Opinion – Page 358
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Opinion
French-British meeting of retail minds
The Entente Cordiale was signed in London in 1904 – exactly 100 years after Bonaparte had signed the Napoleonic Code in France (when cross-channel intentions were rather more discordant).
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Opinion
The truth about the recession
While there’s some scaremongering going on, retailers do need to prepare for hard times
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Opinion
Rose is in the driving seat
The problem with the row over Sir Stuart Rose’s elevation to executive chairman of Marks & Spencer is that there is no right answer.
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Opinion
Moss Bros could be a late developer
The Mothercare that released its fourth-quarter results this morning is a far cry from the mess that chief executive Ben Gordon inherited in 2002.
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Opinion
Two cheers for Cheshire
By the time Sir Geoff Mulcahy was edged out of Kingfisher he had transformed the retailer’s valuation from £100 million to £5.6 billion. Mulcahy gave back £29.50 for every £1 from investors.
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Opinion
Self-service with a smile
Earlier this year, Retail Week wrote about technology analyst IDC’s forecast that this year would be the year when self-service technology would begin to take off in Europe (Retail Week, January 31).
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Opinion
Empty property rates mean bad news
Prime Minister Gordon Brown isn’t popular in many camps at the moment. And the retail property market is no exception.
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Opinion
When bling is not the thing
It’s always interesting to witness the progress of a store format from first iteration to fully evolved interior and a good example of the process at work is the manner in which Next has approached its Home format.
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Opinion
Credit crunch won’t dampen grocers’ spirits
Retailers face their toughest year of trading since the early 1990s, as consumer confidence plummets, energy bills soar and house prices stagnate, but the UK's supermarkets do not seem to have read the script.
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Opinion
Credit crunch is not over yet
It looks as if the credit crunch has claimed its first big retail scalp. Last week, US book- seller Borders had to seek emergency funding to the tune of US$42.5 million (£21.3 million) from shareholder Pershing Square.
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Opinion
Nature’s way weeds out the weakest
I am not advocating that you start the day with a cold shower, but, as my complete ignorance about gardening evaporates slowly, I have become aware that a sustained dose of cold weather does your garden some good.
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Opinion
Airport retail needs personality
As Terminal 5 opens, owners and retailers need to work together to lift the shopping experience
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Opinion
The Retail Week – March 28, 2008
New Kingfisher boss Ian Cheshire has a three-year plan to revitalise the embattled international DIY retail giant – or at least he will have, after spending most of the next year planning the plan.
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Opinion
Store manager's diary: a lesson in turning store hierarchy on its head
Following our recent management restructure, we decided to invest in a seven-week training programme for the 600 key commercial managers in stores.
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Opinion
Not everyone is feeling the pinch
We’ve heard an awful lot about the collapse in consumer confidence. But how low has it fallen? And how much is simply retailers moaning and media hype?
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Opinion
Easter puts spring in the step
Over the past week, fashion retailers have faced the perfect storm with the early Easter holiday weekend, rent day, consumer confidence and snow all falling at once.
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Opinion
Do centres have it covered?
While those who booked Easter weekends by the sea were cursing the British weather, UK shopping centres – with their covered roofs – hit the jackpot.
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Opinion
Back to the future
In April, Sainsbury’s Merton store will celebrate its second anniversary. The occasion is likely to pass unnoticed by most, but those with sharp eyes and longish memories may remember how the store looked when it reopened.
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Opinion
Sainsbury’s fingers in many pies
When Sainsbury’s updates on its fourth-quarter trading next Wednesday, the sector will be scrutinising its figures for more evidence of a wider slowdown in the grocery sector.
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Opinion
Quick payment at your fingertips
Today, sandwich shop EAT announced that it’s the first merchant to go live with a contactless payment system that is integrated with its EPoS software.