All Opinion articles
Most recent first.
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Opinion‘The next few months will be challenging, but we’re reaching the eye of the storm’
Managing the next year must be about containing downturn impact while building foundations to capitalise on opportunities when recovery comes, advises British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson
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Opinion
‘Don’t write off the pureplays, despite a Christmas shocker’
As store shutters slammed down during lockdowns, some wrote off the likelihood of a bricks-and-mortar recovery. Now the same gloom has descended over pureplays. It was proven wrong then and it will be proved wrong now.
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Opinion
Stuart Machin: ‘Customers want great shops and our communities need them’
In the week in which M&S unveiled an investment of almost £500m in stores, chief executive Stuart Machin explains the benefits of a store rotation programme and how it supports the case for redevelopment of its Marble Arch flagship
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Opinion
‘2023 profit fight will be won by operating model resilience and agility’
Retailers that put all their eggs in the basket of defying the gravity of industry volume decline will find the going tough and likely put their balance sheets under significant pressure, maintains OC&C’s Matt Coode
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Opinion
‘As Amazon falters, now is the moment for omnichannel retailers to excel’
As the tech giant wobbles and footfall recovers, smart multichannel retailers have a genuine opportunity to ‘do what Amazon does not’, writes Lisa Byfield-Green
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Opinion
‘The three transformative themes creating retail opportunity’
To succeed, retailers must address climate change, digitalisation and skills, say McKinsey & Company’s Anita Balchandani and Bartosz Jesse
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Opinion
‘Greater discounting drove Black Friday sales for retailers getting the balance right’
Price reductions need to be significant to lure shoppers at present and managing value perceptions and profitability is a tough line to walk, says Alvarez & Marsal’s Erin Brookes
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Opinion
'Retail’s 12 gifts of Christmas to customers and the country'
Retailers have once again pulled out all the stops to look after consumers during 2022 – a year when customers and companies alike have laboured under burdens such as soaring inflation and the disruption following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. George MacDonald celebrates the retail industry’s fantastic contribution
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Opinion
Peter Williams: ‘Fenwick move from Bond Street is sad but inevitable’
The news that the Fenwick store on Bond Street will be closing in 2024 marks yet another moment in the shrinking of the department store sector.
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Opinion
‘Retail’s recent wave of IPO companies look like beached whales’
The performance of the wave of retail initial public offerings (IPOs) in the past couple of years has been the worst advert imaginable for the industry.
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Opinion
‘In belt-tightening times, prioritising your digital business is critical’
Where should retailers invest for value that can endure beyond this economic downturn? Brian Kalms, managing director at AlixPartners, explores the priority areas
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Opinion
‘Dangerous false economies risk limiting retail’s recovery from challenging period’
You can’t manage a retail business quarter by quarter. Short-termism threatens to inhibit innovation and limit retail’s potential when tough times recede, warns True’s Matt Truman
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Opinion
‘As Next snaps up Joules, expect more retailers to go shopping for distress deals’
The current economic environment means the recent rash of acquisitions could continue, but such deals can turn a crisis into a shared opportunity, writes Retail Week executive editor George MacDonald
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Opinion
‘We must increase automation and robotics to support our workers’
With supply chains struggling under the pressures of a shrinking workforce, perceptions are shifting around the use of automation and robotics. Wincanton chief executive James Wroath makes the case for more technology in the warehouse
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Opinion
‘The retail sector isn’t doomed, but 2023 will be a tough year’
While UK retail is facing historic pressures, the current environment is also throwing up opportunities for business. David Maddison from HSBC gives a banker’s view on the health of the sector
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Opinion
‘Buckle up – as John Lewis and co have warned, it’ll be a bumpy ride this Christmas’
November 25 – a date that, this year, is more significant in the retail calendar than ever
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Opinion
Graham Bell: 'Retailers have as big a role as government in tackling cost-of-living crisis'
Retailers are undoubtedly operating in an ongoing challenging environment, with consumers facing the challenges of the increased cost of living against the backdrop of a looming recession.
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Opinion
‘The pandemic gave us the staff wellbeing wake-up call we needed’
By helping people be at their best both inside and outside work, we can increase already world-class levels of colleague engagement, believes Currys chief people officer Paula Coughlan
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Opinion
'Be bold - game-changing hires can add real value in a recession'
Cancelling or postponing key appointments is a false economy. Investment in people is a relatively small outlay and can make all the difference, says Clarity founder Fran Minogue
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Opinion
Murray Lambell: 'Retail needs to rewrite the way we do Black Friday'
The notorious Sales event has changed since its inception and no longer lives up to its promise of value, argues eBay UK general manager Murray Lambell
