Opinion – Page 6
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Opinion
‘UK’s economic underperformance matters for all in retail’
Long-term strategic thinking is required to drive progress for the country and retail, argues Matt Truman
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Opinion
‘How to recover cost inflation while continuing to offer value to customers’
Grocers must walk a tightrope of managing their own inflationary pressures to preserve margins while continuing to win customers, says Alvarez & Marsal’s Erin Brookes
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Opinion
‘Supermarkets aren’t to blame for product shortages, but it’s time to pause for thought’
Imagine the howls of fury from all quarters if grocers raised food prices. Yet, perversely, in the aftermath of salad-gate, that is what many have asked them to do.
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Opinion
IWD: Three women in retail predicted to become the CEOs of tomorrow
Retail Week will publish its inaugural Future Leaders report on March 15; spotlighting 30 names predicted to become chief executives at the world’s biggest retailers in the years to come. In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD), here’s an exclusive first look at three inspiring women in the line-up
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Opinion
‘Can you be sure that AI will capture who you are and what customers like about you?’
Trying to distil the essence of a brand can be tricky, even for a human, let alone an artificial intelligence, cautions Kantar’s Tom Lees
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Opinion
‘From automation to home working, Sainsbury’s changes highlight forces shaping retail’
Sainsbury’s disclosure this week of a raft of business changes affecting its Argos general merchandise division, and putting at risk 1,400 jobs, crystallised some big retail themes of the moment.
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Opinion
‘Retail job losses hide a happier employment story’
While Christmas was better for retail than many had first feared, the start of 2023 has been marred by a wave of job losses in the sector.
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Opinion
‘Does Tile Giant administration signal the end of the DIY boom?’
After a phenomenally busy period when everybody became Handy Andy or Andrea and painted the walls rather than climbed them during the depressing days of lockdowns, things are looking trickier as the consumer mentality shifts from DIY to done-IY.
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Opinion
‘As margin pressure builds, retail media businesses offer chance to drive high returns’
Retail media networks are one of the fastest growing media sectors in Europe and offer a significant opportunity, say McKinsey’s Anita Balchandani and Craig Macdonald
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Opinion
‘A Morrisons counter-attack could help restore the grocer’s fortunes’
Differentiation, a unique selling point that sets one business apart from another, is often talked about in retail but less frequently achieved.
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Opinion
‘Tough times push retailers to innovate and find new sources of growth’
At a time when it’s easy to be gloomy, look deeper and there are reasons for retailers to be optimistic, says eBay UK general manager Murray Lambell
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Opinion
‘Three years on from Brexit, the most difficult bit is yet to come’
Three years on from Brexit and the impact to retailers and consumers has been relatively limited. However, in many ways, the most difficult bit is yet to come, says British Retail Consortium’s Andrew Opie
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Opinion
‘Retailers will have to work harder this year to persuade people to shop’
After surprise success in 2022, what should retailers expect from the year ahead? A rebalancing of sales channels, hybrid business models and the right marketing mix all have a part to play in success this year, believes PwC’s Lisa Hooker
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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
'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