Opinion – Page 368
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Opinion
Great products will help retailers beat tough times
Retailers may be worrying about the credit crunch hitting consumer spending, but two fashion retailers’ stellar performances this week have proved that with the right product, customers will come flocking.
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Opinion
Brace yourselves for frostbite
All the signs say Christmas will be a tough nut to crack, but let’s try to make opportunities
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Opinion
UK retailers are ready for the US
“If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” sang Frank Sinatra, but it could equally be Sir Philip Green, Sir Terry Leahy or Charles Dunstone’s refrain as each sets out on the most ambitious mission of their distinguished retail careers.
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Opinion
Advise staff as well as customers
News emerged last week that hosted CRM software vendor Salesforce.com has been subject to a data theft, after an employee fell victim to a phishing attack.
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Opinion
St Pancras is a shopping haven
Last week, the Queen reopened St Pancras station and the new Channel Tunnel rail terminal for Eurostar and said she hoped that people would consider it as a destination and not just as a station.
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Opinion
In praise of the suburb
Surrey. It’s a state of mind more than a place – a universe peopled by hefty four-wheel drivers and the gin and Jag set.
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Opinion
Independents stare into the grocery abyss
It’s been a tumultuous week for three of the four big grocers. Tesco opened the doors on its Fresh & Easy stores in the US, Delta Two’s bid for Sainsbury’s collapsed and Asda posted disappointing profits in its 2006 accounts at Companies House.
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Opinion
Local online presence will impress shoppers
The milestone for us this month has been the launch of our own local web site. It’s a useful tool for us in store that allows us to take control of our local marketing.
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Opinion
Peak staff are key for Christmas
Temps need as much nurturing as permanent staff to ensure a prosperous festive season.
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Opinion
King faces his toughest times
When Arabian royals come knocking to buy your company, doubts about them having deep enough pockets are probably the last thing that will enter your mind.
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Opinion
East meets West at Uniqlo
For one retailer, the phrase “once bitten twice shy” does not apply, seemingly. Uniqlo has returned to the UK in style, with the launch of a flagship store in London’s Oxford Street.
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Opinion
Commission findings are nonsensical – again
Most commentators talk about the national struggle between Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s; price wars, loyalty cards, TV advertising, customer service campaigns.
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Opinion
Don’t make working capital an easy target
It seems unfair to pick on the same retailer within a few weeks, so I am going to pick on targets as a way of running a business.
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Opinion
Customer focus is key to Torex revival
Technology analysts and suppliers have been lecturing retailers on the importance of listening to their customers for a while now.
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Opinion
Sustainability is becoming more important
The BCSC Conference and Showcase kicked off this morning with a call to action on sustainability.
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Opinion
B&Q’s store makeovers are moving too slowly
Hurrying through the two-floor B&Q in Sutton, it’s hard not to notice that something is afoot. Signs are everywhere, apologising for the fact that building works are under way as part of creating a newer – and presumably better – B&Q that will have more of what shoppers want.
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Opinion
Grocery inquiry is food for thought for big four
A day after the dust has settled on the Competition Commission’s provisional findings report, retail executives at the big four supermarkets have a lot to think about.
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Opinion
Fashion sector faces busy week
Next week is a busy one in the retail calendar. As well as the long-anticipated opening of Tesco’s first stores in the US, the long-overdue Sainsbury’s Delta Two bid deadline and the much-hyped UK launch of the iPhone, fashion will once again be under the microscope.
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Opinion
Big four are the winners of grocery inquiry
“Be careful what you wish for,” the saying goes, and that must be how the wearisome hordes who rail against supermarkets felt after the Competition Commission’s eagerly awaited inquiry into the grocery market was published this week.