All articles by Hanna Hua
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AnalysisFive ways Cornish fashion brand Seasalt will continue to outperform the market
Seasalt is a rapidly growing lifestyle clothing brand that differentiates through its Cornish heritage and places social and environmental responsibility at its core.
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AnalysisRetail Horizon 2024: How AI will help retailers unlock their growth potential
The pace of technology development and consumer adoption is accelerating at a breathtaking speed, and retailers must find ways to stay ahead.
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AnalysisRetail Horizon 2024: Technology
Retail Horizon 2024 is Retail Week’s exclusive strategic toolkit for subscribers.
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AnalysisRetail Horizon 2024: Consumer
Retail Horizon 2024 is Retail Week’s exclusive strategic toolkit for subscribers.
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five ways Marks Electrical is disrupting its competitors
In its most recent update, Marks Electrical reported a 24.8% increase in revenue, making it the UK’s fastest-growing electrical retailer. Firmly establishing itself as a challenger to larger competitors such as Currys and AO, what can others learn from its success?
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DataRanking: The 30 fastest-growing fashion retailers revealed
It has been a tough few years for fashion, and retailers have been battling to lead on style, value and quality despite skyrocketing return rates, competition for customer loyalty and bold sustainability targets.
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five ways Very Group aims to be a world-class digital leader
The Retail Week analyst team examines five ways the digital retailer The Very Group is striving to become a “world-class” leader in its field.
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five ways The Works’ elevation strategy will win consumer spend
The Works is on a mission to change its legacy perception as a “pile it high, sell it cheap” discounter. As its “better, not just bigger” refocused strategy accelerates, the retailer topped Retail Week’s fastest-growing value ranking for 2021/22. We explore its five key drivers to profitability as consumer confidence lifts.
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five ways Lush is building its brand identity to accelerate future growth
With an overriding ethos focused on “leaving the world Lusher than we found it”, the Retail Week analyst team explores five ways Lush is strengthening its brand identity to drive future growth
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AnalysisFive ways Shein is disrupting fashion as it posts £1bn in UK sales
In September 2023, Shein’s UK business posted £1.1bn in sales and a pre-tax profit of £12.2m in the 16 months to December 31, 2022, according to a Companies House filing. Here are the key things you need to know about this ecommerce powerhouse and how it is making waves in the fashion industry
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DataForecast: Who will win in grocery as inflation begins to ease?
Grocery spend increased by 8.4% and 8.7% on a total and like-for-like basis respectively in the three months to July, according to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. This compares to a 1.5% increase for retail overall. With high rates of food inflation, value has been the key focus and, despite transaction value increasing, volumes have been in decline.
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: How travel versus high street is playing out at WHSmith
WHSmith has been dependent on its growing travel division to offset a long-term sales decline across the high street, where annual revenues are now little over half 2010 levels. As its latest results show, the travel division is growing rapidly, but after years of cost-cutting its high street estate is now in dire need of investment. Our Retail Week analysts examine WHSmith’s performance and priorities for both divisions as the retailer continues to invest in one and cut costs in the other
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AnalysisFive key factors driving Marks & Spencer’s turnaround
As Marks & Spencer returns to the FTSE 100 after a four-year absence, Retail Week looks at five key factors driving its turnaround.
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AnalysisBoots vs Superdrug: battle of the high street health and beauty heroes
As they continue to innovate both on- and offline and right-size their store estates, both retailers’ financial upward trajectories are expected to gain momentum. But which health and beauty retailer will emerge victorious when we put them head to head?
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five ways Tesco is storming ahead of its big four peers
Despite squeezed consumer spending and the growing discounter threat, market leader Tesco has consistently held on to its dominant market share. Amid initial signs of food inflation starting to ease, our Retail Week analysts examine five ways we expect the grocery giant to intensify its focus and maintain its competitive advantage
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five ways Pets at Home will retain its position as pack leader
Pets at Home has ambitious plans to unleash the ‘world’s best pet care platform’, but will it manage to stay one step ahead with Jollyes snapping at its heels?
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: Five ways Fast Retailing is driving growth
While it is still only half the size of Inditex in terms of total sales, Uniqlo’s Japanese parent company Fast Retailing is intent on closing the gap with the world’s two largest clothing retailers, H&M in second place and the Spanish giant firmly in the top slot
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DataForecast: How the sports and outdoor sector continues to excel
The Retail Week analyst team forecasts that the UK sports and outdoor market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6% in the five years to 2026/27 as retailers fight to gain market share in this lucrative category
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AnalysisStrategy spotlight: How AO is pivoting to profitable growth as Frasers Group snaps up stake
As Frasers Group snaps up a 19% stake in AO, the two retailers are “looking forward to realising the significant potential” of working more closely in partnership.
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Opinion‘Facial recognition is everywhere in China and people seem OK with it’
Returning to China, Retail Week analyst Hanna Hua shares her experience of how technology such as facial recognition, payments and robots is transforming shopping. Can such dramatic change be expected in the UK?