Opinion – Page 338
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Opinion
There are some store design benefits to a downturn
One of the unexpected consequences of a recession is that things get done better and quicker. Walking the floor of French department store Printemps' Paris flagship with its chairman and chief executive (two for the price of one must be a bonus in the current climate) last week, it was ...
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Opinion
Baugurs house of cards collapses
A chill fell on the high street in more ways than one this week. As the big freeze bit, Icelandic investor Baugur filed for its home country’s equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
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OpinionIt's time to regain your margin
I joked in a previous column that some of us might visit our shops in December, hear Wham’s Last Christmas and genuinely wonder whether it might be. I rather wish I hadn’t now.
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Opinion
Staff engagement is vital in recession
Arguments apportioning blame for the recession, whether on the inmates of Downing Street, the boardrooms of global banks or elsewhere, risk becoming academic and mired in partisanship. Only one thing is clear: no matter whose fault it is, it is our recession now.
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Opinion
Jessops needs to snap to it
Few were more surprised than the City when Jessops posted robust Christmas trading figures. For many, the sight of the specialist camera retailer edging towards the top of the festive performance league table and sitting happily near Somerfield and Waitrose was nothing short of a miracle.
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Opinion
Iceland should cut the Baugur cord
The meltdown of Icelandic investor Baugur has implications for frozen food chain Iceland, and the management need to take charge.
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Opinion
Baugur's loss is retailers' gain
The final death throes of Baugur’s retail empire are being very publicly played out, but the brands in which it has stakes should breathe a quick sigh of relief and move on with the business of retailing.
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Opinion
Snow shows the web is a lifeline for consumers
The snow of early this week highlighted just how important the internet has become to society. Retailers should take every opportunity they get to benefit from this.
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Opinion
Prupim's monthly rent offer comes with strings attached
The news that landlord Prupim has offered retailers monthly rent payments is to be welcomed wholeheartedly. But the move does raise a number of questions.
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Opinion
Regent Street: don't waste the recession
‘A recession is a terrible thing to waste,’ said Kevin Roche, a director at US store design company Callison, last week in what might, at first glance, appear to be a distinctly counter-intuitive moment.
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Opinion
Tesco talks fashion
Tesco will launch a new-look clothing website in autumn. Will it be enough to take on the might of online leaders such as Asos? And will it be enough to take on value giants such as Primark and George?
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OpinionRetail space is becoming a Waste Land
Two weeks ago this organ reported that 300 of the 815 Woolworths stores had “been secured or are under negotiation”.
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OpinionIt’s evolution, plain and simple
The recession is returning balance to business and extinction is the right course for many.
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Opinion
Is the Government Backing UK Retail?
You hopefully won’t have been able to avoid noticing Retail Week’s Backing UK Retail campaign, which we’ve been running across the magazine and website throughout January. Events this week show exactly why the campaign is needed.
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Opinion
Troubled Stylo acts with honour
“This is not about the mass closure of Barratts, it’s quite the opposite. What’s been put out for creditors to vote on is the rescue of the company.”
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Opinion
Mosaic wise to assess options as Iceland rebuilds
A change of government in Iceland heralds a new start for the country, and may signal a thawing of the glacial process of evaluating the UK retail assets held by the administrators to its banks.
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Opinion
Plenty to do in retail IT
Retail IT departments can pay for themselves many times over, so a recession is the worst time to try and save money by making IT staff cuts.
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Opinion
The lines of communication are still open
Those of you lucky enough to be at Retail Week’s Property Directors Forum last Thursday will have seen a truly lively set of discussions unfold.
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Opinion
The retail banking crisis
Type “store design” into the search box on Vimeo's home page and hundreds of short videos, including some excellent Retail Week inclusions, will be available for your perusal. And strangely, among these, there's even a short clip showing a bank at Piccadilly with a swish new interior.
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Opinion
Morrisons takes the crown
Morrisons outperformed the industry over the Christmas period, but as we officially enter a recession, can it stay on top this year and continue to beat Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda?