All Opinion articles
Most recent first.
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Opinion‘ONS figures add unnecessarily to retail doom and gloom’
Yes, the retail industry faces challenges, but the way the official sales data is presented risks distorting the picture, believes George MacDonald
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Opinion‘Why we are more downbeat on the UK retail outlook’
It’s hard to believe how the mood music of shoppers and retailers has changed since last year’s general election, observes Shore Capital’s Clive Black
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Opinion‘Are the lights turning back on in the home and furniture market?’
Updates from DFS and Dunelm this week struck a cautious note, but there are signs of life in the home goods category, including a big move by Primark, believes George MacDonald
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Opinion‘Consumers are now looking for experiences beyond simple transactions’
‘As consumers increasingly seek experience and entertainment, there’s an opportunity for retailers to consider anew what ‘space’ can entail, believes agency Household’s Kate Walmsley
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Opinion‘There was no Christmas cheer at Asda, but don’t rule out a happier new year’
Asda, grocery’s leftover sprout at Christmas, will be one of the stories of the year as it battles to turn around performance under new chair Allan Leighton, says George MacDonald
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Opinion‘A Christmas profit warning is inauspicious, but retail has reasons to be cheerful about 2025’
Despite a hefty profit warning from Shoe Zone, as long as retailers overall meet muted Christmas expectations then City appetite for their shares could pick up in the new year, writes George MacDonald
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Opinion‘Don’t waste a cost crisis – it can catalyse much-needed change’
Economic pressure forces evolution, observes AlixPartners’ Brian Kalms. Now is the time to break free from outmoded business models
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Opinion‘At Christmas most people shop with their hearts and if they can spend, they will’
Dire predictions about retail’s Christmas performance are almost as traditional as holly and mistletoe, but rarely come true, says Charlotte Hardie
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Opinion‘Twenty years on, is a boutique-style M&S store an idea whose time has come?’
Marks & Spencer’s pilot fashion and beauty store in Battersea is a very different proposition from the retailer’s usual approach to fashion. The format may bring challenges but is likely to prove worthwhile, believes George MacDonald
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Opinion‘As retail media grows, the roles of chief marketing officers are evolving rapidly’
Marketing directors must embrace the skills needed to stay competitive in a new era of retail, observes headhunter Clarity’s Fran Minogue and Callum Loader
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Opinion‘Perhaps there’s something retailers should admire in Jaguar’s rebrand’
Ensuring continued brand relevance relies on the drive and vision of people willing to take risks. You only need to look at the once much-loved retail brands that haven’t survived to be reminded of that, argues Charlotte Hardie
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Opinion‘After years of erosion, it’s time to reclaim retail’s lost profit pool’
Retail’s profit margins have been eroded over years, but OC&C’s Matt Coode has some imaginative ideas about how they can be boosted by embracing the great position of strength retailers hold as a window to the consumer
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Opinion‘Allan Leighton has turned Asda around once, but can he do it again?’
Since being appointed as executive chair of Asda a few days ago, Allan Leighton has been making all the right noises, believes George MacDonald
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Opinion‘The Lords committee believes high streets can flourish again – this is why’
The challenges faced by high streets are surmountable if change is embraced, believes Lord Moylan, chair of the House of Lords’ Built Environment Committee, as he publishes the findings of a committee inquiry on the subject
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Opinion‘Christmas adverts have become too centred around a carrot and a bunch of copy-carrots’
Christmas adverts have become centred around a carrot and a bunch of copy-carrots, and it’s time retail led the industry through some well-needed step changes once again, writes Lucky Generals chief executive Cressida Holmes-Smith.
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Opinion‘Retailers are heading into a challenging period of adjustment post-Budget’
To make the numbers work post-Budget, retailers face tough choices to balance spiralling costs with the need to invest in productivity-enhancing areas such as technology. There is some action they can take though, points out Alvarez & Marsal’s Erin Brookes
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Opinion‘Retailers who miss the shift in customer interactions are likely to face an existential risk’
Shoppers are taking inspiration and guidance from a much wider range of sources than their preferred retailer, observes Accenture Song’s Sarah Lambert. That means retailers need to reach customers in new ways across new formats
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Opinion‘Entire retail industry is scratching its head to find a way to make the numbers work post-Budget’
Unexpected extra costs imposed in the recent Budget have left retailers reeling in shock. They will need all their legendary resilience to leap the hurdles placed in their way by the government, warns Charlotte Hardie
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Opinion‘Grocers’ Budget anger is understandable, but passing on the pain to consumers would be unforgivable’
The supermarkets have led an uncharacteristically brutal retail response to the recent Budget. While grocers have every right to feel aggrieved, Hugh Radojev writes, they’d do well to have a good hard think before passing costs onto their consumers
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Opinion‘Retail needs to sit up and listen to every available different way of thinking’
It may feel as if the retail industry is embracing the challenge of change, but Julia Reynolds wonders whether too often it’s surveying the scene through the wrong end of the telescope