All Opinion articles
Most recent first.
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Opinion‘There has been a hardening of bank attitudes to the retail industry’
With the government loan schemes due to close at the end of November, it is important that businesses seeking to borrow funds to cover trading impacts from the pandemic get their applications submitted quickly – within the next week, ideally.
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Opinion
Bridget Lea: I’m a proud black director, but we need more black leaders and white allies
Bridget Lea may be Sainsbury’s managing director for the North now, but when she was coming up through the ranks she never saw a senior retail leader who looked like her. As Black History Month draws to a close, Lea ruminates on why having more black business leaders and ...
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Opinion
‘Lockdown shambles is bad for retailers and consumers’
From Wales to Westminster, a confused and sometimes politically partisan response to the resurgent Covid-19 outbreak is threatening retail’s recovery .
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Opinion
'Self-care and support will get us through this Golden Quarter'
On Sunday at 2am the clocks will go back by one hour. For many people, the moment will symbolise the start of a long, difficult winter – one without precedent in recent history.
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Opinion
The Secret Retailer: 'Colleagues doubt my ability because of my upbringing'
I always knew I was different to my colleagues, but about eight months ago I realised just how much.
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Opinion
‘Alibaba’s $3.6bn splurge cements value of stores in retail’s future’
Alibaba, one of the world’s largest ecommerce players, this week splashed $3.6bn on its latest big-money acquisition.
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Opinion
‘John Lewis’ non-retail ambitions rely on restoring retail success’
One of the most striking aspects of today’s strategy update from the John Lewis Partnership was the extent to which the retailer is staking its future on what strategy director Nina Bhatia termed “non-retail”.
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Opinion
Move of the Week: Can Boohoo’s new supply chain boss prove doubters wrong?
Boohoo’s appointment of Andrew Reaney to the new role of responsible sourcing director is either a significant step on the path to a more sustainable future or an exercise in window dressing designed to relieve pressure on the under-fire retailer.
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Opinion
‘The 12 trends of Christmas – festive retail under Covid’
As Christmas nears, there is little seasonal cheer as retailers anticipate a Golden Quarter characterised by levels of volatility and uncertainty they have rarely, if ever, experienced before.
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Opinion
‘Don’t underestimate the power of partnerships post-pandemic’
The idea of togetherness is one that has shone through in countless ways amid the coronavirus crisis.
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Opinion
Peter Williams: ‘A second wave, curfews, empty offices – is this as good as it gets?’
By now we had all hoped that there would be a predictable path back to some kind of steady-state resembling where we were pre-Covid.
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Opinion
‘We’re all responsible for looking after the people that contribute to retail’s success’
We – you, me, every leader in British retail – have been handed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prevent a potentially life- and sector-changing incoming mental health storm.
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Opinion
Move of the Week: M&S ups digital game with new hire Lumsden
In a week that has seen Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy make his first significant appointment in the shape of new finance chief Imran Nawaz, a less high profile but potentially just as significant hire caught my eye.
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Opinion
‘As shoppers flock online, investors are following’
The Issa brothers’ £6.8bn swoop on Asda may be an exception that proves the rule. While the forecourt convenience retail entrepreneurs have put their money into a primarily bricks-and-mortar business, other people’s cash is increasingly going elsewhere.
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Opinion
‘Retailers can play crucial role in stemming tide of social deprivation’
British retailers’ benefits to the health and wellbeing of society has never been properly valued.
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Opinion
‘Data is one of the biggest opportunities still available in retail’
Brands and retailers have an opportunity to pause and listen to what their customers want before blindly marketing products at them, says Sarah Curran-Usher.
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Opinion
‘As we face a second wave employee wellbeing is paramount’
The best-laid plans often go to waste, but never more so than during the past six months.
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Opinion
‘Whisper it for now, but retail is on the road to recovery’
One would be forgiven for thinking retail was on its proverbial deathbed given some of the media coverage of the past few days.
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Opinion
Andy Clarke: ‘Online rush will contribute to serious margin trouble across grocery’
The battle for the online food home-delivery market is entering the world of the surreal.
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Opinion
No Limits: ‘Help us keep retail at its brilliant best for everyone’
The retail industry’s meritocratic reputation has always been celebrated.
