All Opinion articles
Most recent first.
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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
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Opinion‘How retailers operate will change post-Budget as they confront new economic reality’
‘Last week’s Budget is likely to prompt changes to the operating models of retailers as they seek to adapt to new economic realities, believes BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson
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Opinion‘Next’s membership of retail’s billion club is likely to be longer-lived than some’
Big-name retailers have made profits of £1bn only to fade afterward. Next looks likely to beat that trend, argues George MacDonald
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Opinion‘Consumer sentiment is low but some retailers can still be optimistic about golden quarter’
Retailers that can make consumers feel like their purchase is essential or make products feel like an affordable treat are likely to have the greatest success this Christmas, maintains PwC’s Lisa Hooker
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Opinion‘As Mike Ashley steps back into the ring, why is he set on Boohoo for his comeback fight?’
The sector held its breath this morning as one of retail’s last great heavyweights stepped back into the ring. But why now, for Mike Ashley? And, more importantly, why Boohoo? Asks news editor Hugh Radojev
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Opinion‘Last Sunday my daughter and I watched a shoplifter headbutt a store worker outside Sainsbury’s’
Retailers need to seek fresh ways to ensure a genuine understanding of the unacceptable pressure that store colleagues face, says Charlotte Hardie
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Opinion‘It will take more than delisting and taking the business private to transform N Brown’
N Brown is the latest retailer to go private. Whether it could have pursued a successful strategy as a public company may be a moot point, but changing the ownership structure alone won’t be enough to save it, says George MacDonald
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Opinion‘Despite the consumer gloom, retailers still need to prepare for a hyper-competitve Black Friday’
While consumers are still price concious after the cost-of-living crisis, the coming Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events still promise to be super lucrative for UK retailers – provided they can seize the opportunities writes YouGov’s UK head of consumer insights Sarika Rana.
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Opinion‘The Employment Rights Bill will hit retail harder than most’
Increased costs, changes to dismissal rules and preventing sexual harassment are among the factors retailers must consider as the new government shakes up employment policy, cautions Anna Elliott
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Opinion‘As JLP’s Kankiwala steps back, will he be the retailer’s last chief executive as well as its first?’
He may be low profile, but Nish Kankiwala looks as if he has played a big part in preparing John Lewis for renewed success, says George MacDonald
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Opinion‘Government commitments are welcome but now it’s about turning words into action’
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson reports back from the recent Labour Party conference, which brought an opportunity for retail to influence the decision makers of the next five years on key issues such as business rates and crime
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Opinion‘Retail’s tech transformation doesn’t have to be all or nothing’
Can you be a market-leading retailer if tech investment decisions lie outside the c-suite, asks AlixPartners’ Brian Kalms
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Opinion‘The retail sector can’t rely on Keir to deliver a dose of Christmas cheer’
The new government’s party conference didn’t do much to dispel an atmosphere of doom and gloom. As the golden quarter advances, retailers will need to take a DIY approach to spreading the festive cheer that keeps tills ringing, says George MacDonald.
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Opinion‘John Lewis ad has started a conversation, but I’m not sold just yet’
The splash made by John Lewis’ new advert is testament to the retailer’s influence, but it needs to be easier for people to understand the message, believes Kantar’s Lynne Deason
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Opinion‘Will it be zillionth time lucky for Oxford Street pedestrianisation?’
Previous Oxford Street pedestrianisation plans have come to naught, but retailers will hope that differences this time around may lead to a big enhancement of the under-pressure shopping destination, says George MacDonald
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Opinion‘Mohsin Issa’s Asda departure paves the way for Lord Rose to bring much-needed stability’
With Asda sales tanking and its market share in free fall, Mohsin Issa stepping down from running the business finally paves the way for new leadership to bring a semblance of stability back to the business, writes news editor Hugh Radojev
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Opinion‘Plenty of lessons can be learned from unusual Tesco fire and rehire court case’
There are a number of lessons to be learned from the Supreme Court’s ruling against Tesco’s practice for firing employees and re-hiring them under new contracts.
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Opinion‘As Asda flounders and Aldi’s sales slow, the battle for this year’s Christmas table will dictate grocery success’
The seasonal showdown in grocery may be particularly interesting this year at the value end of the market where Aldi, Lidl and Asda will slug it out amid shifting dynamics, says George MacDonald
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Opinion‘Confidence has recovered but scar tissue remains in the collective consumer psyche’
Improving fundamentals, evolving consumer behaviour and rapidly developing technologies present scope for investment value creation, believes Matt Truman