All Opinion articles – Page 45
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OpinionOpinion: Does Gormley’s departure leave Naked Wines exposed?
Alongside Naked Wines’ first set of results since investors approved the sale of Majestic Wine in September came the shock revelation that its founder and chief executive Rowan Gormley would be departing the business after Christmas.
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OpinionOpinion: Embrace innovation to unlock your people's potential
With all the doom and gloom in the retail sector, I thought it would be uplifting to write about something positive – innovation and purpose.
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OpinionLeader: The more M&S can be like its Christmas jumper ad, the better
All the big retailers’ Christmas ads are out now and one big name that more than most will hope its seasonal marketing push results in a sack-full of spend is Marks & Spencer.
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OpinionOpinion: I’m running for Parliament to fight for retailers
They say it’s third time lucky and I’ll be testing that theory to breaking point on December 12 as I stand for Parliament for the third consecutive time.
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OpinionPoundland: Why we deserve pride of place on Princes Street
Imagine my surprise last month when a Google alert told me The Times Scotland had decided the arrival of the latest Poundland store on Edinburgh’s premier shopping destination “threatens to cheapen Princes Street”.
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OpinionOpinion: Should B&M say auf wiedersehen to Germany?
The usually infallible B&M posted a subdued set of interim results this morning.
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OpinionPeter Williams: In 2019, retailers may as well pull Christmas forecasts from a hat
With the peak trading season for many retailers just kicking off, this is the time of year for finance directors to be at their most anxious as they focus on their forecasts for the financial year.
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OpinionMove of the Week: Shop Direct CFO can mark start of new era
Ben Fletcher would be well advised to make the most of his Christmas break. When Shop Direct’s new group chief financial officer joins in January he faces being thrust into a business still suffering the effects of a PPI-induced financial shock that has escalated to the point where it pushed 2018/19 profits significantly into the red.
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OpinionOpinion: The time isn’t right to sell Shop Direct
Shop Direct owners the Barclay family are understood to have kicked off a review of their business empire, raising questions about the etailer’s future ownership.
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OpinionLeader: Will Mothercare administration signal death knell for CVAs?
As recently as May, having won approval for a CVA last year, Mothercare chief executive Mark Newton-Jones was bullish about the retailer’s turnaround prospects.
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OpinionLeader: In-store polling stations could give retail a boost
December’s general election has raised fears among retailers of disruption to peak trading. But perhaps the political showdown brings an opportunity for store groups to welcome more shoppers by serving their communities.
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OpinionOpinion: Supporting retail this election is just good politics
We are blessed with one of the most vibrant and dynamic retail industries in the world.
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OpinionMichael Jary: Driverless cars will change everything about retail hot spots
In his autobiography, Sam Walton described why he preferred a small propeller plane to a jet. The Walmart founder could fly closer to the ground and see how America’s towns and cities were growing.
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OpinionLeader: December election – keep calm and carry on retailing
The last thing retail needs is a December election, as Boris Johnson has called for.
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OpinionMove of the Week: Why counteroffers aren’t all they seem
It will understandably have come as a great source of frustration for Marks & Spencer that its new stores director David Lepley has had a last-minute change of heart and opted to stay at Morrisons.
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OpinionOpinion: Forget about plunging profits, Zara still leads the fashion pack
When a retailer’s profits nosedive by half, alarm bells would usually sound. But Zara is an unusual retailer.
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OpinionOpinion: New retail growth requires an old-school ethos
One hundred years ago – prior to the industrialisation of retail – every retailer was by definition what I call a ‘customer-keeper’.
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OpinionMove of the Week: Ted Baker hopes for American dream
Ted Baker continues to move on from the Ray Kelvin era with the news this week it has appointed its first-ever US chief executive.
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OpinionOpinion: ‘Why’ is more important than ‘what’ for successful retailers
I have two daughters. Last weekend, I found myself fielding the following questions (among others): “Dad, why don’t people share their homes with homeless people?”; “Why did the First World War start?”; “Why do I need to do maths when I have a calculator on my phone?”; “Why do I need to lay the table, why can’t Evie?” And the classic: “Dad, why are you so embarrassing?”
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OpinionLeader: Never mind the carpets, WHSmith’s Clarke leaves the firmest of foundations
The state of WHSmith’s carpets might prompt mirth on social media, but there’s nothing shabby about the legacy of departing chief executive Steve Clarke.















