Opinion – Page 335
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Opinion
Wednesday's quarter day could be the biggest rent test yet
It’s finally here. The dreaded March quarter day is never exactly the highlight of the retail year, but this time it’s going to be especially gruelling for many retailers.
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Opinion
So what is a great retail brand?
Today sees the publication of a survey that purports to reveal “The Best Retail Brands”. Assembled by branding consultancy Interbrand, the top five European players, perhaps unsurprisingly, are H&M, Carrefour, Ikea, Tesco and Zara, in that order.
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Opinion
The credit insurance crunch
Imagine that you got home one day in early February, having trudged your way through the snow, to find a letter from your car insurance company on the doormat.
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Opinion
Value to be had in retail
Think back about five months or so, to the aftermath of Lehman’s collapse and tsunami-style turbulence in financial markets.
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Opinion
Food suppliers do their bit
Food suppliers are getting a hard time from the grocers over pressure to bring their prices down. While it is essential that prices remain low for shoppers in the downturn, suppliers are doing their bit.
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OpinionIn defence of the landlord
I always like to be controversial, so in my first column I thought I would speak up for retailers’ public enemy number one – the landlord. Landlords are probably viewed with the same disdain as the newly disgraced bankers.
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Opinion
Robert Clark - Good shop bad shop
Ashfield DIY Centre, Settle, North Yorkshire I’ve long wanted to sing the praises of this store. It really does stock everything you could possibly need for any home or garden task, all in a fraction of the space of your average DIY superstore.It’s a true Aladdin’s cave. It is easy ...
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OpinionA new Retail Week for a new retail world
A lot has changed in retail since November 2004, but not the look of Retail Week, which has remained largely the same. So in the same way that any good retail brand needs to evolve, today Retail Week gets its very own new look.
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Opinion
Debenhams no longer 'going south'
Speaking at the Retail Week Conference today, Debenhams international director Francis McAuley revealed how some things can just get lost in translation.
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Opinion
RFID in UK retail: still no answers
UK retailers have been much slower than their counterparts in other countries to adopt RFID. Retail Week attended a roundtable hosted by RFID solutions provider PeopleVox on Tuesday to hear both retailers and technology suppliers’ views on why the adoption curve appears to have flatlined.
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Opinion
Central London still in a class of its own
London repeatedly proves itself to be subject to a different set of rules than the rest of the retail world.
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Opinion
Pardon the stores phrase
Quantitative easing, the credit crunch, Ponzi schemes. If nothing else, the current global sticky patch has given all of us access to new ways of saying some pretty simple things - they just have the perceived benefit of making us sound as if we know what we're talking about.
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Opinion
Morrisons has every reason to be happy
Morrisons reported stellar results this week and its concept of fresh and value has helped it win new customers. As it nears the end of its turnaround plan, there is still so much more growth to come.
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OpinionJohn Lewis is keeping its head
Which is harder – being a department store best known for its ranges in the execrable home market, or a grocer selling premium food to the middle classes, with a reputation for prices to match?
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OpinionA guide to banishing Pestonitis
Despite the media’s obsession with doom and gloom, there is still plenty to feel optimistic about
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Opinion
Life tastes good at Sainsbury’s
In two weeks’ time it’s Sainsbury’s turn to update, when the grocer issues its fourth-quarter figures.
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Opinion
John Lewis in fashion
John Lewis will dip its toes into the choppy waters of online fashion e-tailing with the launch of its own version of online fashion giant Asos.com.
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Opinion
IT uncovers a promotions gap
The results of a major survey of retail IT directors from around the world shows that many companies have been caught short when it comes to being able to maximise the benefit they get from running promotions.
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Opinion
Landlords should oppose rate rises as well
It’s encouraging to see so many retail heavyweights behind Retail Week’s rates campaign. But one group that’s noticeable for its lack of volume is the landlords.
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Opinion
Without Principles
Last week another store chain hit the outer circle of hell known as administration. This time it was Principles and the news is that the stores are to go, but Debenhams will mop up the stock, keeping the brand alive in its branches - for the time being, at least.