The comment column is for retail professionals to have their say. Whether responding to published opinion, reacting to or challenging reports or commenting on retail trends and predictions this is where you can gauge sentiment on all sorts of retail focussed topics.
Printing giant HP has urged European retailers to innovate with the in-store shopping experience in order to expand and grow in today’s current economic environment. Kobi Elbaz, director, client solutions, HP Personal Systems Group, said the accelerating rate of technological
News eBay has seen a 25% increase in the number of million pound businesses trading on its site and 98% of them are boosting sales through exports highlights the online opportunity for SMEs, according to e-commerce platform provider, ChannelAdvisor. Julia
Tracy Ewen, managing director at independent commercial finance provider, IGF, argues small businesses need advice on accessing the government’s £20m relief fund set up to help businesses get up and running again after the recent riots in the UK “Isn’t
As businesses and householders pick up the pieces after the recent riots in cities and towns around the country, a rarely used and commonly misunderstood law that allows people to gain compensation when they were not insured, or their cover
The ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores), has welcomed the prime minister’s announcement of a package of measures to help communities and businesses affected by the recent riots in England. ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We called for the
Leading UK end-to-end supply chain consultancy Crimson & Co considers the impact of the recent riots, looting and stock losses on the supply chain. Dave Alberts, sales director, said: “The worst night of civil disorder in living memory has again
Leading UK business insurance broker, Simply Business, is urging retailers affected by the recent riots to contact the police and their insurance company as soon as possible. Jason Stockwood, CEO at Simply Business, said: “For the businesses and landlords who have
Independent retailers need a boost to keep pace with changing UK high streets, argues Jason Stockwood, CEO at insurance provider, Simply Business “Britain’s high streets are in the midst of a radical change – and retailers need concrete government support
Retailers in the homewares sector are suffering the most from the lack of economic growth, according to accountants Baker Tilly. Baker Tilly has conducted its own analysis of administrations from the London Gazette following the Q2 2011 retail insolvency statistics
Stronger than expected pricing prompted Unilever’s organic sales growth to beat expectations comfortably in Q2, according to financial services firm, Matrix. Unilever’s sales grew by +7.1% in the second quarter, up from +4.3% in Q1. According to Matrix, the scale
MPs have concluded a Grocery Code Adjudicator remains necessary to prevent abusive practices taking place in the supply chain. They have also accepted recommendation made by ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) and others to strengthen the proposed legislation. They
Despite the rise in UK retail sales in June, Emmanuel Hembert, principal at consultants, AT Kearney, fears stormy waters ahead “In May we described a bloodbath on the high street, yet the UK retail figures in June have shown a
Saurabh Toteja, business manager retail and consumer sector at ICT company Mahindra Satyam, on the retail challenges of global expansion “The economic downturn is forcing a string of high street retailers to take radical restructuring steps or face possible administration,
Like-for-like sales at Marks & Spencer, rose 1.7% in the 13 weeks to 2 July 2011, the retailer reported today. Like-for-like general merchandise sales, comprising clothing, footwear and homewares, were flat, while food sales were up 3.3 %. Commenting on
The European Court of Justice today struck a blow to eBay in its fight against L’Oréal and other brand owners over liability for counterfeit goods sold on its website, claims intellectual property specialists, Marks & Clerk. The Court ruled eBay
UK retailers have limited opportunity for profit growth in the domestic market but better chances overseas, according to the insurance firm Legal & General. Richard Black, fund manager of the Legal & General UK equity income fund, said: “The British high
As a campaign to highlight the important role independent retailers play within the retail sector gets underway, Keith Bird, CEO of e-commerce solution supplier, eSellerPro argues independents can compete with multiple retailers online “High street retailing is virtually on its
Law firm Thomas Egger claims retailers can look to reduce the impact of public spending cuts on their bottom line by franchising stores. Chocolate retailer Thorntons, for example, currently has around 360 company-owned stores and about 230 franchises throughout the
Emmanuel Hembert, principal at global strategy consultancy, claims Brazil is emerging as the leading economy in the world today. “It appears that Brazil now holds the power,” Hembert said. “Here at AT Kearney, we recently released our 2011 Global Retail
Thames Valley and south coast accountant and business advisor, James Cowper, has put together a list of the 10 most common warning signs of potential trouble in a retail business, following the collapse of a number of leading retailers over recent
Emmanuel Hembert, principal at global strategy consultancy, AT Kearney, has warned of austere conditions on the UK high street. “It’s a bloodbath on the high street,” Hembert said. “We urged caution about the unexpectedly upbeat retail figures in March and
New EU rules, which will give online buyers longer to send back items they do not want, will put small etailers at risk, claims a leading e-commerce solution supplier. Keith Bird, CEO at eSellerPro, said: “The news online retailers from
The removal of multi-buy promotions won’t solve the food waste problem, argues Andrew Copson, managing director at packaging manufacturer Sharpak There has been much debate surrounding recent local government calculations, which suggest households are wasting £520 every year on food
Top global brands including McDonald’s, Microsoft, Vodafone and China Mobile are using Webtrends to measure and improve their online, mobile and social presence, according to the analytics company. The brands, which feature in the top 10 brands globally in the
Brands must engage with consumers on social networks, according to e-commerce provider, ChannelAdvisor. It claims businesses, including Procter & Gamble (P&G), are simply recreating their existing e-commerce sites on Facebook. While this is becoming a fairly common approach, a smarter
