Horizon 2024: Industry
Retail Horizon 2024 is Retail Week’s exclusive strategic toolkit for subscribers.
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five ways The Works’ elevation strategy will win consumer spend
The Works is on a mission to change its legacy perception as a “pile it high, sell it cheap” discounter. As its “better, not just bigger” refocused strategy accelerates, the retailer topped Retail Week’s fastest-growing value ranking for 2021/22. We explore its five key drivers to profitability as consumer confidence lifts.
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AnalysisBoots vs Superdrug: battle of the high street health and beauty heroes
As they continue to innovate both on- and offline and right-size their store estates, both retailers’ financial upward trajectories are expected to gain momentum. But which health and beauty retailer will emerge victorious when we put them head to head?
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five ways Pets at Home will retain its position as pack leader
Pets at Home has ambitious plans to unleash the ‘world’s best pet care platform’, but will it manage to stay one step ahead with Jollyes snapping at its heels?
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five ways TK Maxx’s off-price business model taps into consumer trends
The off-price retailer with an enviably agile business model, TK Maxx owner TJX Companies has just reported a 3% hike in net sales for Q1 and raised its full-year profit forecast. Our Retail Week analysts break down five ways the retailer is keeping up with demand and making the most of shoppers’ bargain-hunting missions
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Can Boots win on the health and beauty battleground?
UK pharmacy and beauty chain Boots is being squeezed from all sides of the beauty battleground and this week’s opening of trendy global beauty retailer Sephora’s first UK store will apply extra pressure.
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five ways Sainsbury’s will stand out in a fiercely competitive market
As Costcutter-owner Bestway takes a stake, Sainsbury’s finds itself holding a challenging middle-market position between the discounters at one end, and Waitrose and Marks & Spencer at the other. Retail Week’s Prospect analysts explore five ways Sainsbury’s will differentiate itself in a fiercely competitive market.
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five reasons Next will win during times of economic crisis
As the UK economy continues to destabilise, will Next’s enviable ecosystem and willingness to invest be enough to steer it unscathed through the volatility?
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AnalysisAnalysis: Five things you need to know about value giant Poundland
Despite rolling out a multi-price strategy, Poundland is leaning back into its eponymous £1 price point as the cost-of-living crisis mounts for customers. But how is the retailer equipped to handle declining consumer spend and confidence as a recession looms?
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AnalysisAnalysis: Five things you need to know about Halfords
Diversifying with the savvy of a start-up, motoring and cycling specialist Halfords is applying its expertise to needs-based revenue streams, positioning itself to remain resilient as households feel the pinch.
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AnalysisThe winners and losers of Christmas 2017
The golden quarter was a tale of two halves as sales rocketed at some retailers while others fell behind, with clear lessons to be learnt for 2018.
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AnalysisFailed deliveries deter more than half of shoppers
Retailers are shouldering mounting costs of failed deliveries, with more than half of consumers saying they would not shop with a retailer again.
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AnalysisEcommerce surges move away from one-day Sales events
Consumers are increasingly less inclined to spend online during allotted one-day Sales events and instead prefer to take advantage of extended discount periods.
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AnalysisSmartphones traditionally dominate holiday shopping
The trend for consumers to use smartphones rather than desktop devices for online shopping over holiday periods is expected to continue in 2018.
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AnalysisFriction at online checkout will be costly this Christmas
Complicated or overly time-consuming online checkout experiences cause consumers to abandon shopping baskets, and failed deliveries prevent the majority returning to that retailer.
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AnalysisMondays draw the most shoppers online in 2017
Mondays were the biggest day for online shopping in 2017, while numbers were at their lowest over the weekend, according to PCA Predict.
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AnalysisMobile online shopping likely to surge on Christmas Day
Online shopping through mobile devices is expected to surge over the festive season, particularly on Christmas Day.
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AnalysisDesktop maintains slight lead over mobile
The use of desktop for UK online shopping has been marginally ahead of mobile in 2017, according to PCA Predict.
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AnalysisBlack Friday spending to suffer slowdown
Black Friday sales are set to prove lacklustre with traffic likely to have tailed off by Cyber Monday, according to the latest data from PCA Predict.