Category: meaning in the retail madness
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Is it right to celebrate beautiful retailing, from less than beautiful retailers?
in branding & visual communication, brave-words, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, fast fashion, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, pre-loved, product suppliers, re-sell, recycling, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail organisations, retail strategy, secondhand, store experience, store theatre, supply-chains, sustainability, visual merchandisingIs it right to celebrate beautiful retailing, from less than beautiful retailers? This is a conundrum I consider every time I come across an amazing new shop, but from a business I prefer not to buy from. Can creativity be tainted by its retail context? In the same way that we are often told to…
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‘Is Brand more important than Product?’ A question for students at the London College of Fashion. (LCF)
in assortment structure planning, branding & visual communication, disruptive retail, fashion accessories, fast fashion, ladies fashion, luxury, meaning in the retail madness, menswear, new retail, retail, retail businesses, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, social savvy, telling product stories, visual merchandising, website excellenceI am pleased to say I will soon be embarking on my annual collaborative challenge module with the staff & students of the London College of Fashion. Always a fascinating period of my year, absorbing the enthusiasm and energy of another generation of designers & young retailers. The students are so tech native that visual…
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How do retailers get better? The art and science of ‘looking inside’ and of ‘looking outside!’
in analytics, assortment structure planning, customer-engagement, in-store services, meaning in the retail madness, omni-channel retailing, packaging, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, store layout, store operations, supply-chains, VManalyticsWhen we look at what we do, as commercially viable and successful retailers, there is no great mystery. The functions that we must address largely span developing a product assortment, building a supply chain, developing shops, e-commerce, and routes to market, manning everything from head office to stores with competent and loyal employees, and then…
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Lush cleaning up with festival-goers as it evolves ‘Customer location planning’
in accessories, branding & visual communication, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, health & beauty, high street planning, location strategy, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, omni-channel retailing, pop-up stores, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, shop of the future, store experience, store theatreBeauty brand Lush has recently been in the news with its pop-up shops & shampoo parlours at some of the UK’s largest music festivals, notably WOMAD & Bluedot. Never a brand to stand still, this is an innovative move that is based around some very sensible strategies, and a realisation that being a successful retailer…
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It is simply ‘Common Sense’ to balance ‘Artificial intelligence’ with Retail People.
in analytics, assortment structure planning, branding & visual communication, brave-words, customer experience, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, personalisation, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, shop of the future, technology & electricalAnother day, and another AI (Artificial Intelligence) story. It would seen that necessity is overtaking novelty if the volume of copy is anything to go by, even if the specific needs are still often very much in the cloud. Undoubtedly recent history will repeat itself, with investment and popular hysteria chasing the latest billion dollar…
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Marks & Spencer looking good, by making ‘Less look commercially attractive!’
in assortment structure planning, customer experience, fashion accessories, food & drink, high street planning, home, kids fashion, ladies fashion, location strategy, meaning in the retail madness, multi-category, omni-channel retailing, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, shop of the future, space management, space planning, store experience, store layout, store theatre, town centre planningMarks & Spencer continues to impress with its sales figures and market share across fashion and home, as well as the more predictable food category. And whilst few would argue that they have the most exciting shops on the high street, the ambitious and highly successful store regeneration program is already reaping rewards, and putting…
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How dull must the future of fashion seem to Generation Z!?
in customer experience, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, fashion accessories, fast fashion, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, re-sell, recycling, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, secondhand, shop of the future, store experience, sustainabilityI wouldn’t imagine that too many GenZ’s have seen the latest ‘Top 30 Fashion Retailers by 2026’ report from Retail Week, or indeed read Retail Week at all. If these 18-24 year olds did read it, then I’m sure their hearts would plummet at a top 10 filled with the old bastions of retail, topped…
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Recycled products only add to the fashion volume problem, unless they help reduce the amount of new products produced.
A very interesting post from Brett Mathews on new legislation being brought in by the Netherlands to make fashion businesses more sustainable and accountable for the lifecycles of their products. – At least 50 per cent of the textiles sold “must prepared for reuse or recycling”– At least 20% of the textiles sold are prepared for reuse…
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The Slow rise of Circular Fashion: ‘A Story of our Age?’
The number of sustainable & circular economy events, workshops and communities that are appearing is startling. The passion of the speakers, the retailers, growers, producers is incredible, and matched by the enthusiastic reaction from the audiences. I witnessed this first-hand at the excellent WIP Sustainable Business Summit, held last Friday as part of the Fashion…
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We should all be talking ‘Best-seller materials’ and not ‘Best-seller products?’
in assortment structure planning, ethical retailing, fashion accessories, fast fashion, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, pre-loved, product suppliers, re-sell, recycling, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, secondhand, supply-chains, sustainabilityI was asked yesterday what circular fashion production and RFID tagging had to do with better ‘best-seller’ product selection, less worst sellers, and therefore less waste and all the sustainable benefits of that. The answer is nothing. RFID is an identification and data tool. The skill of designers & buyers, supported by predictive analytics, is…
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