Opinion time is the voice of retailers & retail industry figures, find out what they have to say here on Retail Times
Customer satisfaction surveys and mystery shopper provider, Retail Eyes, gives retailers five top service tips to boost sales this Christmas Tip 1: Stay calm at all times The busiest time of year for retailers is Christmas and having to deal
Jeremy Lune, head of retail at CLIC Sargent Cancer Care for Children, claims charity shops have a well-deserved and rightful place on Britain’s high streets Shopping expert, Mary Portas, has raised eyebrows with a proposal to limit the number of
Stewart Hunter, group operational performance officer at mobile marketing agency Somo, argues retailers need to embrace m-commerce but risk missing out on sales with ineffective apps Mobile commerce, or m-commerce, is fast becoming the hottest trend in retail as almost
It’s clear a thought through, well executed multi-channel strategy can have huge benefits for a retailer’s bottom-line – but how can sellers optimise their use of online channels when it comes to big seasonal shopping events? With Christmas fast-approaching, Keith
Emmanuel Hembert, principal in the retail practice at management consultants, AT Kearney, predicts the battle for share of Christmas spend on the UK high street will be fierce and claims further casualties are inevitable “As the Christmas lights are switched
Bill Farmer, CEO of network security specialist, Mako Networks, on the challenges smaller businesses face to become PCI DSS compliant It’s been nearly a year since the second version of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) came
Duncan Vaughan, associate, corporate & commercial, at business law firm DWF, claims retail store cards could provide a more accurate snapshot of the population than the Office for National Statistics’ 10-yearly census After the Office for National Statistics recently admitted
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is calling on Energy Minister Chris Huhne to protect local shops against the unfair practices it claims are employed by energy companies. Under current regulations, energy companies can back bill retailers and other small
Keith Bird, CEO at eSellerPro, tells Retail Times readers what he expects to see next as online retail shakes off its growing pains and heads into adulthood Whilst the past 15 years have seen the birth and formative years of
Retail Times has teamed up with e-commerce software supplier, eSellerPro, to launch an e-surgery for online and multi-channel sellers. In the first clinic, Keith Bird, CEO at eSellerPro, tackles questions on e-commerce technology Q&A 1 Q: I already sell online
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
