Katie Kilgallen
- Analysis
Cool in a crisis
When Baugur bought Iceland three years ago it was on the brink and the retailer’s staff were far from happy. Katie Kilgallen finds out how drastic HR intervention helped transform the business.
- Analysis
Let the festivities begin
Christmas will be here before we know it and retailers are gearing up to make the most of what is normally their most profitable time of year. But with a recession looming, what can retailers do to ensure they don’t get left out in the cold, asks Katie Kilgallen.
- Analysis
Waste not, want not
Electricals retailers have found WEEE compliance far from straightforward. Katie Kilgallen asks how they are coping a year on and whether the Government has got the regulations right
- Analysis
Good sourcing will keep shoppers coming back
I’m pleased to say that the warm sunny days we had in May lifted our figures. And, after a couple of weeks off, I’m now ready to face what we have left of the summer season, which will hopefully bring more people to town and into the store.
- Analysis
People first
In tough times, it can be tempting for retailers to revert to outdated top-down management as they squeeze costs. But losing sight of staff is the worst thing they could do, says Katie Kilgallen
- Analysis
Ground control: How Marks & Spencer ensures fair trade really is fair
It’s easy to talk a good game on conditions in the supply chain, but how can you ensure it works in practice? Katie Kilgallen finds out how Marks & Spencer ensures fair trade really is fair
- News
Iceland founder hits out at soaring shop crime
“We are plagued with a tidal wave of shoplifting. 50 per cent of the time it turns violent. Our store managers are physically attacked, spat at, assaulted – it’s out of control.”
- Analysis
Aim to please
The latest Customer Satisfaction Index shows that retail is doing something right. But, as the harsh climate demands excellence, which retailers are standing out for service? Katie Kilgallen reports
- Analysis
Raise your site
Some retailers are reaping the benefits of e-recruitment, but many others struggle to master its operational and accessibility basics. Fine-tuning the technology is crucial, finds Katie Kilgallen
- Analysis
The chain gang
Rival retailers have begun to share lorries to help the environment and reduce costs. And joint distribution centres could be the next step. But logistical practicalities and the competitive nature of the industry are proving to be obstacles to innovation. Katie Kilgallen investigates
- Opinion
Be eco-logical
Many UK retailers can now count themselves among those leading the way on today’s environmental and ethical issues.
- Analysis
What it says on the tin
A huge amount of effort is going into the development of a carbon label standard. But could such information on products be more misleading than enlightening? Katie Kilgallen reports
- News
B&Q and Morrisons are first retailers to be awarded Carbon Trust Standard
B&Q and Morrison’s are the two retailers among the first 12 companies to be awarded the new Carbon Trust Standard for tackling climate change.
- Analysis
Seller beware
It is being billed by some as the biggest shake-up of marketing laws for 40 years and can carry the penalty of imprisonment. Katie Kilgallen asks if retailers are ready for the new consumer protection regulations
- Analysis
From the ground up: Wyevale reforms recruitment
Wyevale’s staff just weren’t retail-focused when Jim Hodkinson arrived after the 2006 buy-out. He tells Katie Kilgallen how recruitment has been overhauled to get the business in shape
- Analysis
Save your energy
As the increasing price of gas and electricity compounds the slowdown, how can retailers minimise the impact of mounting energy costs on their business? Katie Kilgallen investigates
- Analysis
All rise for the king of carpets
Lord Harris’s nomination for World Entrepreneur of the Year proves just how far the tycoon has come since inheriting three London carpet stores. Katie Kilgallen meets him at the awards in Monte Carlo
- Analysis
People person
New Look veteran Ann Chan is so passionate about focusing on staff that she switched disciplines to head HR. Katie Kilgallen finds out how she is defining, and driving forward, a new cultural vision
- News
Supermarkets dominate poll of UK’s greenest brands
Leading food retailers occupy five of the top six places in a poll to find the UK’s greenest brands, according to the 2008 ImagePower Green Brands survey.
- News
Tesco attacked by US union
Tesco is being targeted by one of the US’s largest unions, which today launched a campaign on the grocer’s home soil to highlight its staunch anti-union stance in the US.