Opinion – Page 328
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OpinionCan Aldi win the taste test?
Hard discounter Aldi has always claimed its quality is as good as the leading brand. Can it really pass the taste test? Or will its ABC1 customers start flocking back to the likes of Waitrose and Marks & Spencer when they have more money in their pockets?
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OpinionA tale of two retailers
Two sets of results issued on Monday illustrated perfectly how the retail sector has polarised. While online meteor Asos celebrated a stellar year, department store tiddler Beales was hunkering down for continued hard times after a challenging first half.
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OpinionThe new frugality is here to stay
Conspicuous consumption is out, thrift and sustainability are in, says Ian Cheshire
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OpinionHelping the high street fight back
Tomorrow, July 4, is Independents’ Day in Swansea. It’s an annual festival to get more people shopping in the city centre and the evidence suggests it doubles footfall.
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Opinion
Retail surgery: Subletting chain shops
I own a chain of shops and one is due for a new lease. Can I sublet for the time being so that I do not have to let the property go on a permanent basis?
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OpinionRetail surgery: What to expect from law requiring screening of online customers
We have heard a law is coming in that will require us to screen our online customers to check their age. Is this going to be difficult and expensive to do?
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OpinionAsos heads overseas
The subdued share reaction to Asos’s full-year results should be viewed as an opportunity to be seized by investors.
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OpinionWebsite optimisation firms get the Google seal of approval
Google’s backing for consulting firms that offer sensible advice on how retailers can improve web sales has got to be a move in the right direction for an industry that has been plagued by misinformation.
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OpinionDarwinian climate will be good for retail in the end
Looking at the main stories on Retail Week’s property page online you sometimes wouldn’t guess that there was a recession on. Much of the news is what we all want to see more of – good old fashioned expansion stories.
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OpinionTrouble on the Allied (Carpets) front
A trip to Croydon’s Purley Way does much to put Allied Carpets’ recent difficulties in perspective. This is a location where Allied Carpets and rival Carpetright are side by side, providing a straightforward compare and contrast exercise.
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OpinionThe supermarket cyberspace war
Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco are all ramping up their grocery websites in an attempt to make them more interactive for customers. Sainsbury’s seems to have the edge, but what will its rivals do to catch up?
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OpinionWho is the right face for Marks & Spencer?
Whether Sir Stuart Rose stays on as Marks & Spencer’s executive chairman until 2011 or goes early, what matters is getting the successor right.
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OpinionNew ways of touching shoppers
Retailers can push the boundaries of customer experience by engaging the senses, says Neil Gillis
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OpinionEvery marriage needs working at
Being a retailer presents thorny business challenges at any time. But in this turbulent climate of risk and uncertainty, trust levels – even in venerable bastions of society – have been severely eroded.
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Opinion
Retail surgery: Using store design to make edge-of-town retail work
How can you use store design to make a large edge-of-town retail space work?
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OpinionRetail surgery: Ensuring a high standard of ethical practice
We want to ensure a high standard of ethical practices within our suppliers’ operations and processes. How can we do this?
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OpinionWhat will Sir Philip Green and Simon Cowell give birth to?
The new entertainment cum merchandising company that Sir Philip Green and Simon Cowell are setting up could throw up some interesting opportunities for Arcadia’s brands such as Topshop. But will it be a positive move? Or is it just another celebrity whim?
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OpinionHabitat and the Twitter backlash
Habitat has provided a perfect case study in how not to use social media with its clumsy attempts to insert popular internet keywords into its promotional Twitter posts.
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OpinionMonthly rents should be for life, not just for a recession
Six months ago and with the collapse of the world banking system all around us, if anyone did dare think as far ahead as tomorrow’s quarterly rent day, it might have seemed an insurmountable future hurdle.But believe it or not, the talk from all sides, including landlords and agents, is ...
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OpinionFizz has gone out of UK retailers' duty-free offers in France
If things aren’t going well, should you give up or try and fix them? Look at the poll this week on the Retail Week home page and you’ll see the question “Is it worth UK retailers continuing to have duty-free operations in northern France?”Video:The Retail Week Booze CruiseAs is so ...