Opinion – Page 336
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Opinion
Business rates issue can’t wait
Alistair Darling is a busy man at the moment, so perhaps it’s an achievement in itself that he has responded to Retail Week’s Rate Rage campaign and acknowledged the severe problems that retailers are facing.
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OpinionRetail must play the long game
The free market model certainly has its benefits, but the recession is highlighting its limits too, says Mark Price
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OpinionSir Stuart Rose and Tony Shiret: the dream team?
Tony Shiret caused a stir on Monday with a damning note on Marks & Spencer.
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Opinion
Only well-led retailers will get backing
In testing times it’s human nature to turn to the knowledge and experience of leaders.
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Opinion
Tesco's victory puts the cat among the pigeons
Tesco recorded a landmark victory over the Competition Commission this week, winning its appeal over the proposed competition test in the planning system. Does this throw the other recommendations from the Commission into doubt?
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Opinion
Mosaic pre-pack is a matter of Principles
The news that former Principles co-founder Peter Davies might be forced out of the running to snap up the brand is not good news for the high street.
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Opinion
IT security suffers in downturn
Retailers are getting better at vetting the companies they work with when it comes to protecting their data. While this is important they must remember not to take their eye off the ball close to home.
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Opinion
Councils need to take a bigger hand in boosting the high street
When does a problem for business become a problem for governments? If the business in question is a bank, pretty quickly. But not everyone gets the same treatment as banks.
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Opinion
Don't let the recession overshadow store design priorities
Taking the temperature of the retail design market recently, it was interesting to learn that Selfridges might be looking at its cost base - which retailer isn't? - but is also investing in new areas at its London flagship and at its Manchester branch.
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Opinion
Asda means business in grocers' price war
It's payday, and the big grocers are parking their tanks on each other's lawns as a new front opens in the price war.
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Opinion
Don't write off Fresh & Easy
The weekend story that Tesco had “got it wrong in the US” made for great headlines but didn’t reflect the bigger picture.
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Opinion
A new lease of life for Bhs?
Sir Philip Green’s decision to merge Bhs into Arcadia didn’t grab many headlines this week. Strange really, because while no money might have changed hands this could turn out to be one of the most significant retail tie-ups of the year.
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Opinion
Retailers get channel hopping
More than a decade on from when the internet first began to have an impact on retailers’ businesses, the majority of the UK’s biggest and best retailers now have a multichannel presence.
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Opinion
London Fashion Week: let's hear it for the boys
This week London Fashion Week dedicated an entire day to menswear shows for the first time in its 25-year history.
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Opinion
Data doesn't compute say supply chain experts
After surveying nearly 400 supply chain executives in 25 countries, IT giant IBM has come to the conclusion that the main problem they face is that they can’t make sense of all the data they have.
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Opinion
Retailers are holding all the cards
Quite how tough things are for those that own property at the moment is becoming clearer with every passing week. Last week’s news that retail’s self-confessed 'Del Boy' Chris Dawson is in the process of building a make-shift portfolio of stores is proof that for landlords, any retail tenant is ...
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Opinion
Finding store design inspiration in the most unusual places
It's high time retailers looked beyond their competitors for store design inspiration and spread the net further afield. There are new tricks to be learnt and ideas to take on board, if only retailers will look around.
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Opinion
Brands and nostalgia: the new dynamic in food
Comfort eating has taken on a new meaning in these downbeat, recessionary times.
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Opinion
Getting JJB match-fit again
Like Didier Drogba, sports retailer JJB has spent more time on the bench than in competition of late. Once hailed as a premiership business, JJB has been teetering on the brink of permanent relegation for several seasons – outplayed by rivals such as Sports Direct and top of the league ...
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Opinion
History can't prepare us for this recession
Retailers are almost all suffering from low sales, tightening gross margins, pressure on costs and difficulty in simply retaining existing borrowing facilities.